Westport Prairie Acquisition is a Happy Ending for a Local Family
Every piece of land tells a unique story. Some stories are simple and short while others, like Westport Prairie’s, take you on a colorful journey filled with unexpected and fateful turns. Fortunately, Westport Prairie’s most recent chapter ended happily for a local family on December 17, 2015 when Groundswell acquired the remaining 9.7 acres of a 110-acre farm around the Empire Prairie State Natural Area – Westport Drumlin Unit on the east side of Waunakee in the Town of Westport (click here for a map).
This small yet important inholding rejoins the 100-acre property Groundswell acquired from Jim Koltes and his brothers Terry and Butch in 2010. And it enables further protection of another native prairie remnant and provides an exhilarating 360-degree view of an undulating patchwork of prairie, woodland and farm fields.
Westport Prairie showcases remarkable geological and biological features. But, it also holds an intriguing human backstory, thanks to a family of settlers who never gave up….
Westport 1887
Jim Koltes’ great-grandfather settled on this site in Westport in 1887. The family farmed successfully for the most part, despite it being considered a “badland farm” due to the land’s prevalent limestone bedrock fragments and outcroppings. Unfortunately, tragedy struck two generations later with the sudden deaths of two of Jim’s uncles; one in childhood following a playful summer jump into a cattle watering tank, and the other several years later. The brothers’ deaths took a deep toll on Jim’s father. But, farming and life moved on.
In 1938, fate had a different kind of heartbreak in store for the family when the third-generation farm was lost to foreclosure during the Great Depression. For the next 41 years, the property changed hands several times and was home to a wide and interesting variety of agricultural operations. Dairy cows and potatoes, canning crops, organic vegetables, tobacco, a large-scale rabbitry, and the insightful introduction of strip cropping to help halt soil erosion.
Back in the family: beginning the protection process
After four decades of growing up and farming elsewhere in the surrounding area, Jim Koltes and his four brothers were able to purchase back their family farm in 1979. Better yet, their father was still alive and deeply gratified to see the farm back in Koltes hands.
Originating with 14 acres, the core of the State Natural Area was acquired by the Wisconsin DNR in 1984. Farming continued all around it, as did nearby quarrying and scattered home building. Habitat restoration began on the drumlin, and neighboring naturalist Nancy Schlimgen began her studies of the rare prairie bush clover plant. Her dedicated work, along with that of DNR’s State Natural Areas crew and volunteers from the Prairie Enthusiasts, helped to preserve and manage the rich natural resources of the drumlin and some of its satellite prairie remnants.
The never-ending story of land conservation
In 2009, Groundswell started acquiring more land around the State Natural Area. With this latest purchase, Groundswell has completed four purchases, totaling 213 acres. Now, Prairie Partners interns, crews from Operation Fresh Start, and volunteers from The Prairie Enthusiasts and Groundswell and Badger Volunteers, have joined with the State Natural Areas crew to greatly improve the area. Through strategic brush cutting of non-native and less desirable vegetation, prescribed burns, and seed collection/distribution, volunteers and workers continue to improve the area’s high-quality dry prairie and oak savanna landscape. The resulting improvement in habitat draws more native grassland birds, and fosters Wisconsin’s largest population of the federally-threatened prairie bush clover, the state-endangered red-tailed prairie leafhopper, and many more species worth protecting.
As in many great stories, what appears to be an ending is also a beginning. Acquiring these 9.7 acres will enable Groundswell to create new opportunities for educational study, recreational hiking, bird watching, habitat restoration, nature appreciation, and school group outings at Westport Prairie. It will also create a much safer entrance and trailhead that will allow more vehicle turnaround room, and expand visibility of oncoming traffic.
Even though the natural area is permanently protected, thanks to the generosity and conservation-mindedness of its former landowners, a lot of work still lies ahead in restoring and maintaining this precious landscape. Groundswell will continue to coordinate this critical work and the funding it depends on. And Jim Koltes will be able to continue visiting and enjoying the beautiful rural land his family has loved for generations. Said Jim, “This farm has been in and out of my family for over 125 years. I know it is a special place and it means so much to me to know it will be preserved forever in its natural state.”
Here's a one minute video with the landowner, Jim Koltes.
On Monday, December 7, 2015, Groundswell acquired a 25.6 acre piece of wetland at Lodi Marsh State Wildlife Area in northern Dane County. The property is located on County Y on the west side of the Wildlife Area, about 4 miles outside the City of Lodi and adjacent to state land (click here for a map). We hope to donate the property to the state as an addition to the Wildlife Area in 2016.
