Hanley Savanna
Hanley Savanna
Hanley Savanna is relatively flat with mowed trails, making it an easy place to hike.
SITE STEWARDS
ACCESS & DIRECTIONS
Hauser Road Prairie
Hauser Road Prairie
Located in just north of Waunakee, WI, the 45-acre Hauser Road Prairie is the largest remaining single piece of the original 100-square mile Empire Prairie that once covered much of what is now northern Dane County and southern Columbia County.
The site’s ridge top hill has many areas of shallow soil over dolomite bedrock, and the abundance of glacially-deposited boulders prevented it from being tilled, so it was lightly grazed for 100 years until the 1990’s. Hauser Road Prairie is only 15 miles from downtown Madison, and has the unusual feature for a prairie remnant – a view of the Wisconsin state capitol from the hilltop! This is an important natural feature in a rapidly developing area.
ACCESS & DIRECTIONS
Visitors are welcome. Hauser Road Prairie is located 4 miles north of Waunakee, WI on the south side of Hauser Road. From the junction of Hwys 19 and 113 in Waunakee, take Hwy 113 north 2.5 miles to Madigan Road (right turn), follow Madigan Road for 1 mile to Hauser Road, turn right. Site is 0.2 miles on the right. Park along the road well off the pavement.
Google Map
Description & Significance
A total of 148 prairie plant species have been found on site so far. Some prairie plants sensitive to grazing apparently survived in a narrow strip between the plow line and the fence or as very rare, scattered individuals in some cases. Over the past 30 years these rarities are starting to recolonize the former pasture. They include prairie phlox, leadplant, compass plant, rosinweed, rattlesnake master, and prairie blazingstar. For more details, see this article from March 2016 Prairie Promoter.
There are also populations of two state-threatened plants, ten species of specialized leafhoppers found only on prairie remnants, as well as badgers and an array of grassland birds.
Notable Plant Species Include:
- shooting star
- pasqueflower (Anemone patens)
- prairie violet (Viola pedatifida)
- birdfoot violet (Viola pedata)
- prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)
- cylindrical (dwarf) blazingstar (Liatris cylindracea)
- showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
- stiff gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
- prairie gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
- purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
- prairie gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
- stiff gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
- Hill’s Thistle (Cirsium hillii) – state-threatened
- edible valerian (Valeriana edulis)
- smooth white lettuce (Prenanthes alba)
- heart-leaved golden Alexander (Zizia aptera)
- and various goldenrods and asters
Volunteers
Volunteers are vital to the management of this prairie. Join us for a workday on Hauser Road Prairie and the other prairie remnants in the area to collect and plant seed, control weeds and brush, conduct biological monitoring, and help with other management activities. For more details, contact Randy via email.
Usage Policy
Allowed:
- Walking
- Bird watching
- Hunting & trapping (all species; contact site steward)
- Cross country skiing
Not Allowed:
- Bicycles or vehicles
- Pets
- Campfires
- Collection of seed, flowers, plants or the removal of rocks or other natural objects.
Ownership History
In July of 2014, The Prairie Enthusiasts took on the ownership, care, and management of Hauser Road Prairie. With grants from the Wisconsin DNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and the Dane County Conservation Fund and a loan from The Conservation Fund (a national non-profit), TPE acquired title to this impressive big sky ridge of natural heritage.
The permanent protection of Hauser Road Prairie was the culmination of 22 years of effort by The Prairie Enthusiasts and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) Natural Areas Program. In the early 1980s, the conservation community became aware that prairie was surviving in the 45-acre pasture along Hauser Road. In 1992, TPE volunteers reached out to the new owners of the site to inform them of the treasure they had and offered advice, help and encouragement in conserving the site. From 2000 to 2014, the Natural Areas Program leased the land and conducted several prescribed burns and some brush control. TPE also mowed sweet clover and provided other weed control measures during this time.
