Nature Preserve - July Updates

Headwater Preserve

KRLT has contracted a logger to harvest the pine plantation at the Headwaters Nature Preserve. The plan is to restore the area back to prairie oak savanna. The project will be funded by a Natural Resource Conservation Service – Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) grant we received. June was a busy month as the loggers completed the cutting and stacking of the wood. Site cleanup has begun with the stacking of slash that will be burned this winter. Site prep for planting prairie seed will begin next year. The Headwaters Preserve's restoration project is part of the WDNR Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area. The goal is to permanently protect and restore 20,000 acres of grassland, wetlands, and oak savannas.

Invasive Species Control

June is an important time to control invasive plants on the KRLT preserves. We have been actively removing Tansy and Wild Parsnip this month at Kelly Creek, Drewiske Preserve, and the Community Forest. Hand pulling or cutting the root below the soil surface is effective during June when the plant begins to flower but before it begins to develop seeds. Removed mature plants during June usually requires two years of control to bring invasives under control. Caution is required when controlling wild parsnip because plant juices can react with sunlight to cause chemical burns on your skin. I did controls on cloudy or rainy days, wore rubber gloves, long sleeves and a mosquito net or face shield to protect my face.

Conservation Easements

During June, I met with three different landowners to discuss whether a conservation easement on their land would be appropriate. While several landowners are considering their options at this time, the Land Trust has decided to move forward with a 60-acre conservation easement in the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River Watershed. The process includes evaluating the benefits on the property, conducting legal land surveys to describe conservation zones and drafting a conservation easement with landowner and Land Trust approval. Click here for more information about conservation easements.

June Prairie Blooms

June is a very interesting time to visit Kelly Creek as various prairie plants begin to bloom. Something new is blooming every week and will continue through the summer months.