Our thanks go to Tom and Connie Lange for selling us this part of Lodi Marsh. According to Tom, “parting with the property just felt it was a good fit for Lodi Marsh. In particular, this gives access to the west end. It was obvious to us that people want to access the property.”
Lodi Marsh sits in a beautiful valley and features almost 1,200 acres of state land open to the public for outdoor recreation. A 2.5 mile segment of the Ice Age Trail traverses the east side of Lodi Marsh.
Funding to protect the property came from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, the Dane County Conservation Fund, and supporters of Groundswell.
Looking for an opportunity to visit this beautiful area? Please join us for a snowshoe hike at Lodi Marsh on Sunday morning, January 24th. The trip will be led by Ice Age Trail enthusiast Gary Werner. Although we won’t visit this new acquisition, you will be able to meet former landowners Connie and Tom Lange.
Groundswell has achieved land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.
Groundswell’s accredited status demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation that benefits the entire community,” says Jed White, board president. “Our land trust is a stronger organization today having gone through the rigorous accreditation program.” Groundswell was founded in 1983 and permanently protects natural areas, rivers and streams, wildlife habitat, and working farms in and around Dane County.
Groundswell was awarded accreditation this August and is one of 317 land trusts from across the country (including 10 in Wisconsin) that has been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008. Accredited land trust are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation. “This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the accreditation program; the 317 accredited land trusts account for more than three quarters of the 20,645,165 acres currently owned in fee or protected by a conservation easement held by a land trust,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, land trusts meet high standards for quality, and that the results of their conservation work are permanent.”
Each accredited land trust submitted extensive documentation and underwent a rigorous review. “Through accreditation land trust conduct important planning and make their operations more efficient and strategic,” said Van Ryn. “Accredited organizations have engaged and trained citizen conservation leaders and improved systems for ensuring that their conservation work is permanent.”
Conserving land helps ensure clean air and drinking water; safe, healthy food; scenic landscapes and views; recreational places; and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. In addition to health and food benefits, conserving land increases property values near greenbelts, saves tax dollars by encouraging more efficient development, and reduces the need for expensive water filtration facilities. Community leaders in land trusts throughout the country have worked with willing landowners to save over 47 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about, including land transferred to public agencies and protected via other means. Strong, well-managed land trusts provide local communities with effective champions and caretakers of their critical land resources, and safeguard the land through the generations.
Groundswell is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that protects natural areas, wildlife habitat, working farms, lakes and streams, and recreation land in or near Dane County. Since 1983, Groundswell has permanently protected more than 9,700 acres of land and water.
About the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. See a complete list of all recently accredited land trusts online at http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/land-trust-locator. More information on the accreditation program is available on the Commission’s website, www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
About The Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents 1,200 member land trusts supported by more than 5 million members nationwide. the Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices. More information about the Alliance is available at www.landtrustalliance.org.
There will soon be another reason to visit the Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area in Sun Prairie, WI (map): a unique wildlife viewing platform in the shape of a bird in flight is currently being constructed on the west shore of the marsh by crews from Operation Fresh Start, a job-training program for at-risk youth. The official unveiling of the viewing platform is scheduled for 1 pm on Sunday, October 4, 2015.
The new viewing platform and other improvements at the Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area are made possible under a partnership that includes Groundswell, Patrick Marsh Conservancy, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Operation Fresh Start. The viewing platform was designed by Shane Bernau of Ken Saiki Design, based on a plan Shane developed in 2006 while a student in landscape architecture at UW-Madison.
The platform will provide easily accessible wildlife viewing, just a short walk from the Patrick Marsh parking lot on Stone Quarry Road. The bird shape will make it possible for an entire class of students from nearby Patrick Marsh Middle School to get a front-row view of the marsh during outdoor classroom activities. In addition, a new distinctive metal entrance gate (also in the shape of a bird) will soon welcome visitors at the parking lot, along with an updated information kiosk orienting visitors to Patrick Marsh. Students in the Discovery Club at Patrick Marsh Middle School are designing new interpretive signs for the trails that will explain the history of the marsh from pre-settlement times until now. A new trail will connect neighborhoods on the south side of the marsh with the wildlife viewing platform
Funding for the improvements to Patrick Marsh has been provided by the Sun Prairie Rotary Club, Evjue Foundation, Rotary Foundation District 6250, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, Courtier Foundation, Natural Resources Foundation, Dane County Environmental Council, members of Groundswell, and many community members. Fund-raising efforts are on-going.
