Last weekend, Groundswell volunteers and staff planted nine more acres at Westport Prairie. Now, the entire valley from Bong Road to Westport Drumlin has been restored to native tallgrass prairie and oak savanna.
Joyful volunteers at last Saturday’s seed planting — Photos by Mario Quintana
Each year, we increase our capacity to plant and take care of more land through greater interest from volunteers who spend time in our preserves and donors who care deeply about conservation.
Habitat restoration also takes a great deal of planning.
Map by BJ Byers
Take a moment with this map (pictured above, or see the PDF here).
If you’ve visited Westport Prairie, you may recognize the purple and salmon shapes as prairie remnants (a remnant is an “old-growth” prairie). Ten years ago, these were fragments of habitat at the margins of agriculture. Each yellow shape is a planting, and only a faint exaggeration of the bursting shades of yellow coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and coreopsis which paint the prairie in summer.
Groundswell’s earliest plantings (2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020) added buffers around the remnants to protect sensitive habitat from pesticide drift. After that, we connected the remnants together to create wildlife corridors and expand habitat (2021, 2022, and 2023).
Before and after photos of the 2022 Westport Prairie planting — Photos by BJ Byers
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Isabelle Fremeaux and Jay Jordan’s conviction, “We are not defending nature. We are nature defending itself.”
I take this literally. As I work at Westport Prairie, my body physically changes to become part of the landscape. My muscles adapt and strengthen to match the slope of the hills. The berries and medicine I forage become part of me. Sunburn hardens my skin.
Sometimes I move through this landscape with a sense of mourning. There are only 168 acres remaining of the 129,000-acre “Empire Prairie” that once stretched across Dane and Columbia County. Volunteer Aaron Suiter reminded me of this fact recently through his blog Plant Propagation Project, and it really sunk in. We are working with mere fragments of what once was.
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) — Photo by BJ Byers
The work at Westport Prairie also makes me feel hopeful. In the coming years, we will begin planting fields nearly 20 acres in size. Over the next 10 years, all of the land within the green boundaries on the map above will be restored to native tallgrass prairie.
This year, we saw the return of bobolinks to Westport Prairie. As we increase the size of the prairie, it becomes a better refuge for ground nesting birds. This group has seen a 43% population decline since 1970.
Seeing these birds return and being part of creating space for them gives me hope for a future—one in which we see ourselves as part of this ecosystem and care for it accordingly.
I invite you to come out this spring to be among the first to walk our trail newly surrounded by restored prairie.
If you know any birds, tell them to visit Westport Prairie.
Welcome back to Field Notes, our new monthly update that shares Groundswell’s boots-on-the-ground work. Each month, I’ll fill you in on what our team is working on in the field.
Today, I want to share some background about Groundswell’s work to provide equitable access to land. And, I have some exciting updates about what’s been happening at Westport Farm!
Cover Crop Workshop at Westport Farm — Photo by Yimmuaj Yang
Protecting farmland has been part of Groundswell’s work for many years. We’ve formed relationships with local farmers and learned about the challenges they face. Groundswell aims to support these farmers and to help remove barriers. You can read more about this work here.
Farmers in our community struggle to find land with fair leases and long-term tenure. Some farmers have lost access to their fields halfway through a growing season. Others grow vegetables in the heat of summer without easy access to water. And, despite their contributions to the local agricultural economy for decades, HMoob-American farmers still struggle to access land in the face of language barriers and racism.
Groundswell purchased two farms in 2018 to tackle this challenge head-on. At Westport Farm, we took on the stewardship of a community farm. We’ve now surpassed the initial goal of ensuring that the HMoob farmers on site were not displaced.
2024 Westport Farm Tour — Photo by Ben Lam
Today, Westport Farm operates much like a community garden, but with infrastructure tailored to farmers rather than gardeners. The farm provides growers with long-term leases and large plots. We don’t stop at access to land, but also provide resources like irrigation, education, and farm infrastructure designed to help farmers thrive.
