Peninsular Agricultural Research Station was recently awarded a Cooperative Observer Length of Service Award from the National Weather Service for collecting 100 years of weather data for the NWS system.

The award was announced in the winter 2024/2025 edition of the Packerland Weather News, the newsletter of the National Weather Service in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“Receiving this award is a testament to the dedication of PARS staff through the years,” says Becky Wiepz, superintendent of Peninsular ARS. “We are incredibly grateful to Dan Kielar and Linda Mohr – and all previous PARS employees who helped – for their unwavering commitment to gathering accurate weather data that benefits Door County and beyond. It makes me so proud that our weather station has been able to provide this valuable information to researchers and our community for the past century.”

Peninsular Agricultural Research Station is located on the Door Peninsula, where the climate is well suited for specialty crops. Researchers use the station to conduct studies on pest control programs as well as projects to help improve yield and quality of apples, cherries, grapes and hazelnuts. Work at the station also focuses on supporting sustainable dairy production in the region, including research on corn, soybeans and forages.

The PARS weather station is part of NOAA’s Cooperative Observer Program Network. Data collected at the station – including temperature, precipitation, and snowfall – becomes a permanent part of the climatic record for the local area and nation. These data are used by the National Weather Service and state climatologists, as well as those involved in agricultural production, agricultural planning and assessment, engineering, environmental-impact assessment and utilities planning.

The NWS award was developed to recognize all of the cooperative weather observers who have contributed to this trove of valuable weather data.