For more information about the wildlife viewing platform or the unveiling event, or to make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work, please contact Jim Welsh, Executive Director, Groundswell, at jim@groundswellconservancy.org or (608) 258-9797.
By Lloyd Lewis Eagan
As a long time member (and former board member) of Groundswell, I am greatly saddened and alarmed by the proposal in the Governor’s budget to eliminate Stewardship funding for land protection for thirteen years. I retired from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in September of 2013 after dedicating my career to water quality and natural resource protection. At the end of my career, I had the great good fortune to serve as a DNR regional director for the south- central part of the state and then as water leader for southern Wisconsin. In both of these positions, I worked with local communities, non-profit entities, and DNR staff to use Stewardship funds to preserve and enhance special places. I have seen first hand how the Stewardship program protects threatened natural resources, improves wildlife habitat and water quality, promotes outdoor recreation opportunities, and strengthens communities. The Stewardship program allows partners to work together to further the legacy of Wisconsin’s great environmental visionaries: John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Sigurd Olson and Gaylord Nelson.
The benefits of the Stewardship program can be seen by projects implemented by local communities and their nonprofit partners all across Wisconsin. More locally, Groundswell has used Stewardship funds to protect 19 special areas and hundreds of acres in and around Dane County. Each one of these places has a special story, but I will share three stories with you that represent the breadth and depth of impact that Stewardship investments have yielded.
Black Earth Creek Corridor
I started my permanent career with WDNR as a water quality planner for what was then the Southern District of DNR. My job was to prepare water quality plans for all of the river basins in south-central Wisconsin. In the plans, I identified special resources and special threats. In the Lower Wisconsin River Basin, Black Earth Creek stood out as an area of special significance. I assisted the water quality biologists and fish managers in conducting field surveys to document how cool, clean groundwater fed Black Earth Creek, which supported a world-class trout fishery. However, channelization, sewage plant upsets, encroaching development and nonpoint source pollution all threatened the quality of the water and the fishery. In addition, public access along the creek was limited. Clearly, this was a resource worthy of protection. The Black Earth Creek Watershed Association formed in this area, uniting people interested in protecting the creek. In addition, Black Earth Creek was designated as a “Priority Watershed,” enabling farmers to install practices to reduce agricultural runoff from entering the stream. However, the creek was still vulnerable and more needed to be done. Several landowners preferred working on conservation with a nonprofit entity rather than with governmental bodies. Groundswell stepped up to play this key role and identified the area as a high priority for protection. Since 2004, it has protected over 900 acres in the Black Earth Creek Watershed (map). These projects have protected many miles of stream bank and hundreds of acres of agricultural land. These protection efforts have allowed for continued agricultural use while providing improved wildlife habitat, enhanced water quality protection, increased public access to the resource and increased community benefits. The most recent project creates 2 miles of public trail from Mazomanie to Wisconsin Heights High School, providing key recreational access to this outstanding resource.
Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park
From 1988 to 1990, I left DNR to serve as the first Lakes and Watershed Coordinator at Dane County. One of the issues that came to the attention of the county executive was the build-up of sediment in the Yahara River channel as it enters Lake Mendota. More correspondence was received on the need to dredge this channel than any other issue during my tenure at the county. The county allocated funds for dredging, but that proved to be a temporary fix to the real problem which was upstream, where large portions of Cherokee Marsh had been lost over the years due to rising water levels and residential development. Gone were the wetlands that had once served as a big sponge, soaking up runoff and allowing sediments to drop out in the marsh upstream of the lake. The natural order of these events had been altered and the upper portion of the lake had become the catch all for sediment. Both the City of Madison and Dane County recognized this issue and began working upstream in the watershed to slow runoff and restore historic wetlands. Groundswell partnered in the effort by protecting about 290 acres in the Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park (map). In addition to helping restore some historic wetlands, this area is open to the public and allows people to connect with nature whether hiking, snow shoeing or launching a canoe or kayak to see wetland habitat first hand.
