The Hills Are Alive

Our work in Baraboo Hills began with an 80-acre land purchase at Hemlock Draw in 1964, marking the start of a multi-decade commitment to protecting, managing and connecting vulnerable, unique lands across the Baraboo Range.

Led by a collection of TNC in Wisconsin’s founding members, including folks like UW–Madison professors Hugh Iltis, Joe Hickey and Orrie Loucks, ecologist Jim Zimmerman and renowned farmer-naturalist Harold Kruse, initial efforts in the Hills were focused on establishing a series of preserves and research sites, known as the “Honey Creek Project,” that would protect a patchwork quilt of area woodlands and forests in perpetuity.

Groups like the Sierra Club and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology were among the key partners in these early protection efforts, which were spurred by the rapid development that was occurring across the landscape. At the close of the ‘60s, TNC purchased 171 acres at Baxter’s Hollow, marking another important milestone in the Baraboo Hills legacy.

Since the initial purchases in the ’60s, TNC has, through direct acquisitions and partner-assisted efforts, helped protect more than 12,000 acres of highly diverse forest where northern and southern plant species coexist.

The large, contiguous block of forest and woodland habitat that blankets the Hills is an important nesting area for the cerulean warbler and Acadian flycatcher and a critical feeding ground for many other birds that pass through the area annually. TNC’s properties also connect with thousands of acres of land owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the Ho-Chunk Nation, local county and municipal governments, and private groups like the Baraboo Range Preservation Association and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.

A truly connected wildlife corridor, the properties allow iconic Wisconsin species like deer and wild turkey to thrive and are also home to lesser-known, smaller species such as the pickerel frog and the giant ichneumon wasp.

While other areas in the state also support migratory bird species, the density in the Baraboo Hills is truly astounding. The unique conditions and diversity of plant communities support healthy insect populations, which in turn provide abundant food resources for birds along the Mississippi Flyway.

Many of these birds travel thousands of miles each year from across Latin America and the Caribbean, making the story of the Hills as international as it is local. This landscape, where north and south come together, is worth a visit any time of the year, and be sure to bring your binoculars!