Field day participants learn about the use and design of the wash station at Westport Farm. — Photo by Paul Huber
For example, we recently built a vegetable-washing station for the Westport Farm growers to use. We hosted a field day so other farmers from the area could learn from our project and take lessons back to their own farms.
Participants visited two affordable structures used for washing and packing produce. The field day covered efficiency and food safety, and we ended the day with a shared meal. Our thanks go out to event participants, as well as our event partners: Rooted, GoFarmConnect, and UW-La Crosse.
Presley Chang and Yimmuaj Yang of Live Jewelry Farm pose with their new high tunnel.
And this month, we’re celebrating the completion of the first high tunnel at Westport Farm. This high tunnel was built by farmer Presley Chang, a carpenter and vegetable farmer who has leased a plot at Westport Farm for 12 years. Live Jewelry Farm, Presley’s farm business, was awarded cost-share funding for this project through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Building permanent infrastructure on rented land can be a risk for farmers. (It’s hard to justify major expenses when you’re not confident in your long-term land tenure.) To me, this high tunnel project demonstrates the trust and strong relationships between Groundswell and the farmers we work with.
I’ll leave you with this video from a high tunnel build we helped coordinate last summer. You’ll see some familiar Groundswell faces. This video also shares a glimpse of what it looks like to participate in a bilingual farmer workshop. Enjoy!
HMoob vs. Hmong Terminology:
Throughout written work, the HMoob people and language have been categorized under the generic term “Hmong.” However, the HMoob people and language represent a diverse group of communities and identities. The term “HMoob” was created by community members as a more inclusive word that encompasses two main dialects, Green and White.
To be more inclusive of the different communities within the larger HMoob community, Groundswell will use the term “HMoob” in writing going forward. Even though the spelling is different, the English pronunciation is the same (muhng).
To learn more about how and why this term was created, check out this article from UW-Extension.
Hi, I’m Sam Douglass, Groundswell’s Farm and Land Management Specialist. This is the first of a new, monthly update to share the boots-on-the-ground work Groundswell is doing to steward special places and expand equitable access to land and nature.
Sam Douglass, Farm & Land Management Specialist — Photo by Ben Lam
Each month, I’ll share a bit about what our team is working on in the field. I’ll also include short “hikes” through natural history, as well as stories inspired by the land we care for.
If you want a deeper look into the work we do, and you enjoy learning new things about the plants and land around us, this is for you.
Volunteers get to know prairie plants during a seed collection event at Westport Prairie. — Photo by Mario Quintana
This fall was all about seed collecting. If you attended one of our seed collection events this year, thank you! We could not accomplish this powerful work without the help of our community. This fiscal year, Groundswell volunteers gave an incredible 495 hours to outdoor volunteer efforts, including seed collection.
Seed collection volunteers have noted that seed collecting is a great way to learn to identify prairie plants. It’s hard to forget a plant that you’ve spent an hour or two looking for and interacting with.
Stiff Gentian — Photo by BJ Byers
Because I’ve worked out on our prairies for multiple years, I’m beginning to notice when new plants appear. While perennials like grasses remain fairly constant year over year, the population of annuals and biennials can fluctuate greatly. Populations change in response to environmental conditions. For example, a polar vortex, a wet spring, prescribed fire, or even a tire rut could cause shifts in the makeup of a prairie’s plant species.
This year at Westport Prairie, we had two “underdogs” that really boomed. The first was stiff gentian, a biennial and a favorite of bumblebees. The second was rough false foxglove, a perennial with delicate pink to purple flowers.
I’m always excited to see how our prairies evolve and surprise me. I’d love for you to be a part of creating a new section of prairie. Keep an eye out for an invite to our January seed planting and bonfire event at Westport Prairie. Together with volunteers, we will plant 10 more acres of prairie using the seeds collected this fall.
White Snakeroot — Photo by BJ Byers
Now, allow me to introduce you to another special (and quite common!) plant that I met this year.
