Winx,

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have continued to maintain the Wija Flowage, attempting to plant wild rice on the property several times, creating water passages and dikes to provide birds with places of refuge and cutting the grass in the swampy land so fresh grass could provide both food and cover for wildlife.

“We wanted to have a nesting area to be able to have more birds,” said Chose. “This land here is connected to the big one at the Winx Flowage.”

While the Winx Club completed its major projects, the organization has also done other projects over the years to not only help the county maintain its waterfowl and migratory bird populations but also educate and promote careers in conservation in future generations. In the past, the members of the club said they partnered with local school districts to have groups of kids tour the flowages to understand migratory bird pattens.

“We used to have field days out here,” said Chose. “We would have groups of fifth and sixth grade kids come out here and have education days. We would teach them about birds and what the flowages were all about.”

The group also provided scholarships to any student from the Neillsville, Loyal, Granton and Greenwood school districts who was entering the field of conservation, as well as donated funds for hunter’s safety courses. The funds were raised annually through the club’s banquets, and the club worked very hard to keep the money raised for their organization in Clark County to help with projects in the county itself. Between 2010 and 2015, the club donated more than $10,000 towards local projects.

“They helped with other flowages,” said Wendorski. “They did habitat nesting work, put money towards repairing Dam 12. At the end of the day, they have been a very important partner for the Forestry and Parks Department. They did so much to improve Clark County Forest land and help conserve migratory bird habitats.”

Over the years however, the club members have only gotten older, making the work they do to maintain the Wija Flowage and help with other county projects harder.

“The club has just kept getting smaller,” said Chose with a laugh. “They all went to a new club in the cemetery.”

“The age has been slowing us down,” added Schultz. “We want to be out there, but as we’ve gotten older, we just can’t do things the way we used to. We did try to recruit from the younger generation, but it just wasn’t there. Any new members we got just didn’t last long.”

It has gotten to the point now, with four members remaining, that the Winx Club decided it was time. Reaching out to the Forestry and Parks Department, the club had one last gift they wanted to give to the community, to make sure that conservation for waterfowl and other migratory birds continues well into the future. The club donated the 40-acre Wija Flowage to the county, and it will be added to a list of protected sites to prevent hunting of migratory birds on the property. The property will remain open to the public for other hunting, trapping and hiking, but will always remain a sanctuary for migratory birds.

“Our club wanted to create a place where birds can sit and not get harassed,” said Schultz. “Everyone can now see the birds flying as they are completing their migrations. This land is a major stopover for a lot of birds, and it’s ingrained in their genetic memory. They have a GPS that tells them and their future generations that this is a place they can go. We are very fortunate to have this place and that the birds come here.”

Both the Winx Club and the Clark County Forestry and Parks Department invite the public to visit both the Winx and Wija flowages at any time during the year to watch the migrating birds. In the spring and fall months, the best viewing times for the birds will be at sunrise and sunset, while in the summer, birds can be seen earlier in the evening. They ask that anyone who visits the sites to be respectful of the site and of the animals that are protected within them, and to enjoy the many species of animals that call the Winx and Wija flowages home.