Groundswell and Dane County swapped land to improve management of two public natural areas on November 28th, 2016.

Dane County donated 14 acres of land on the south side of Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area (map), on the eastern doorstep of Sun Prairie, to Groundswell. The land is adjacent to the 80 acres owned by Groundswell and is part of a 320-acre wildlife area. In exchange, Groundswell donated 40 acres of land north of Waunakee to Dane County. This land, the Wilke Prairie Preserve (map), is adjacent to the County’s Waunakee Prairie.

At Patrick Marsh, Groundswell has been working with Patrick Marsh Conservancy, Sun Prairie Rotary, Patrick Marsh Middle School, and other groups to improve trails and restore wildlife habitat. In November, 250 students from Patrick Marsh Middle School planted 18 acres of prairie in a field on the south side of the marsh. This fall the Land Trust officially adopted the DNR land at the marsh and will work on more improvements to wildlife habitat. The Land Trust works with volunteers, a summer intern crew, Operation Fresh Start, and others to make the wildlife area more accessible, educational, and enjoyable for everyone.

The land Dane County is gaining in this swap, the Wilke Prairie Preserve on Six Mile Creek north of Waunakee, was created in 1994 when Hazel Knudson donated 40 acres to Groundswell. According to Land Trust Executive Director Jim Welsh, “Hazel’s original goal had been to see her land become part of the county’s system of parks and natural resource areas. It’s nice to see that 22 years later we could fulfill Hazel’s wishes.”

According to Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, “The land exchanges with Groundswell are wonderful examples of how Dane County continues to collaborate with our conservation partners to deliver a quality and seamless recreational experience for residents of and visitors to Dane County.  These exchanges will increase management efficiencies and reduce operating costs by consolidating land holdings where the County or the Land Trust already owns other conservation and recreational lands.  My special thanks to Groundswell for all it does to further the goals of the County’s Parks and Open Space Plan.”

On Monday, November 7, over 250 seventh-graders from Patrick Marsh Middle School helped plant 18 acres of prairie at Groundswell’s Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area. Students helped scatter seeds from more than 40 species of prairie wildflowers and grasses, a mix designed to attract and host native pollinators like the monarch butterfly. This educational event gave the students a hands-on experience in the restoration of the kind of native prairie landscape that once stretched across Dane County. As the prairie planting matures in the next few years, it will provide vital habitat and food for many of the insects that pollinate agricultural crops around Sun Prairie. Jason Sromovsky captured this video of the planting:

The planting replaced a soybean field east of Sun Prairie along Town Hall Road, just south of Patrick Marsh. On the eastern doorstep of Sun Prairie, this land is part of a 320-acre wildlife area which is open to the public for a variety of outdoor recreation activities and is owned by the DNR, Dane County, and Groundswell. The event was coordinated by Groundswell, Madison Audubon Society, Patrick Marsh Conservancy, and the Discovery Club at Patrick Marsh Middle School.

“This community has been very supportive of our plans to make Patrick Marsh a better community place. After the success of our first planting with Patrick Marsh Middle School in 2013, we wanted to be sure to include our next generation of land stewards once again.” – Tony Abate, Groundswell Conservation Specialist

THANK YOU to Patrick Marsh Middle School Discovery Club and Groundswell supporters for funding the purchase of the prairie seed and Madison Audubon Society and their volunteers for collecting much of the seed. And thank you to Jason Sromovsky for capturing and creating this video.

 

Groundswell has officially adopted the DNR’s Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area on the east side of Sun Prairie. While the DNR will still own the 225-acre wildlife area, the Land Trust will expand its land management activities, working with volunteers and others to improve wildlife habitat and maintain the hiking trails and signs around the marsh. The Land Trust currently owns and maintains its own 80 acres on the south side of the marsh, where Dane County owns another 14 acres.

