Groundswell Conservancy

Conservation, outreach and education: this year Groundswell Conservancy helped conservation-minded communities and landowners protect great places in south-central wisconsin.through a conservation easement, Groundswell helped add another layer of protection to the town of perry's 30-acre hauge historic district park, the second highest public park observation point in dane county. Land protected forever - Groundswell purchased one acre of land on black earth creek within the village of black earth from david cooper. This property includes 120 feet of shoreline on the creek and was donated to the village to create access for canoers and kayakers. An anonymous landowner also sold us 38 acres of land along black earth creek. The property includes 3/4 of a mile of shoreline on both sides of the creek. It is adjacent to land owned by the dnr as part of the black earth creek fishery area. Also along black creek, a conservation-minded family sold Groundswell an agricultural conservation easement of over 93 acres. Groundswell also purchased 40 acres of land at dell creek wildlife area in sauk county. This acquisition came together thanks to the generosity of the landowner, sean mcbride, knowles-nelson stewardship program, and Groundswell supporters. Groundswell also purchased 20 acres of wetland and woods at anderson waterfowl production area in southern columbia county. This midthun addition was donated to the u.s. Fish and wildlife service. Nancy heiden, a founder of Groundswell generously donated a 13-acre parcel of land on the south side of the Wisconsin river to Groundswell. Groundswell will place a conservation easement on the property and eventually sell it to a conservation-minded landowner. The proceeds will support our conservation work for years to come.in early august, the town of dunn and Groundswell Conservancy placed a permanent conservation easement on the peterson family centennial farm. The easement preserves valuable farmland by restricting development on the 133-acre property. A 300 foot wide vegetative buffer between the property and hook lake will protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat. The lake encompasses hook lake bog state natural area, a rare community in southern Wisconsin. In 24 years of partnership with the town of dunn, we have protected 4000 acres of rich farmland farms. Behind each of these farms is an individual or family who knows the value of land. Each of them has chosen to leave a legacy of land protection. At patrick marsh, girl scout extraordinaire lauretta loesch led a team of Groundswell outdoor volunteers to add a completely new boardwalk with a focus on accessibility. Now everyone can enjoy improved access to nature at one of the area's favorite local green spaces. Groundswell also planted 25 acres of prairie at patrick marsh.our summer intern prairie partners crew improved wildlife habitat at westport prairie and patrick marsh and gained valuable work experience about managing natural areas. Groundswell supporters and the public enjoyed nature experiences, including a winter bonfire and hike at patrick marsh, a historic indian agency house tour and walk in portage, a botany and poetry walk at westport prairie, two food cart nights with prairie walks in the town of dunn and at patrick marsh, and an insect safari with kids at patrick marsh,in may, Groundswell and supporters celebrated improved access at westport prairie, with a new parking area, two new trails, and kiosk signage. Groundswell continues to improve access at the prairie and to restore the prairie landscape for plants and wildlife. At westport farm, we installed a new water distribution system. Now each of our growers has access to water near their crops. Many hmong elders are living with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression because they survived non-stop trauma their whole lives. Gardening is a therapeutic antidote to these disorders. It is a lifelong activity for the elders and is resistant to memory loss. Gardening also allows the elders to feed their families, contributing to their sense of worth and connecting them to nature. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and extending into 2021, hmong elders have been socially isolated at home and the isolation has increased their feelings of meaninglessness. In partnership with the southeast asian healing center, this year Groundswell is creating access to land for therapeutic healing for hmong elders living with ptsd, depression, and dementia. The one-acre therapy garden is located at our westport farm east of waunakee.groundswell Conservancy was established in 1983 and has permanently protected nearly 14,000 acres of important land and water. Groundswell is accredited by the land trust accreditation commission.