by The Prairie Enthusiasts | May 1, 2026
Mukwonago River Oak Barrens Workday
Monday, May 11 – 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Mukwonago River Oak Barrens, Waukesha County
RSVP required to receive schedule changes, exact parking locations, and details of the day’s work. RSVPs are also needed, because snowy conditions are dynamic and may limit available parking. We will be doing whatever work is most appropriate for the weather. This may include pulling or cutting and treating brush, staging and burning burn piles, cutting trees, preparing fire breaks, and spreading seeds. We strive to promote the conditions and processes that promote the recovery of these communities, which means use of frequent dormant season prescribed fire and re-introducing plant species that have been lost within our work footprint.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate to high. Terrain is level, but conditions may be snowy or wet, and footing may be uneven. Work areas may be up to a half mile walk each way through snow from parking locations. Pulling brush, cutting and treating brush, and burn pile work are moderately strenuous.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring drinking water. Please wear long sleeves; long pants; and sturdy, closed-toed shoes. Also take precautions to protect from sun, biting insects, and ticks. Bring work gloves and eye protection (glasses are fine), if you have them, but we also have extras. Feel free to bring your own tools that match the day’s activity. We can supply tools as well. If we plan on chemical treatment, appropriate training, chemical resistant gloves, and application equipment will be provided. If we burn piles, you will need outer layers made from natural fibers and a hat (we can also provide hard hats).
WORK PARTY LEADER:
RSVP and contact Dan Carter via email at dlcarterksu@gmail.com.
DIRECTIONS:
Off of Waukesha County Hwy LO between the intersection of County Hwy E and Rainbow Springs Nature Preserve. Map here.
No signs mark the entrance. The property entrance is HERE. We typically park along a broad mowed path HERE.
From State Highway 83 in the Village of Mukwonago,proceed west on Eagle Lake Avenue (County LO) for about 4.9 miles. The entranceis on the south (left) side of the road about 0.1 miles past a barn that sitsvery near the road. From the State Highway 67 in the Village of Eagle, proceedeast on E. Main St. (County Nn) for about 1.5 miles to Sprague Road. Turn south(right) on Spraque Road and proceed to the T-intersection with County LO. Turnleft and proceed straight through the intersection with County E (pub andfilling station on opposite corners). The entrance to the property is on the south(right) side County LO about 0.3 miles past the intersection with County E.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | May 1, 2026
Mukwonago River Oak Barrens Workday
Friday, May 1 – Noon to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mukwonago River Oak Barrens, Waukesha County
RSVP required to receive schedule changes, exact parking locations, and details of the day’s work. RSVPs are also needed, because snowy conditions are dynamic and may limit available parking. We will be doing whatever work is most appropriate for the weather. This may include pulling or cutting and treating brush, staging and burning burn piles, cutting trees, preparing fire breaks, and spreading seeds. We strive to promote the conditions and processes that promote the recovery of these communities, which means use of frequent dormant season prescribed fire and re-introducing plant species that have been lost within our work footprint.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate to high. Terrain is level, but conditions may be snowy or wet, and footing may be uneven. Work areas may be up to a half mile walk each way through snow from parking locations. Pulling brush, cutting and treating brush, and burn pile work are moderately strenuous.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring drinking water. Please wear long sleeves; long pants; and sturdy, closed-toed shoes. Also take precautions to protect from sun, biting insects, and ticks. Bring work gloves and eye protection (glasses are fine), if you have them, but we also have extras. Feel free to bring your own tools that match the day’s activity. We can supply tools as well. If we plan on chemical treatment, appropriate training, chemical resistant gloves, and application equipment will be provided. If we burn piles, you will need outer layers made from natural fibers and a hat (we can also provide hard hats).
WORK PARTY LEADER:
RSVP and contact Dan Carter via email at dlcarterksu@gmail.com.
DIRECTIONS:
Off of Waukesha County Hwy LO between the intersection of County Hwy E and Rainbow Springs Nature Preserve. Map here.
No signs mark the entrance. The property entrance is HERE. We typically park along a broad mowed path HERE.
