The Nature Conservancy Acquires 153 Acres of Grassland

Purchase Ensures Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area Site Will Not be Developed

MADISON, Wis. — May 12, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy announced today that it has acquired 153 acres in Iowa County located within a 50,000-acre grassland landscape in southwestern Wisconsin known as the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA).

The newly-acquired land, which a short time ago was envisioned as the site of a new residential subdivision, is located near Thomson Memorial Prairie, an existing 324-acre preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy that is home to prairie wildflowers, butterflies and grassland birds.

The MRPHA is located in Dane and Iowa counties and includes more than 60 native prairie remnants as well as a significant amount of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or used as pasture. Because of this high concentration of grassland, the area is considered one of the best opportunities in the Midwest to protect prairie remnants and rare or declining species such as grassland birds. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has identified the MRPHA as its highest priority for landscape-scale grassland protection.

“Less than one-tenth of one percent of Wisconsin’s original prairie landscape remains,” said Mary Jean Huston, director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “In the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area, however, agricultural use has helped keep much of the land in grass. By conserving the prairies that remain and keeping much of the rest of the landscape intact, we can ensure that this area continues to provide excellent wildlife habitat and supports many of the same bird species that it did when settlers first saw it.”

The Conservancy is considering making the new property, a mixture of pasture and former CRP land, available for compatible use by leasing it out for haying or grazing.

“Residential development, invasive species and incompatible land management are the primary threats to lands and waters in the MRPHA,” said Steve Richter, the Conservancy’s Director of Conservation for Southwest Wisconsin. “Local dairy farmers are an asset in helping us conserve natural areas within this landscape. By working with them, we can help keep them on the land and provide a great home for native plants and animals.”

A new subdivision had been approved for the 153-acre site before it was acquired by the Conservancy but Iowa County officials overruled the development proposal which also encountered local opposition. Even so, the property could have been subdivided and developed into four new home sites.

The Conservancy purchased the property with an $806,500 grant from the Wisconsin Stewardship Fund made possible by its conservation of 374 acres in the Mukwonago River watershed near Eagle. “Matching public funding through the Stewardship Fund makes it possible for the Conservancy to conserve more land for wildlife and public access for outdoor recreation than would ever be possible through private donations alone,” Huston said.

As it does at Thomson Memorial Prairie, the Conservancy plans to allow for compatible outdoor recreation including hunting, hiking and birding on the new property. Hunting for deer, turkey and pheasant will be permitted during regular posted seasons.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. In Wisconsin, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 140,000 acres since 1960. The Conservancy has more than 21,000 members in Wisconsin and offices in Madison, Baraboo, East Troy, Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org/wisconsin.