“Protecting land is really about connecting people with land, because if people don’t know or love a place, they probably won’t care about it. We want to make it possible for more people to enjoy and learn about natural areas near them, like Patrick Marsh. This partnership allows us to help manage and preserve all the land around the marsh in a way that will involve the communities that work and play here,” said Tony Abate, Conservation Specialist with Groundswell.

The Land Trust’s work adopting the wildlife area is funded in part by a $38,300 grant from Madison Community Foundation. The Land Trust’s “Community Connections” program is being used to build stronger relationships between people and natural areas. Tony Abate is coordinating the Land Trust’s on-the-ground land management activities and engaging the public at Patrick Marsh. His priorities are to expand activities that bring school groups and community members to our preserves for education days, field trips, and volunteer work parties. To get involved in outdoor volunteering or join a field trip, please contact BJ at (608) 258-9797 or BJ@groundswellconservancy.org

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Groundswell is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that protects special places in and around Dane County. Since 1983, Groundswell has permanently protected more than 10,700 acres of land and water. For more information about Groundswell or to make a tax-deductible contribution to support their work, please contact Tony Abate, Conservation Specialist, Groundswell, at tony@nhlt.org or (608) 258-9797 or visit www.nhlt.org.

Madison Community Foundation uses its local knowledge and assets to inspire giving, support meaningful initiatives, and connect people for the common good. It was established in 1942 as a tax-exempt community trust and is governed by a Board of Governors representing the broad interests of the community. Individuals and organizations interested in establishing an endowment with Madison Community Foundation or donating money to its general fund may find more information online at www.madisoncommunityfoundation.org.

Conservation easements are a great way to keep rich agricultural land in production and prevent wildlife habitat from being paved over.  Groundswell uses conservation easements to permanently protect 6,000 acres of farmland, streambanks, and wildlife habitat in southcentral Wisconsin.  We have set up an endowment at Madison Community Foundation to ensure that we will always have the financial resources to annually visit the easement land and ensure that the land use limits voluntarily placed on the land are always upheld.

But when it comes to taking care of the prairies, savannas, and other wildlife habitat on some of the easements — habitat that needs active management to keep it healthy — conservation easements fall short.  It is far easier to prevent someone from building a house on easement land (which is what conservation easements are good at) than it is to make a landowner keep invasive plants out of their prairie or woodland.

Thanks to creative thinking and a strong love of the land, landowners Mariana and Frank Weinhold have taken the stewardship of their conservation easement land to the next level at Louis’ Bluff north of the Wisconsin Dells.  A natural landmark on the Wisconsin River, featuring a tall sandstone bluff topped with towering white pines, Louis’ Bluff is relatively free from non-native plants thanks to Mariana’s vigilance.  In 2007 the Weinholds took an important step in permanently protecting Louis’ Bluff by granting Groundswell a perpetual conservation easement over their property.  A few years later, as they began the process of transferring Louis’ Bluff to their children, they had to reckon with the fact that their children, who have busy lives of their own, might not be able to care for Louis’ Bluff as they have.

So in 2015 the Weinholds brought together Natural Resources Foundation and Groundswell to create a land management endowment for Louis’ Bluff.  This endowment will provide a steady stream of income to Groundswell to annually inventory and remove invasive plants.   Although the endowment will not be big enough to cover all the land management needs of Louis’ Bluff, it offers a partial solution to the question many landowners have about how to maintain the ecological integrity of a cherished property even after they no longer own the land.  According to Mariana and Frank, “We are very pleased that Groundswell and Natural Resources Foundation have stepped up to help us ensure that Louis Bluff will have some oversight and management in the future when we no longer have the energy.  Our children are very supportive of having the extra pair of eyes and hands, as well as the land management expertise.  We hope that other landowners will consider doing similar programs.”

Visit Louis’ Bluff with the Madison Club.  Dells Magic:  Wisconsin Dells Fall Tour

For over 45 years Bill Lunney has held leadership roles in land conservation across Wisconsin and we’ve all benefited from the impact of his extraordinary dedication. We are thrilled that he has been selected to receive Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts’ Bud Jordahl Land Conservation Leadership Award for 2016.