In 2013, the owners, Mike and Susan Zauner, decided they would like the site permanently protected. The Natural Areas program negotiated with them to buy the site and to designate it a State Natural Area, but the project was not accepted by the WI DNR administration. The Prairie Enthusiasts offered to step in and acquire the site by applying for grants from Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and the Dane County Conservation Fund, which covered three-quarters of the acquisition expenses. TPE was able to pay the remainder thanks to generous donations from TPE members from across the
organization.
Management
With a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Private Lands Program and the efforts of site steward Randy Hoffman and other volunteers, great progress has been made at Hauser Road Prairie removing trees and brush from the preserve.
The years of grazing took its toll on the composition of the prairie vegetation, eliminating some species, reducing others and allowing non-native grasses to invade, especially in the deeper soils areas. However, much of the original prairie ecosystem survived and has been making a good recovery since the cessation of grazing and the implementation of an occasional prescribed burn from 2000 to 2013.
Fortunately, there are several high-quality small prairie remnants within a few miles of the preserve harboring the full range of prairie species native to the area. Our management goal for Hauser Road Prairie is to bring seed from those remnants to the preserve to accelerate its recovery and to reintroduce lost species such as wood lily, wood betony and rough white lettuce. With burning and inter-seeding, we hope to bring back most, if not all, of the site’s original diverse prairie plant community over the next 30 years.
Iltis Savanna
Photo credit: Jerry Newman
Iltis Savanna
Iltis Savanna is a 21.5 acre complex of woods, savanna and dry prairie that is adjacent to Muralt Bluff in the southeast quarter of Section 25 of Mt. Pleasant Township in Green County, Wisconsin. It was purchased by The Prairie Enthusiasts in December, 1999, and it is named for Dr. Hugh H. Iltis, eminent Professor of Botany at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Director of the UW Herbarium from 1955 to 1993.
This is a challenging hike as it’s long and steep; there are no trails.
ACCESS & DIRECTIONS
Public access to Iltis Savanna is from the parking lot of Muralt Bluff, next to W2635 County F, between Monticello and Albany. Take the hiking path up the steep bluff to the top of the hill, and then walk east toward the oak trees.
Google Map
Description & Significance
Iltis Savanna was the most degraded of our sites upon acquisition, and it remains the most challenging. An aerial photo from 1939 shows a mostly open landscape, with so few open-grown oaks that they can be counted. Our fire regime has promoted the emergence of young oaks, to ensure that this savanna will endure into the 21st century. After significant efforts by members of the Prairie Bluff Chapter, native species are returning.
Notable Plants On This Site:
- Various specis of Rubus
- joe-pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
- hyssop
- shooting star
- bush clover
- various asters & goldenrod
- showy orchid (Galearis spectabilis)
- Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
- little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
- prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
- lead plant (Amorpha canescens)
- Hill’s thistle (Cirsium pumilum var. hillii)
- wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis)
- bird’s foot violet (Viola pedata)
- prairie violet (Viola pedatifida)
- Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
- violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea)
Usage Policies
Allowed:
- Outdoor Recreation
- Hunting (for all species, no permit or reservation required)
Management
South of these oaks is a 4-acre former agricultural crop field that included a large sumac clone and a honey locust grove when we re-started active management in 2009. We used timed — twice in late summer — mowing to reduce the sumac to manageable numbers, which we then eliminated one-by-one. We hired a contractor in 2016 to uproot the locusts, which we piled and burned. See our Facebook page for a video, “One more acre for prairie.” We began planting this field to prairie in 2014 with seeds we collected at our other sites, with three subsequent plantings. Site preparation has been difficult due to deep-rooted brome grass and a seed bank of red clover.
As you walk east along the north edge of this field, the unmanaged woodlot to your left in an example of what happens when grazing animals are removed from a farmstead that has a few oak trees. Walnuts, hickories, cherries, cedars and basswoods eventually grow up, and the understory is filled in with raspberries, blackberries, dogwood, sumac, prickly ash and honeysuckle … lots of honeysuckle.
