Access & Directions

From Arena, head south on Ray Hollow Rd about two miles. Rattlesnake Ridge will be on the right. Park alongside the road, where you can scramble up the hill. 

Google Map

Site Steward

Connect with the Chapter to see how you can care for this rare habitat at an upcoming work party.

This site is stewarded by The Prairie Enthusiasts Empire-Sauk Chapter.

Site Steward: Sue Steinmann (EMAIL) 

What Makes Rattlesnake Ridge Special

Along with the area that The Prairie Enthusiasts has protected. Sue Steinmann continues to manage another 100-plus acres. “It’s a pretty significant couple hundred acres there, ” Rich said. “it goes down into the river valley system, with sand prairie and sand barrens from the sands along the Wisconsin River, so there’s a lot of intact habitat.” 

How was Rattlesnake Ridge Protected

In the fall of 1984, Sue Steinmann and Bill Weege purchased 40 acres in Arena, WI with the intent of building a property on the land and being close to Madison. They moved to the property in April, and when they looked outside as spring brought blossoms to the sand barrens and the neighboring ridgetop prairie, they thought, “What the heck did we buy?!”

As the season progressed, Sue and Bill realized they were sitting on a prairie. “We knew what we had, but we had no experience in trying to preserve it or what we needed to do,” Sue said. “We just started reading and talking to friends.”

They met Gary Eldred and other members of The Prairie Enthusiasts, but it was ultimately a chance meeting with Empire-Sauk member Rich Henderson that changed the trajectory of the property. Rich ran into Sue at the Madison farmers’ market in 1990 where Sue was selling flowers. Rich happened to notice that among her offerings was rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium). He asked Sue where she got them from. She explained that the plant grew on her property.

Rich visited the property and more restoration work began on the property. Sue and Bill eventually purchased the ridge top prairie from a neighbor, preventing the remnant prairie there from being plowed and planted. They sold the property to The Prairire Enthusiasts in 2015. In 2017, Sue and Bill helped The Prairie Enthusaists acquire an additional 37 acres from a neighboring family.

How You Can Help Rattlesnake Ridge

Though this property is quite pristine, the work of managing invasive species is endless and we could always use more hands to assist. 

Check out our Events Calendar to see upcoming work parties or contact the site steward to get involved.

Access & Directions

This site is currently closed to the public.

Site Steward

Connect with the site steward to see how you can care for this rare habitat at an upcoming work party.

Site Steward: Kathie Brock: (608) 238-5050 or (Email)

What Makes Pleasant Valley Conservancy Special

This State Natural Area consists of a long narrow ridge that runs almost due east/west, with steep hillsides facing both north and south. The north-facing slope is cool and moist and the vegetation is primarily oak woods. The south-facing slope receives the full brunt of the sun and is hot and dry. Its vegetation consists of oak savanna and prairie. Pleasant Valley Conservancy is part of the unique “Driftless Area” of southwestern Wisconsin, an area that the glaciers never reached. Surveyors notes and plant surveys tell us that the dominant vegetation before settlement was oak savanna, with areas of prairie along the edges of the streams and on the steepest south-facing slopes. The spring-fed Pleasant Valley Creek flows through the property, feeding into Blue Mounds Creek. Along the creek valley is an area of marsh and wet prairie.

The steep south-facing ridge supports several prairie remnants, which are now thriving after intensive management began in 1995. The oak savannas, primarily on the ridge top, contain numerous large, open-grown bur and white oaks with many being over 150 years old. This area supports numerous grass, sedge, and forb species including the state-endangered purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), which re-appeared after restoration and prescribed burning began.

The cooler north-facing slope is predominantly oak woodland with red oak, basswood, hackberry, butternut, yellowbud hickory, and red maple. The woodland contains a good variety of spring ephemerals.

The savanna and oak woodland support a diversity of bird species which include the red-headed woodpecker, a declining bird species of conservation concern. Other birds include blue-gray gnatcatcher, eastern wood pewee, tufted titmouse, eastern bluebird, yellow-throated vireo, scarlet tanager, black-billed cuckoo, and yellow-billed cuckoo.

Notable Species

South-Facing Prairie Remnant

• big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
• little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
• Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
• side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
• wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis)
• bird’s foot violet (Viola pedata)
• purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
• violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea)
• prairie turnip (Pediomelum esculentum)

Oak Savanna

• purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)
• silky rye (Elymus villosus)
• bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)
• ear-leaved brome (Bromus latiglumis)
• leadplant (Amorpha canescens)
• large-flowered yellow false foxglove (Aureolaria grandiflora)
• Canada milk-vetch (Astragalus canadensis
• Illinois tick-trefoil (Desmodium illinoense)
• prairie alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii)
• shooting star
• spiderwort
• giant yellow hyssop (Agastache nepetoides) – state threatened
• upland boneset (Eupatorium sessilifolium) – special concern

North-Facing Slope

• bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
• Jacob’s ladder
• large-flowered bellwort- (Uvularia grandiflora)
• yellow lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium parviflorum)
• large flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
• Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

How was Pleasant Valley Conservancy Protected

The Prairie Enthusiasts owns outright 37 acres of Pleasant Valley Conservancy and owns a permanent conservation easement on the remaining land. The 37 acre parcel had been owned by the Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit foundation established by Tom and Kathie Brock. Savanna Oak donated this parcel gratis to The Prairie Enthusiasts in 2006.