We’re honored to have played a role in the nomination of Bill for this award. Bill spoke at the first Earth Day in 1970 and was one of the key players in our inaugural conservation success, Wally Bauman Woods, and the formation of our organization, then known as Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation. He has chaired the Dane County Parks Commission for twenty eight years, was president of Groundswell, Board Chair of The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin, and president of the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. He has served on the board of Gathering Waters and is serving his 15^th year on the Natural Resources Foundation board. He traces this all back to his days as a law student where he was influenced by Stuart Udall and became aware of social and environmental issues.

Bill Lunney and his wife Judie Pfeifer are truly champions for the environment and local land conservation and we thank everyone who supported Bill’s nomination for this distinguished award with a letter of support: Jim Hubing; Howard Mead; R. Waldo Peterson; Gail Shea; Rick Eilertson, Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area; Mary Jean Huston, The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin; Laura Hicklin and Darren Marsh, Dane County Parks; and Camille Zanoni, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. As a former winner of the same award Howard Mead said in his nomination  of Bill, ” in the past 40 years, few in Wisconsin have accomplished more for the environment.. . he has been an articulate spokesman for the wise use of our natural resources in the tradition of Aldo Leopold and Bud Jordahl.”

Good news that with your support we completed two more conservation easement projects in partnership with the Town of Dunn, protecting more than 130 acres of prime farmland and open space.

These family farms will forever be a part of the Town of Dunn landscape, regardless of changing politics, thanks to the Town’s Rural Preservation Program. Since the program began in 1997, we have partnered with the town to complete 25 easements, preserving more than thirty percent of the Town’s rich farmland and creating a corridor of protected land (Town of Dunn map).

Funding for these conservation easements came from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the citizens of the Town of Dunn and Groundswell supporters.

Thank you to the landowners, Ann Carley and Josie Dersien (map of property) and Matt and Josh Dunn (map of property), for protecting your farms for future generations.

Good news that on 8/24/2016, with your support and in partnership with the Rock County Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements (PACE) program, we placed a permanent conservation easement on the 356-acre Sayre Farm east of Evansville. This easement permanently protects a large working farm in the heart of the Footville Leased Public Hunting Grounds, where for nearly 70 years landowners have leased their farms to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for public hunting and other recreation.  The easement represents a significant accomplishment to protect the agricultural productivity, wildlife habitat, and recreational resources of Rock County.

The extended Sayre family has included prominent members of the Rock County agricultural community for over 165 years.  Family patriarch David Franklin Sayre emigrated from New Jersey to Fulton in the Wisconsin Territory in 1840, intending to practice law.  When the railroad bypassed Fulton, he moved to the Town of Porter and began farming around 1851 to supplement his legal practice. You can read an interesting story about the role of oxen in pioneer farming, including breaking the prairie sod on Sayre farm land, in the Autumn 2015 issue of the Wisconsin Magazine of History (“A Generation of Oxen”).

More than a century and a half later, Sayre descendants continue to farm in Rock County, producing a variety of agricultural products, while providing wildlife habitat and recreation through various conservation programs and Footville Voluntary Public Access program leases.

Mike Foy, DNR wildlife biologist for Rock County, says the timing of this easement couldn’t be better. “Although the Footville Public Hunting Grounds has been in existence since at least 1948, providing thousands of acres of private land for public pheasant hunting and other recreation over the years, the project has always been vulnerable to the renewal of dozens of annual leases with uncertain funding.  Worried about the project’s long-term continuation, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board designated the project as the Footville Wildlife Area when they approved the Sugar River Basin Master Plan in June.  While the Footville project will still primarily depend on private land leases, the acquisition of the Sayre Conservation Easement will provide an important anchor for the new wildlife area, hopefully ensuring its continued existence for many years into the future.”