You’d recognize white snakeroot. It proliferates in the dank understory of savannas and forests. Walk under the canopy of bur oaks on the drumlin at Westport Prairie, and you will find it in great swaths. This is a plant with a dark history.
When cattle eat white snakeroot plants in late summer and early autumn, their milk and meat are contaminated with a toxin called tremetol. When consumed, this poison is passed on to humans causing tremetol poisoning or “milk sickness.” For over two centuries, milk sickness was a “leading cause of death and disability in the Midwest and Upper South,” with no cure and no known cause.1
Some early settlers blamed witches for the occurrence of milk sickness. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that Doctor Anna Hobbs was told by her Shawnee friend that white snakeroot was toxic.2 Notably, it was too late for Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of Abraham Lincoln, and thousands of others who died of the toxin.
Next month, I’ll have some exciting updates on Westport Farm to share with you. Until then, keep your cows out of the snakeroot patch.
1 William Snively, “Mystery of the Milksick” (1967)
2 John W. Allen, “It Happened in Southern Illinois” (1968)
This year, Groundswell is trying something new at Westport Farm: growing rice. While most people don’t expect to see rice in southern Wisconsin, highland rice can grow here just like other garden vegetables.
We planted more than half an acre and featured the grain at this year’s Fall Harvest Picnic. Attendees learned how to properly harvest and prepare rice for the dinner table. The picnic provides a recurring opportunity for the Lifting Hearts Therapy Garden elders to thank the community for supporting Westport Farm.
For many of the Hmoob growers, planting rice brought back joyful memories from their youth. The frequent weeding — and anticipation of the harvest — also reminded us how easy it is to take store-bought rice for granted!
Special thanks to the Southeast Asian Healing Center, Boyden Financial, Dane County, Nimick Forbesway Foundation, Schlecht Family Foundation, Oberweiler Foundation, Roger Garms, Greg Rosenberg, an anonymous donor, Peg Whiteside, and everyone who supports the Lifting Hearts Therapy Garden.
The 2025 Prairie Partners Crew wrapped up another season of hard work helping advance conservation where you live!
This year’s crew was in the field from late May to mid-August, rotating between the partners: Riverland Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Wisconsin DNR, and Groundswell Conservancy. One day a week the interns helped Groundswell care for Westport Prairie and Patrick Marsh by removing invasive plants and restoring habitat for wildlife.
The Prairie Partners program made a successful return this year after taking 2024 off. This year’s interns were Jack Maurer, Lexi Kohn, Karina Kloth, Cody Hennings, and Sam August.
We’re proud of the crew’s dedication and the real impact they made. Their efforts help keep these special places healthy for people and nature alike.
We also want to express our gratitude to the sponsors who made this program possible. They provided these students with hands-on conservation experience.
Thank you to Mary Binkley & Dennis Petzke, Nancy & Lou Bruch, Nancy & Wes Carter, Doug & Sherry Caves, Nancy Heiden, Susan & Les Hoffman, Susan & Conrad Jostad, Jim & Rumi O’Brien, Cary & Scott Reich, and Lorette Wambach.
The 2025 Prairie Partners Crew has returned and is already hard at work in the field helping advance conservation where you live!
This year, we’re excited to announce that we have brand-new partners for the program. We partnered with Riverland Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, and the Wisconsin DNR to hire the intern crew. The crew works four nine-hour days each week, Monday through Thursday, from late May to mid-August. Each workday, the crew is doing restoration work with a different partner on its protected land.
This year, Groundswell has the interns working on Wednesdays, alternating between Westport Prairie and Patrick Marsh from week to week. The crew will remove invasive plant species throughout the season. It’s hard work that will help keep our favorite local green spaces thriving for both wildlife and people. The next time you’re out for a hike and run into the crew, be sure to say hello!
Now, let’s meet the 2025 Prairie Partners crew!
- Sam August, a UW-Madison senior majoring in botany & conservation biology
- Cody Hennings, a UW-Stevens Point junior majoring in forestry
- Karina Kloth, a UW-Madison graduate majoring in environmental studies
- Lexi Kohn, a UW-Madison junior majoring in wildlife ecology
- Jack Maurer, a St. Olaf College junior majoring in biology & environmental studies
Special thanks to our sponsors who are making this wonderful opportunity possible this year!