The conservation easement on the remaining land was donated gratis to The Prairie Enthusiasts by Tom and Kathie Brock in 2006.

Pleasant Valley Conservancy was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.

The property was owned by the Lockwood Family for many years and was in general agricultural use from the 1880s through the 1950s. However, only about 15 acres of the property was ever in cropland (now planted to prairie). The rest was pasture, woodland, or wetland. After the early 1960s the property was in absentee ownership until Kathie and Tom Brock purchased it in 1980.

An air photo by the Soil Conservation Service, done in 1937, shows that the south-facing slope was predominantly prairie and oak savanna. The Wisconsin Land Cover map for the Town of Vermont, done around the same time, provides a similar picture. Most of the south-facing slope was probably pastured, but very slightly. Subsequent air photos show that after the 1950s, the south slope gradually deteriorated, losing its open character.

At the time restoration began in 1995, there was a small native “goat” prairie at the west end of the hill. The remaining parts of the south slope had small amounts of remnant prairie vegetation which were virtually overgrown with planted red pines, native red cedars, and invasive trees and shrubs such as black walnut, buckthorn, and honeysuckle. These woody plants were cut and removed from the south slope during the winter of 1997-98. Controlled burns were begun In the spring of 1998 and were extremely successful, leading to a resurgence of original prairie. Continued burns since then have returned the whole south slope to prairie.

At the time restoration began, the upper slope and the ridge top had many large open-grown oaks (mostly bur but some whites), but they were overun with invasive trees and shrubs. During the 1999-2003 period, most of this invasive woody vegetation was removed, and controlled burns were introduced, which were quite effective. Remnant herbaceous vegetation growing in a highly suppressed form was released. Continued burning at yearly intervals have encouraged further savanna vegetation. Careful monitoring and control of invasive shrubs has kept the savannas open.

Although the wetland had been tiled, it was abandoned to agriculture in the 1950s and the tiles gradually broke. Today, the wetland is of high quality and is fairly large for the Driftless Area. Many springs arise in the wetland and contribute water to a small creek that flows through the east end. Also, Pleasant Valley Creek is on the Conservancy and flows through the west end of the wetland. This cold-water spring-fed creek supports many wetland forbs and sedges. Reed canary grass, a common bane of wetlands, is present in only low amounts.

How You Can Help Pleasant Valley Conservancy

Some of the management activities of Pleasant Valley Conservancy have been supported by grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (controlled burns of the wetland), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (oak savanna restoration), and Landowner Incentive Program of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Areas. The Conservation Reserve Program of the U.S.D.A. has also permitted us to plant prairie on our four CRP fields.

However, most of the restoration work at Pleasant Valley Conservancy has been supported by Tom and Kathie Brock through their Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc.

Management activities include the following (visit the Brocks’s website to see the details): controlled burns, seed collection and planting, on-going brush control, weed control, and plant species monitoring.

Various volunteer activities are carried out throughout the year.

Check out our Events Calendar to see upcoming work parties or contact the site steward to get involved and be placed on a special email list for volunteers.

Access & Directions

From STH 18-151, exit on Cave of the Mounds Road in Blue Mounds. Turn right onto CTH ID and then left to stay on Cave of the Mounds Road. In 0.7 miles, turn right on CTH F and travel for 2.7 miles to Moyer Road. Turn left for 0.3 miles and then left at 10747 Moyer Road (the first driveway on the left).

Google Map

Site Steward

Connect with the Chapter to see how you can care for this rare habitat at an upcoming work party.

This site is stewarded by The Prairie Enthusiasts Empire-Sauk Chapter.

What Makes Parrish Oak Savanna Special

This site is incredibly rich in biodiversity. The total change in elevation is 150 feet with sandstone outcrops and unique species like prickly pear cactus. This preserve represents a significant remnant of threatened oak savanna, and is adjacent to a complex of protected land, creating a vast landscape of habitat for wildlife. 

How was Parrish Oak Savanna Protected

Since the 1970s, this P{arrish Oak Savanna was on the radar of conservation professionals. It was acquired by Roland and Avis Parrish in 2013. Roland and Avis knew the stie was special and had that reinforced by Unvisersity of Wisconsin professor Orie Loucks, who whom they were acquainted.

The site’s thin soils, southerly aspect and lack of intensive historic land use have allowed perpetuation of native prairie and savanna species.

This protection of this site was made possible with assistance from Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, Dane County Conservation Fund and donations from Prairie Enthusiasts. 

How You Can Help Parrish Oak Savanna

Prior to The Prairie Enthusiasts taking ownership of teh site, some periodic brush clearning and prescribed burns had been conducted on the site for 30 years. Prescribed burns and brush removal continue to be part of this preserve’s stewardship. 

Check out our Events Calendar to see upcoming work parties or contact the site steward to get involved.