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Our mission

Protect Special Places, Forever

Groundswell Conservancy is a Wisconsin nonprofit and community-based organization. We believe everyone should live in a world filled with green places where communities thrive. Land is essential for people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. All should enjoy equitable access to the benefits of land and nature. If we don’t protect undeveloped land now, it may be lost forever.

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It all starts here

The environmental issues facing our world have never been greater – our climate is changing, farmland is disappearing, not everyone has good access to land, wildlife habitat is vanishing, and people are losing their connections with the outdoors. Groundswell Conservancy is pushing back. With the help of our supporters, landowners, partners and volunteers, we are taking on big issues with focus and resolve. Acre by acre we are getting results.

Upcoming Events

April

Thank You Party

May

Walk at Avon Bottoms

June

Wetland Restoration Tour at Walking Iron

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Volunteers processing seed with a hammer mill, Photo Credit: Ben Lam

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Join Us and Become a Volunteer

With your help, we restore and care for our local natural landscapes for communities to enjoy and wildlife to thrive. No experience is necessary, and we provide the tools for the job.

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Our Latest Images from Instagram

The timelapse makes it look quick, but this controlled burn by the @wi_dnr at Westport Prairie took several hours. Burns like these are an important part of preserving prairie health.

Before European settlement, fire was a natural part of the lifecycle for Wisconsin's grasslands. Many prairie plants depend on fire as a means of regeneration and growth. For around they 150 years fires stopped happening. Now the state and others are bringing them back in a controlled form and our native prairie are loving it. 

The next time you are out at Westport Prairie, see if you can see the remnants of the burn on the drumlin. You might be surprised how quickly the plants make a comeback.
🔥Before and after: The @wi_dnr burned about a quarter of the glacial drumlin at Westport Prairie. It took the crew about four and a half hours to clear around a dozen acres of land. 

Controlled burns like this are an important tool for preserving prairie health. They give native prairie species a chance to grow and flourish. Before European settlement, fire was a natural part of the Empire Prairie's rhythms.

 We have a bunch of cool videos and photos from the burn that we will be sharing soon! 

#PrairieRestoration #ControlledBurn #WisconsinDNR #WildfireManagement #NativePlants #ConservationEfforts #SustainableLandManagement #PrairieEcosystem #FireEcology #WestportPrairie
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