From State Highway 83 in the Village of Mukwonago,proceed west on Eagle Lake Avenue (County LO) for about 4.9 miles. The entranceis on the south (left) side of the road about 0.1 miles past a barn that sitsvery near the road. From the State Highway 67 in the Village of Eagle, proceedeast on E. Main St. (County Nn) for about 1.5 miles to Sprague Road. Turn south(right) on Spraque Road and proceed to the T-intersection with County LO. Turnleft and proceed straight through the intersection with County E (pub andfilling station on opposite corners). The entrance to the property is on the south(right) side County LO about 0.3 miles past the intersection with County E.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | May 1, 2026
Weed Seed Production Beds at Mounds View Grassland
Sunday, May 10 – 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mounds View Grassland in Barneveld, WI
These production beds are critical to providing seeds and bulbs/roots for the restoration work at Mounds View Grassland and other TPE preserves. Species being propagated are wood lily, prairie phlox, yellow star-grass, violet wood sorrel, prairie violet, blue-eyed grass, and others.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring your favorite weeding tool and knelling pad, if you have them. Otherwise, they will be provided.
WORK PARTY LEADER:
For questions and to RSVP, contact Rich Henderson (h) 608-845-7065 (c) 608-235-4165. Please let Rich know if you are planning on coming by the evening before the event to confirm.
DIRECTIONS:
8624 Reilly Rd, Barneveld. 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, 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.)
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | May 1, 2026
Weed Seed Production Beds at Mounds View Grassland
Saturday, May 2 – 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Location: Mounds View Grassland in Barneveld, WI
These production beds are critical to providing seeds and bulbs/roots for the restoration work at Mounds View Grassland and other TPE preserves. Species being propagated are wood lily, prairie phlox, yellow star-grass, violet wood sorrel, prairie violet, blue-eyed grass, and others.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring your favorite weeding tool and knelling pad, if you have them. Otherwise, they will be provided.
WORK PARTY LEADER:
For questions and to RSVP, contact Rich Henderson (h) 608-845-7065 (c) 608-235-4165. Please let Rich know if you are planning on coming by the evening before the event to confirm.
DIRECTIONS:
8624 Reilly Rd, Barneveld. 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, 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.)
by Evanne Hunt | Apr 28, 2026
Learn how to girdle Aspen trees
Join us as we girdle a clone of Aspen trees at the Alexander Oak Savanna. Learn how to use a “spud” tool.
Date: May 11 (Monday)
Time: 9:30am until about 11am
Address: 7829 WI-65, River Falls, WI 54022
Directions: Take highway 35 south towards River Falls.
Take highway 65 south (35 turns into 65) toward Ellsworth.
Gravel road entrance is on the right just after the Town of River Falls town hall.
Map to location
Aspens are Native
Aspen are native trees but remain undesirable inhabitants of prairies and oak savannas. Aspen are capable of spreading rapidly and crowding out other vegetation. Aspen are pioneer trees on open, burned, or cut-over land. Although important economically in the paper industry, they are a menace in prairies and oak savannas, and eradicating them became an early goal of our restoration.
Although aspens grow from seeds, the primary spread is asexual by underground runners. The typical aspen “grove” is a multi-stemmed clone in which all the roots are interconnected. If an injury to a root occurs, there will be a rapid response by the clone, and new shoots (“suckers”) will be sent up all over the area. New shoots have been known to arise as far as 50 feet from the nearest aspen tree! The clone may expand simultaneously in several directions, as influenced by environmental conditions. In the western United States, huge aspen clones have been found, the largest occupying over 100 acres. In our part of the country, aspen clones are smaller but are often more than an acre in extent.
Girdling
When looking at a large aspen clone, it may be tempting to go in with a chainsaw and cut it down. Wrong! The roots remain alive and immediately send up a huge number of new shoots. An area that had perhaps 5 or 10 large aspen trees will soon have hundreds of aspen stems.
There is only one certain way of killing aspen and this is by girdling.
Girdling means stripping a layer of bark and the underlying cambium and phloem in a band around the trunk. The phloem vessels translocate sugars and other nutrients to the roots, so if the phloem tubes are broken, the roots become starved of food. The xylem vessels, which translocate water to the leaves, are not affected by girdling. With girdling, the upper part of the tree still remains alive, since photosynthesis can continue. Eventually, however, the roots die, and the whole tree dies. The first year after girdling, the clone may appear almost normal, but by the second year, the clone usually dies. The dead trunks can then be cut without stimulating resprouting.
For girdling to be effective the whole clone must be treated. It is also important to make the girdle in such a way that the underlying xylem is not damaged. Damage to the xylem sends signals to the tree that something bad has happened, and the tree then sends up shoots.
Girdling is done in May or early June when the sap is running fast and the tree is growing. At that time, the bark can be easily cut and the girdled bark stripped off. Later in the summer, it is virtually impossible to do a girdle properly.