Tom Sweeney, who administers the PACE program for Rock County, is very happy to add the Sayre property to the county’s growing portfolio of working farms that have been successfully protected by conservation easements, ensuring that Rock County will continue to be a Wisconsin agriculture leader.

Funding to purchase the conservation easement came from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, Rock County, and supporters like you of Groundswell.

Good news that on 8/11/2016, with your support, we completed a conservation easement on Steve Greb and Julie Andersen’s 34-acre farm in the Town of Dunn.

The farm is directly adjacent to the Hook Lake State Wildlife Area and provides a conservation buffer to the public hunting lands, while remaining in private ownership (the farm itself remains closed to the public). Click here for a map of the property.

This is our 23rd project completed in partnership with the Town of Dunn as part of their Rural Preservation Program. The Town of Dunn has long been a recognized leader in  land conservation in Wisconsin. Our partnership with the Town ensures the land conservation we complete today endures forever regardless of changing politics.

Funding for the conservation easement came from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and the citizens of the Town of Dunn.

Thank you to Steve and Julie for protecting your farm for future generations.

Groundswell has received a $38,300 grant from Madison Community Foundation. The grant will be used to build stronger relationships between people and the land at our nature preserves at Westport Prairie east of Waunakee and Patrick Marsh east of Sun Prairie.

“Protecting land is really about connecting people with land, because if people don’t know or love a place, they probably won’t care about it.  That is why we want to make it possible for more people to enjoy and learn about natural areas near them, like Westport Prairie and Patrick Marsh,” said Jim Welsh, executive director of Groundswell. “I recently saw the results of a public opinion survey^[1]about our community. The survey found that in spite of a consensus that the quality of life is good in Dane County, many of us individually do not have a strong sense of community that provides optimism for the future.  We are worried about jobs, our families, and economic inequality, but many of us do take advantage of nearby outdoor places to exercise and relax.  As an organization that protects wonderful natural places, I believe that Groundswell can help people have positive experiences in wonderful natural areas near where they live, by sharing common experiences, meeting neighbors, and feeling welcomed. This generous grant from Madison Community Foundation will help make these good things happen.”

The Growing Community Places program has allowed Groundswell to hire a new employee, Tony Abate, to connect people with the land protected by Groundswell. Tony brings outdoor experience and critical thinking to his job, plus a large dose of enthusiasm. Tony is now coordinating our on-the-ground land management and engaging the public with our nature preserves. His priorities are to expand activities that bring school groups and community members to our preserves, such as education days and field trips, and to coordinate volunteer work parties. For example, last week Tony held a listening session at Westport Prairie to get community ideas about how the 10-acre Koltes Farmstead that Groundswell bought last winter could be made into a gateway for the preserve.

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Groundswell is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that protects natural areas, wildlife habitat, working farms, lakes and streams, and recreation land in and around Dane County. Since 1983, Groundswell has permanently protected more than 10,100 acres of land and water.

Madison Community Foundation uses its local knowledge and assets to inspire giving, support meaningful initiatives, and connect people for the common good. It was established in 1942 as a tax-exempt community trust and is governed by a Board of Governors representing the broad interests of the community. Individuals and organizations interested in establishing an endowment with Madison Community Foundation or donating money to its general fund may find more information online at www.madisoncommunityfoundation.org.

Good news that on 05/12/2016 a 162-acre farm in Jefferson County was permanently protected by a conservation easement.

The farm was protected in partnership with Jefferson County’s Farmland Preservation Program. This is the third farm Groundswell has partnered with Jefferson County to protect.

Jefferson County is one of the few municipalities in Wisconsin, like the Town of Dunn, that has set aside funds for buying conservation easements on their rich farmland, which is some of the best in the country. Under the easement, the farm is not open to the public but it ensures that this productive agricultural land will be permanently protected. Groundswell brought its expertise in navigating the complexities of easement transactions to help complete the project.

Funding for the project came from Jefferson County and the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Our thanks also go to the landowner for agreeing to sell the easement at less than its fair market value.

Click here to see the farm on our interactive map.