Wisconsin 2019 Conservation Highlights

Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve – Southeast Wisconsin

Part of an overall effort to make the outdoors more accessible to people with different abilities, our new ADA-compliant trail at Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve was created thanks to the generous support of Melita Frankfurth Grunow. People who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices to help them get around can now enjoy the sights and sounds of this natural area without barriers.

Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands – Door County

In the summer, TNC donated 362 acres of gently rolling coastal boreal forest in Door County to the State of Wisconsin to expand the Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands State Natural Area. The addition almost doubles the size of this unique and diverse natural area. It also improves public access to the State Natural Area (SNA) by connecting formerly-isolated parcels of land. The Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands SNA is within the Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands Ramsar site, a globally important wetland. Influenced by its location on Lake Michigan and the resulting local climate, the SNA is a landscape where northern plants, animals, and forests can thrive far south of where they are normally found.

AmeriCorps Crew and High School Interns – Mukwonago River Watershed

This summer, the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) crew contributed 240 hours to TNC, with thanks to Waukesha County Parks, who hosted the group. These 18 to 24-year-olds take part in a 10-month, full-time service program involving disaster response and community-based work.

The NCCC crew worked on land along the Mukwonago River in the Town of Eagle that TNC had protected with a conservation easement, removing buckthorn and other invasive species that had formed a dense wall separating the upland from the wetland along the river. They were joined by six high school interns from Waukesha South, Waukesha North, El Puente, Escuela Verde, Brookfield Academy and Mukwonago high schools. 

Baby Turtles!

The smallest things sometimes reveal the biggest successes. This Blanding’s turtle hatchling was one of several born thanks to our concerted restoration efforts on preserves across the state. Thanks to your support, we’re able to restore wetlands, prairies and other habitats, which helps animals and plants thrive. If you restore it, they will come!

Honey Creek Preserve – Baraboo Hills

Your support helped TNC add 117 acres of important and diverse habitat to its Honey Creek Preserve in the Baraboo Hills. Adding this land and restoring it to its natural state will greatly improve habitat for resident and migratory wildlife species, many of which are currently listed as uncommon or of special concern due to low numbers. The land also includes almost 1.5 miles of stream frontage, including a long stretch of the North Branch of Honey Creek, a Class 2 trout stream and an expanse of rare forested wetlands.

Pheasant Branch Conservancy – Middleton

Cleaner water, less flooding, and more diverse habitat for wildlife are just some of the benefits provided to the entire Yahara River Watershed by the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Thanks to the 160-acre addition of land just north of the existing preserve in 2019, those benefits will only grow. University of Wisconsin-Madison undergrad Sophie Meringoff made a generous donation to TNC from her family’s foundation to restore the wetlands on the former Acker Farm land recently purchased by Dane County. We’re grateful to Sophie and supporters like her who value and understand the role of restored and resilient natural areas in building healthier communities and combatting climate change.

Soil Health and Farm Resilience

We continued our work with farmers across the state to offer education and resources to help them utilize conservation practices to build soil health. This year especially, farmers saw real world benefits in using soil health practices—including cover crops like this radish--that are helping build up soil structure so it can carry the weight of heavy farm equipment even in wet conditions. This meant those farmers were able to plant and harvest earlier than others during this year’s extra rainy conditions—a crucial adaptation as climate change results in more extreme weather events and challenging growing seasons.

U.S. Climate Alliance

In February, Wisconsin was the 20^th state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance. A Wisconsin U.S. Climate Alliance Team was formed this fall to work with Governor Tony Evers’ administration and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to advance and implement policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the management of our natural and working lands. TNC Deputy State Director Matt Dallman was invited to serve on the Wisconsin team and is specifically advising on natural climate solutions related to forests and forest management. Climate is one of TNC’s priorities, especially when it comes to natural solutions to climate.

Escuela Verde Students Learn and Share – Milwaukee/Mukwonago River Watershed

Students from Escuela Verde in Milwaukee visited our office in the Mukwonago River watershed to learn about and collect native plant seeds with help from TNC staff, including TNC Cities Conservation Fellow Lainet Garcia Rivera (at left). The students cleaned and then put the seeds into packets with handmade instructions about planting pollinator-friendly gardens, which they handed out at a community Dia De Los Muertos event in the fall. This is one small but mighty way that we can help inspire the next generation of conservationists and build healthy cities!

Like this cardinal, each of you—our donors, members and volunteers—contributes to the splendor and diversity of our planet in your own unique way. Please join us in protecting the beauty and health of Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, lakes and rivers in 2020 with a gift today.