Marathon Co. is located within the Central Wisconsin River Basin, which inevitably provides the county with an abundance of surface water sources such as streams, tributaries, and wetlands. This abundance of water sources can easily be polluted when agriculture or urban/developed landcover types are in close proximity to these areas. Landcover types located within a […]
Read More… from Assessing Marathon County riparian and wetland resources
This report proposes a plan to address the minimal research surrounding water quality in the area and how to take new data to implement it better policies to protect water sources. UniverCity Year Contact Info Gavin Luter Managing Director gavin@cows.org 608-261-1141 […]
Read More… from Exploring data for the Marathon County Groundwater Protection Plan
Marathon County has encountered recent problems with groundwater contamination.UniverCity has been tasked with helping out Marathon County to research possible sources forthis pollution and provide solutions to ensure the problem is mitigated. Much research wasconducted on current regulations, contaminations levels and data that currently exist in thecommunity. With this research, an in depth analysis could […]
Read More… from Analyzing groundwater contamination and protection in Marathon County
To combat the intense winter weather of Northern Wisconsin, road salt has been usedthroughout Marathon county as a cheap, effective means to melt snow and ice on roads, keepingdrivers safe in potentially treacherous conditions. Recent discovery has revealed that this roadsalt application has potentially significant consequences on local ecosystems near roads. Ourgoal of this project […]
Read More… from Mapping winter road salt use and sensitive areas in Marathon County
In order to be more cost effective and environmentally conscious, Marathon County ishoping to utilize a standard salt usage plan as the road de-icing techniques currently vary in eachof the 11 municipalities in the county. This disconnect is not only ineffective, but also potentiallydangerous to drivers traveling throughout different municipalities that salt heavier or lighter […]
Read More… from Examining best practices for de-icing in Marathon County
With the support of Andrew Lynch, AICP, Transportation Planner at the Wausau Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the UniverCity Alliance, students in the Nelson Institute Community Environmental Scholars Program researched road salt practices in the Wausau Metropolitan Area during Spring Semester 2021. Four University of Wisconsin-Madison students participated in the project through their enrollment in Environmental […]
Read More… from Road Salt Practices Across Wausau Metropolitan Area Municipalities
The child care industry is vital for a healthy economy and yet there are inherent tensions that make improvements in quality, affordability, and access difficult. Improvements in one area must often come at the expense of another area. A holistic approach is essential to ensure that policy changes meet the needs of all residents in […]
Read More… from Child care availability, issues, and solutions
As identified in the Workforce Innovation for a Strong Economy (WISE) Plan, one of the big issues that our community is facing with regard to available workforce is the lack of available childcare for potential employees. This is a larger issue for the community than just its impact on workforce, because early childhood development is […]
Read More… from Navigating the legal aspects of providing child care
La Crosse County has been struggling with childcare accessibility for its residents due to lack of viable options. The past two decades have seen significant decreases in the amount of regulated childcare businesses. In 1998, there were over 450 regulated childcare businesses in existence in La Crosse County. By 2019, the number of regulated childcare […]
At the request of La Crosse County, we completed a benefit-cost analysis of three potential alternatives to current policy to increase the availability and affordability of child care. Two of these alternatives involve creating new employer-sponsored child care facilities and one entails a wage subsidy for child care providers. Ultimately, on average, none of the […]
Read More… from A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Expanding Access to Child Care in La Crosse County