2022 In Review

---

Dane County Parks staff, an Operation Fresh Start (OFS) crew, and volunteers worked together to accomplish much in just one day.  Thanks to all the hands applied to the task, the "rough cut" of the 11-acre oak savanna restoration area was finished in February.  Thank you to everyone who helped, on this and all the other restoration work days.

It was nice to have representatives from the three park partners -- Ice Age Trail Alliance, Dane County Parks, and Prairie Moraine Friends, Inc. -- all there for this park event.

An impromptu seed spreading session was held this afternoon for the few who were available on short notice.  It's a nice part of the restoration work we do and we were sorry that more could not take part.

The Ice Age Trail Alliance conducted a prescribed burn on the south slope of the Terminal Moraine in Prairie Moraine County Park (on-leash portion of the park).  Prescribed burns help combat brush, manage invasive species, and maintain healthy native habitats.

Dave Lonsdorf, Operation Fresh Start and PMF Board Member, spent his birthday volunteering with an OFS conservation crew, spreading native seeds at Prairie Moraine Park. After finishing their work, Dave led a hike to the overlook, explaining the park's glacial history along the way.

Maybe it wasn't the best weather for a spring clean up at the park but the dogs who came out that morning had fun and that's the main thing. Thank you to all those who helped out to make Prairie Moraine a better place!

A crew placed a limestone block seating area near the 200-year-old oak tree at the park entrance. The Karcher-Pohl family -- Matthew Karcher and Megan Pohl -- donated this unique gift to Prairie Moraine County Park that memorializes Matthew's dog, Rey, and one of his favorite park places.

Happy days for Prairie Moraine Friends and all those who enjoy Dane County Parks! 

New signage was recently added
to the park to provide visitors with more information about our bluebird residents. The bluebird interpretive signs were obtained through a grant from the Foundation for Dane County Parks.

Volunteers from the Verona Area High School FFA Chapter came to the park this week and did spring cleaning in the Pollinator Garden and Prairie Corner. Most of the chapter members live in town, but they are all interested in ag-related applications like veterinary medicine and soil science.

Dane County Parks and Prairie Moraine Friends are working together on Wild Parsnip control in the park.  DCP is continuing a 3-5 year program of mowing large fields and meadows in late June or early July, just before parsnip seeds develop.  Parsnip patches on trail edges are attacked with PMF's two brush mowers and by volunteers with brush cutters.  Other volunteers used loppers to level infestations in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

In 2022 the youth volunteers' primary task was removal of two old internal farm pasture fences -- 750 feet in total -- from the 12-acre park expansion area.  They are also clearing invasive plants and getting additional sessions on a variety of other topics.  Here, parks volunteer Jay Brooks teaches the group about the new bluebird nesting boxes in the park.  George Brown is their adult mentor and group leader.

It will be used primarily to house the new utility vehicle being acquired for park maintenance.  Among other tasks, the UTV will be sorely needed to carry a water tank for watering the oak saplings and native shrubs planted in October.

Prairie Moraine Friends partners with Dane County Parks on their Barks for Parks event at the best park in Dane County!

Rule #1 at Barks for Parks - have fun! 

A BIG day at Prairie Moraine park! 

After many months of preparation, 75 oak saplings and 85 native shrubs were planted by Dane County Parks staff and park volunteers within the 11-acre oak savanna restoration area.

The park was closed all day in order to finish preparations for dogs and their owners in the 11-acre oak savanna restoration area.

The fences were also removed from around the pollinator garden and Prairie Corner.

This area is a pinery immediately adjacent to the dog park.  When completed, it will have naturalized trails through mature colonies of white pines, red pines, and jack pines.  Much work is needed before it can be fenced and opened to the public.  We could use your help removing honeysuckle and other invasive shrubs from around the pines. 

Operation Fresh Start continues to assist Dane County Parks and park volunteers with the next big task:  clearing invasives from the 12-acre dog park expansion area.