The core of Iltis Savanna is a mature bur, white and red oak savanna that occupies a north-south ridge with a thin limestone cap over sandstone. The oak structure remains, but 100 years of grazing by cows, pigs and horses eliminated almost all the floral element underneath. Some sedges and spring ephemerals like trout lily were all that remained under the oaks. Garlic mustard was a problem that we’ve controlled with prescribed fire. We thinned out the northern portion with a basswood harvest. Various species of Rubus quickly filled these open spaces, while hog peanut moved in to cover the south end with a blanket of vines. But slowly, in the past decade, we’ve seen the natives begin to reclaim the savanna: joe pye weed, hyssop, shooting stars, bush clover, asters and goldenrods. Showy orchids and Indian pipe can be seen most years.
A keen eye will make out a former farm dump on the side of the bluff, halfway down the hill. For ten years the chapter worked to clean out the trash: recycling fence wire and hauling off parts of cars, trucks, farm equipment, household appliances, toys, cans, bottles and broken glass. Finally, in 2012, we hired a contractor to bury what was left of the dump. There was not enough topsoil to cover it all, so a few truckloads of fill were brought in. We began to plant dry prairie species — little bluestem, dropseed and lead plant — into the thin soil. Hill’s thistle and wood betony are now common in this planting. But the fill contained reed canary grass and the sweet clovers, which were problematic in the lower portion.
Below the dump planting is a steep west-facing bluff. Restoration started at the top, clearing cedars and brush and seeding in native grasses and forbs. Between this bluff and the savanna is a strip of dry prairie dominated by little bluestem, with both bird’s foot and prairie violet, spiderwort, violet wood sorrel, asters, goldenrods and blazing stars.
Iris Drive Prairie
Iris Drive
Iris Drive is a site managed by the Southwest Chapter and was found by TPE Director Emeritus Gary Eldred. Starting in the fall of 2012, Gary developed a working relationship with the original owner of the site, who agreed to allow Gary to begin managing the property. The site, which totals 107 acres includes approximately 20 acres of remnant prairie located on south facing slopes. Since 2012, TPE volunteers have cleared all the remnant prairie present and have continued to work on a regular basis.
ACCESS & DIRECTIONS
The address for the site is 18663 West River Road, Gays Mills, WI 54631. From the village of Gays Mills, WI drive west on HW 171. As you cross the Kickapoo River take the immediate next left onto River Road. Continue south for 2 miles to Iris Drive on your right. You have now arrived at the property. The rural route number is posted along River Road a few hundred feet south of the intersection. To access the prairies, turn right onto Iris Drive and continue for 1,000 feet. There is a farm lane entrance on your right that you can turn into and park off of the road. As you walk north on the farm lane, the eastern prairie that has been restored since 2012 is on your right, and the western prairie that has been restored since 2016 is on your left.
Google Map
Description & Significance
Iris Drive is located in central Crawford County, WI in the lower Kickapoo River Valley. The area is known as an important bird area that is contiguous to the Lower Wisconsin River Way several miles to the south. The property is approximately 4 miles north of the Hogsback Prairie, owned by The Nature Conservancy and a WI dedicated State Natural Area. Adjacent to Iris Drive to the east is the WI DNR’s lower Kickapoo Wildlife Area, and 0.5 miles to the north is Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s Kickapoo Bottoms property.
The lower Kickapoo River valley and its tributaries contain numerous south facing slopes that house many high quality hill prairie remnants. Most of these are privately owned and are so steep and bare that they continue to host a diverse amount native species that are present amongst the scattered cedar and prostrate juniper.
The property also includes a northern sloped forest that includes some limestone outcropping and a good cover of mature oak species. East of River Road the property fronts along the Kickapoo River for a 0.5 miles.
Natural History
The best times to visit and see wildflowers are spring and late summer. In early May, there is a large population of puccoons, violets, sand cress and some cream baptisia. Later in autumn you can see all the tall grasses, nine kinds of asters, five species of goldenrods, gentians and blazing stars. The main remnant area has been cleared by local volunteers. Prior to restoration efforts nearly 80% of the area was covered with raspberries, honeysuckle and sumac.