- Mary Binkley and Dennis Petzke
- Nancy and Lou Bruch
- Nancy and Wes Carter
- Doug and Sherry Caves
- Nancy Heiden
- Susan and Les Hoffman
- Susan and Conrad Jostad
- Jim and Rumi O’Brien
- Cary and Scott Reich
- Lorette Wambach
“You just sequestered one ton of carbon dioxide,” volunteer Alex Tanke said after spending the day demonstrating how to make biochar from brush piles at Groundswell’s Westport Farm.
At Westport Farm, Groundswell is always changing our stewardship to take better care of the soil and conserve native habitat. After removing an understory of buckthorn and honeysuckle from a tree line this winter, we looked for a way to turn a byproduct of environmental restoration into a tool to support healthy soil. Biochar, which is gaining popularity for its benefits when added to garden soil, is an ancient method of improving soil fertility.
What we made and spread on our fields will remain for 1,000 years or more. It will house beneficial microorganisms, store water, assist plants with absorbing nutrients and minerals, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These compounding benefits are hard to measure, but we know they contribute to a world we want to live in — full of clean air, intact ecosystems, and tastier vegetables.
Creating this batch of biochar for the farm was an experiment for Groundswell, but one we are interested in continuing in the future. Our mission of promoting conservation where you live includes restoring native habitat and promoting sustainable farming practices. Making biochar out of removed invasives achieves both of these goals at once!
Farmland is essential for everyone, but many people who want to grow food can’t get land. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), recent immigrants (New Americans), and emerging farmers face many challenges to owning farmland. Our goal is to help these farmers find affordable farmland near Madison through the Buy, Protect, Sell program.
In this program, we buy farmland, protect it with an agricultural conservation easement, and sell it to an emerging farmer. The easement stops development on the land, keeping it for farming. By removing development rights, the future sale price is lower, making it more affordable for farmers. This helps them invest in their farms and build a sustainable business.
We can’t do this alone. We are working with American Farmland Trust and other organizations to launch and maintain this program. Funding is crucial ]for success. Thank you to the Racine Dominicans and Forward Community Investments for their generous $50,000 Racine Dominican Mission Grant. Groundswell is proud to be one of ten grantees!
Hooray! This spring, we broke ground on a well for Pasley’s Swan Creek Farm. Groundswell leases the farm to Neighborhood Food Solutions, who has had to use chlorinated municipal water for the past five growing seasons. Well water is preferred for a variety of reasons, including how it is financially sustainable for farmers and Groundswell.
We would like to thank the Mayor of Fitchburg, Julia Arata-Fratta; Alder Gabriella Gerhardt; and Fitchburg’s Resource Conservation Commission for championing a city ordinance amendment that made it possible to drill the well. We are also grateful for support from Dane County Supervisor Dana Pellebon and Representative Samba Baldeh. The project was sponsored by nearly $50,000 in generous grants from the American Family Insurance Institute for Community and Social Impact, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, and the Alliant Energy Foundation.
We are reaching out to kindly request your assistance in conserving the habitat and wildlife at Patrick Marsh.
Recently, there has been unauthorized mowing of trails at Patrick Marsh. While we appreciate the intention to maintain the trails, some of these activities don’t align with our carefully developed management plan and could negatively impact the wildlife and their habitat.
If you know who might be mowing the trails, please let us know at 608-258-9797 or admin@groundswellconservancy.
Unfortunately, a new, unauthorized path has been mowed through a restored prairie. This path is potentially a threat to the prairie habitat, and we are concerned about the potential long-term damage. The more foot traffic this path receives, the harder it will be to restore the prairie. To prevent further harm, we have placed signs at this path and kindly ask all visitors to not use it. All of the other trails are still open and we hope you continue enjoying Patrick Marsh!
Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to protecting special places, forever.