Lake Belle View Park
My familiarity with Lake Belle View in Belleville, Wisconsin started when I was a water quality planner for Southern District DNR in the mid-1980’s. At that time I was developing the Sugar River Basin plan. Lake Belleville was an impoundment on the Sugar River that was filled up with sediment, algae and rough fish. At the time, the resource managers recommended removing the dam completely so the river could flush itself. However, the local community did not want to lose what had been a good fishing area and a gathering spot for their community. There were many contentious meetings and a consensus did not seem reachable. One thing everyone agreed upon was that the lake was not very pleasant. Over the years, resource managers and consultants developed a different idea – build a berm to separate the Sugar River from Lake Belleville, draw down the lake, remove rough fish, and then allow groundwater to refill the lake. When I was regional director at South Central Region DNR, the agency supported the Village of Belleville with Stewardship grants that enabled lake planning and improvement projects working with private consultants (Montgomery and Associates in collaboration with Eco-Resource Consulting LLC, Agrecol Environmental Consulting and EC3 Environmental Consulting Group). In addition, retired DNR employees, Dave Marshall and Dick Wedepohl, worked to evaluate the fisheries potential with DNR fisheries staff. Dane County worked with local farmers to decrease agricultural runoff into the river and supported the lake improvement project. In 2013, with the help of Stewardship dollars, Groundswell purchased 36 acres and 200 feet of Sugar River shoreline to stabilize stream banks, improve water quality and promote recreation. This project has demonstrated the power of Stewardship funding to stimulate partnerships and cooperation among local governments, private contractors, nonprofit organizations and staff from multiple backgrounds at DNR. As a result, Belleville has a beautiful natural resource. The berm links northern and southern parts of the village by trail, and is easily accessed by the Badger State Trail. Lake Belle View is now a living laboratory of a unique and rare floodplain forest restoration featuring rare songbirds, eagles, and rare native plants. The lake/river area is a unique convergence of natural assets and recreational opportunities. Rare turtle habitat has been protected in the project area and native fish populations are recovering.
The lake is a pleasure to look at and the village sponsors multiple family events in the park along the shores of Lake Belleville. This resource has added value to local recreational experiences and local property values. If not for the Stewardship fund, Lake Belleville would likely have remained an unsightly, unproductive and underappreciated resource in the community. Instead, now it is a great source of pride and accomplishment. I am proud that I was able to be part of this transformation over the course of my career.
I’ve witnessed how well the Stewardship program has worked, not only in these three projects (or the sixteen other Groundswell projects), but all the successful projects in southern Wisconsin. Communities have made their dreams come true, improved water quality and recreational opportunities, enhanced wildlife habitat, and carried out Wisconsin’s long tradition of environmental preservation. But we are at a cross roads now. If the Stewardship Fund is eliminated from Wisconsin communities and nonprofit organizations for thirteen years, similar projects will stop dead in their tracks.
I am a grandmother now and, a large reason for my retirement was to spend a day a week caring for our grandson. He is only 15 months, but I have already canoed with him, carried him through the forest in a backpack, and introduced him to wildlife through books and pictures. I want us to leave special places for our grandchildren and their grandchildren to enjoy. I want future generations to know what “wildness” is like. I am sure many of you agree with me, so I implore you to join me in contacting your legislators. Please let them know that Stewardship fund purchases should not be stopped! This should not be a partisan issue. Protecting our natural resources is about protecting and improving our natural capital, a rare and precious thing.
On Friday, October 31, 2014 we purchased 40-acres of land on the northeast side of Stoughton, Dane County. The land boasts over a mile of frontage on the Yahara River and is a popular stopover for migrating waterfowl (click for a map).
Groundswell will donate the land to the City of Stoughton to be enjoyed as a conservancy park where the public will have permanent access to the river. The city’s plans for the property include an extension of the bike trail that starts in the heart of the city and presently ends in Viking County Park, just south of the acquired property.
Our thanks go to the landowner for selling us this property at less than its fair market value. Funding for the purchase was provided by the DNR’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, the Dane County Conservation Fund, and Groundswell members.
Thanks to the late Bessie McGwin Eggleston and her niece and nephews and the dedication and vision of many conservation partners, on September 5, 2014, Groundswell purchased part of the original John Muir family farm in Marquette County between Montello and Portage. John Muir was a founder of the Sierra Club and is widely regarded as the father of our National Park System, which is turning 100 years old in 2016.
This 198-acre acquisition (map) includes 38 acres of the original 320-acre farm settled by Daniel Muir in 1849. About 60 acres of the Muir farm is already permanently protected at the adjacent John Muir Memorial Park/Muir Park State Natural Area surrounding Ennis Lake (called Fountain Lake by the Muirs).