There are currently populations of conservative uncommon species characteristic of dry-mesic to mesic prairie, including, cream indigo, white prairie clover, butterfly milkweed, compass plant, leadplants, and New Jersey tea. Purple Milkweed has been observed in the past, and it is anticipated that with more active management and inventorying that more rare species will be observed. Insect and bird inventories have not been conducted.
Either the Swenson Hill or nearby Drakenburg prairie were included in the description and analysis of dry-mesic prairies in John Curtis’s seminal work The Vegetation of Wisconsin (1956). Notes within the 1990 TNC description of the sites and the St. John’s Complex suggest that Olive Thomson visited these sites in the 1950’s. (Read more about Dr. John and Olive Thomson, premier conservationists, environmental education leaders and naturalists.)
Usage Policies
Allowed:
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Trapping
- Canoeing
- Outdoor Recreation
Not Allowed:
- Collecting plants, rocks or animals without permission from The Prairie Enthusiasts
Ownership History
The property was purchased by TPE in June of 2016 with funds from the WI DNR Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. The property already had a public hunting and fishing easement placed on the property in the 1960’s. In 2012 Gary Eldred discovered the remnants and contacted the previous owner who lived out of state. Since acquiring the property, volunteers have been clearing brush, treating re-sprouts, and conducting prescribed burns.
Management
Management efforts by the Southwest Chapter are spearheaded by Gary Eldred and Site Steward Bob Retko. A group of volunteers meet 2-4 times per month to manage the property. Interested people should contact Bob Retko by email (retko2001@yahoo.com) or phone (262) 384-0082 to inquire about their next work party. Since the site was discovered, the eastern remnant was the first area to be cleared of encroaching trees and brush. Follow-up mowing and herbicide application of re-sprouts have significantly begun to diminish the brush, and with regular prescribed burns, the remnant is beginning to respond.
Kalscheur Oak Savanna
Kalscheur Oak Savanna
This 19.06 acre property harbors 212 native plant species, including a population of the rare Hill’s thistle, a Threatened Species in Wisconsin. In the southern part of the property is a cold water stream and wet meadow which rises up to meet a south facing slope of St. Peter’s sandstone covered with dry prairie and oak savanna. As you go to the highest points of the property, there is a thin cap of dolomite over the sandstone. Where the uplands meet the wetlands there is ground water discharge forming springs and perched wetlands raised several feet above the rest of the wetland habitat.
ACCESS & DIRECTIONS
The Kalscheur Oak Savanna is located on County Highway K, two miles south of the village of Hollandale in Iowa County, Wisconsin. The property is landlocked, but TPE does have an undeveloped right-of-way which permits legal access.
Google Map
Usage Policy
Allowed:
- Outdoor Recreation
- Hunting: Wild Turkey (spring season only; no permit or reservation required)
- Hunting: White Tailed Deer (bow, crossbow, and muzzleloader season; no permit or reservation required)
- Hunting: White Tailed Deer (gun season; permit and reservation required)
Not Allowed:
Ownership History
This site had served as a pasture for many decades. In the early 1990s, volunteers with the Southwest Wisconsin Chapter of TPE, while surveying for remnants, discovered prairie vegetation here. They approached owner James Kalscheur about the possible purchase of the parcel. In December 1994, with kindly assistance from the Natural Land Institute and the new WI State Stewardship Grant Program, we completed the purchase. Mr. Kalscheur then generously noted cash back to TPE for a land management endowment for the site.
In January 1996, restoration began in earnest when Southwest Wisconsin Chapter member David Lowe felled around 150 trees and fellow prairie enthusiast Ron Nieman removed all of the downed trees with his tractor and skidder. Trees removed included black cherry, slippery elm, basswood, walnut, paper birch and aspen. Some trees were processed at a saw mill and the remainder was processed into nearly 30 cords of firewood by TPE volunteers. Since then, many additional hours have been spent clearing small trees and shrubs. In the summer of 1996, 150 purple milkweed seedlings were planted on the site. In the fall, portions of the site experienced fire for the first time in many years.
Management
Removal of woody vegetation and exotic species will remain high priorities for years to come. A carefully planned fire regimen will also be applied.