Land Trust Hosted Events
May 19, 2012
McDowell Hike
Directions from La Crosse: Follow Hwy. 35 south (Great River Road) to De Soto, turn left onto State Highway 82, and turn right onto Mill Park Dr. Turn left on to Cheney St. and watch for the MVC sign.
Directions from Prairie Du Chien: Follow Hwy. 35 north (Great River Road) to De Soto and turn right onto State Highway 82. Turn Right onto Mill Park Dr and turn left onto Cheney St. Look for the MVC sign and park on side of road.
10:30 am
Hike and celebration honoring the McDowell family for their generous donation of land in De Soto, WI. Join Abbie Church, Conservation Specialist with Mississippi Valley Conservancy, on a guided hike of the new McDowell property in De Soto. A short, steep hike up to the ridgetop overlook reveals a remnant goat prairie of birdsfoot violet and hoary puccoon, and offers scenic views of the surrounding Mississippi River Valley.
May 19, 2012
Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy Work Party
Pheasant Branch Dane County Parking Lot
Join a fun group of hard-working people to care for this very special place. Responsibilities include invasive plant control, seed collecting & Spreading, etc. No experience needed, just a desire to clear invasive plants and give back to a place you enjoy. Middleton High School students will be there to help out too! Contact Susan Gruber at office@pheasantbranch.org or call 608-836-3848 if you would like to be added to the email list to receive a reminder of work sessions. Volunteers are notified via email and signs along the trail. The work day will run from 9AM-12PM. Meet at the Pheasant Branch Dane County Parking Lot, 1.2 miles north of Century Ave. on Pheasant Branch Rd., unless instructed otherwise (fire number 4864).
May 20, 2012
Spring Flowers at Schurch-Thomson Prairie
From the intersection of US Hwy 18-151 and County F (south of Blue Mounds in western Dane County), take F approximately 5 miles south. Turn right onto Reilly Road, and proceed to parking lot and kiosks at the end of the road (past the barn). (Note: A half mile down F from 18-151, pay close attention to the road signs, for F turns to the right & the straight ahead road becomes County Z. Stay on F.)
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Come hike into the secluded valley of the Schurch-Thomson and Underwood prairies. Shooting stars should be in full bloom in spectacular displays of 10s of thousands, along with other late-spring prairie flowers such as the striking cream wild indigo, puccoons, and alumroot. We will also see prairie plantings and inter-seedings of various ages. Schurch-Thomson Prairie is a 160-acre unit of TPE’s 570-acre Mounds View Grassland preserve and it is adjacent to the privately owned Underwood Prairie (Hanley Family Trust), for which TPE has a management agreement to manage and restore prairie on approximately 20 acres. The hike will include extensive grassland bird habitat filled with bobolinks, meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, upland sandpipers, and Henslow’s sparrows. So bring binoculars, a hat, and sunscreen, and be prepared for a long hike.
May 22, 2012
Restoration of bluff prairie and oak savanna in Chester Woods
This Olmsted county park is on US 14, 3 miles west of Eyota and ~5 miles west of Rochester. Check at the park contact station that evening for exact meeting place.
7:00 PM
Prairie Smoke contributed $5000 to help with work to cut buckthorn and other brush to restore bluff prairie at this park and two other sites. Come see the results – how the vistas are opened up, prairie and savanna plants should be thriving, and providing a home for savanna dependent species. Co-sponsored by Zumbro Valley Audubon.
There is an entry fee to this park. We hope to have motorized transportation available for up to 20 people, but some might have to walk the 2-3 miles to see the work sites.
May 23, 2012
Volunteer/Member Cookout
8288 Highway Q Baileys Harbor Wisconsin
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Join the staff, volunteers, and the Board of The Ridges in a cookout on the lawn of the Upper Range Light. Lots of visiting and fun around the grill! Bring a dish to pass and your own place setting if you can.