The property we acquired will become part of a 1,400-acre protected landscape, which includes the John Muir Memorial Park/Muir Park State Natural Area and the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge. The property will be open to the public for hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, fishing, trapping, and bird-watching. In the next few years, we will donate the 120 acres west of County Highway F to the US Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge. And we will donate the eastern 78 acres to the Ice Age Trail Alliance. A segment of the Ice Age Trail circles Ennis Lake and may continue north across the property we acquired today.
Funding to complete this acquisition was provided by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, USFWS Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council, The Conservation Fund, Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust, Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, and many generous members of Groundswell, Wisconsin Friends of John Muir, and John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Our thanks go to the McGwin family for their commitment to conservation, and to the partners made this important acquisition possible: Wisconsin Friends of John Muir, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Wisconsin DNR, and the John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club.
There was a dedication event at the property on Saturday, June 13, 2015.
Starting this fall, employees of state government (including UW System employees), Dane County, City of Madison, Madison Metro School District, Monona School District, and Madison College, can donate to Groundswell through EarthShare Wisconsin in their workplace giving campaigns, primarily through payroll contributions.
Giving to Groundswell through EarthShare Wisconsin is an easy and cost-effective way to support permanent land conservation here in the Dane County region. EarthShare Wisconsin’s goal is to be the public’s trusted and proven way to support Wisconsin’s and the nation’s most respected environmental and conservation charities at work. Earthshare has earned the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance accreditation.
“We are very happy to have Groundswell as a member of EarthShare Wisconsin,” said Managing Director Darren Blankenship. “They have been a very effective organization for many years protecting vital lands, lakes, and streams in Dane County and beyond. That is why my wife and I have been longtime members of the organization.”
EarthShare Wisconsin’s benefiting organizations work hard every day to safeguard public health and the environment by seeking solutions to climate change and sustainability issues, advocating for clean and renewable energy, protecting ancient forests and conserving wildlife and habitat, cleaning up our water and air, saving endangered species, and many other vital initiatives.
If you would like more information about EarthShare Wisconsin and how they can be an option in your workplace giving campaign, please contact managing director Amanda Oenbring at amanda@earthshare.org or (240) 333-0306.
Groundswell is now enrolled in Thrivent Financial’s member-advised charitable grant program, Thrivent Choice®. This is thanks to Fred Wollenburg of Dalton who nominated Groundswell through his local Thrivent financial representative. On March 6, 2014, we received the first electronic grant from Thrivent Financial to help support our local land conservation efforts.
Thrivent Choice lets eligible Thrivent benefit members recommend where some of the organization’s charitable outreach funds go. “In 2014, I directed Choice Dollars to Groundswell because I want to help protect John Muir’s legacy in Wisconsin,” said Fred Wollenburg.
Here’s how the Thrivent Choice program works:
Eligible Thrivent members are designated Choice Dollars® that they can direct online, by phone, or through their Thrivent Financial representative. By directing Choice Dollars, participating members are thereby recommending that Thrivent provide charitable grant funding for their choice among thousands of enrolled congregations and nonprofit organizations, including Groundswell.
During the past 4 months, five individuals have directed Choice Dollars to Groundswell. Choice Dollars directions have ranged from $20 to $1,000, with the median direction being $72.
Click here to learn more about supporting Groundswell through the Thrivent Choice program or contact Heidi Habeger at 608-258-9797.
On April 30, 2014, Groundswell placed a permanent conservation easement on the 161-acre landscape around the Historic Indian Agency House at the junction of the Portage Canal and the Fox River in Portage.
The Historic Indian Agency House was built in 1832 for John Kinzie, who was the United States government’s representative to the local Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) tribe. John’s wife Juliette Kinzie’s memoir Wau-bun describes their life and times at the Agency House. In 1930 The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Wisconsin purchased the Agency House and have restored and opened it to the public. Recently, the Colonial Dames have become interested in helping the public understand the landscape in which the Agency House was built. The conservation easement permanently protects that landscape, opens it to the public, and may create new opportunities to restore and enhance the landscape.
The conservation easement is part of a larger conservation effort that includes the Ice Age Trail Alliance, which yesterday bought 46 acres on the south side of the canal opposite the Agency House. The Wisconsin DNR’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and members of Groundswell funded the purchase of the conservation easement.