Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.org December 2009

Evelyn Hambley (Werner) Batchelor First Goose Pond Sanctuary Resident Naturalist Passes AwayA love of the

natural world highlighted the life and work of former Madison public school teacher, Evelyn Hambley Batchelor, who passed away October 5, 2009 at her home in Blue Mounds, WI, at age 81. Under her former married name of Evelyn Werner, she taught elementary students in Madison for 23 years at Midvale, Mendota, Thoreau, and Franklin schools, where she shared her interest in the out-of-doors. She brought classes to the school forest and drew from her background in ecology to help students appreciate nature. During this period, she completed a master’s degree in education, became the first volunteer resident naturalist at Madison Audubon’s Goose Pond Sanctuary, and organized the first breeding bird surveys of DNR state natural areas. Evelyn’s son Bob and daughter Carol have a deep love of the natural world. Bob is completing a Ph.D. in Botany at UW-Madison. Evelyn was an award-winning quilter, an avid gardener, birder, and supporter of Madison Audubon. She also presented numerous programs for MAS as a volunteer for our speaker’s bureau. MAS honored her in 2004 as one of our Environmentalists of the Year. To view photos of her life and add comments visit http://evelynhbatchelor.wordpress.com/

2009 Year-end Review

From the PresidentMadison Audubon Society is one active organization. Through our many activities, MAS is able to strongly promote our mission. Whether you take advantage of a field trip, volunteer your time, write your elected officials or provide a donation of dollars to purchase property to expand our sanctuaries, you are an active part of MAS.

As you read through the newsletter you will learn about how our Education Committee has used MAD Camp, Adventure Days and the Bird Mentor Program to educate many of our youth.

Our Field Trip Committee has again organized over 70 trips that ranged from a sunrise at Faville Grove Marsh to viewing butterflies, amphibians, wild flowers and of course birds.

Advocacy to preserve and protect is another important MAS activity. You will read more about an example of this in reference to the Glacial Heritage Area. But we do much more. We are involved in shaping legislation, serving on advisory committees and providing input on a wide range of issues from conservation to land use.

The last leg of our mission regards the sanctuaries. You will read about the success of both Goose Pond and Faville Grove Sanctuaries. Both are actively managed by the sanctuary managers and ecologist to insure that they are maintained to the highest standards of resto-ration practices. By doing so we are able to provide a high quality habitat for creatures to find a home or a rest stop in their very challenging life journey.

Please enjoy the remainder of this month’s CAWS. I will let you decide if MAS is truly an active organiza-tion that all members can be proud of. Brand Smith

December 20092The Audubon CAWS

It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a year with a whole bunch of volun-

teers, an occasional handful of contract workers, and a full-time employee to catalyze it all. 2009 was our first full year working with Lars Higdon, Faville Grove Sanctuary’s resident ecologist and land steward, and we’ve seen the pace of progress in the sanctuary increase tremen-dously as a result. We completed the first year of Faville Grove’s TogetherGreen Volunteer Days grant from National Audubon and Toyota at the end of May with a record 2,155 volunteer hours. We were able for the first time to continue our usual fall schedule of biweekly volunteer work parties pretty much throughout the winter and spring, shifting from seed-collecting to brush cut-ting to garlic mustard patrol. Lars also initiated a volunteer monitoring program, with frog and toad surveys beginning in early spring and breeding bird surveys beginning in late spring. The sanctuary successfully competed for a second year of funding through the TogetherGreen program based on our record of accomplishment in year one and our plans for year two. And our second year is well on track to break the record set in the first, between regular volunteer work parties, special volunteer projects, and assorted volunteer visits to the sanc-tuary by school and scout groups. One of the stated goals for year two of the grant was to increase the average size of our many smaller work parties, so we are particularly pleased that turnout for our Wednesday seed-collecting parties has roughly doubled to six or eight volunteers each week. We also competed successfully for a two-year State Wildlife Grant from DNR. This grant will allow us to focus additional resources on canary grass and brush control within the sanctuary. We had another terrific summer intern crew this year, with four students from UW-Madison and one from UW-Stevens Point. Of the many successful educa-tional initiatives undertaken by Madison Audubon, none is more intensive than this twelve-week, full-time immer-sion experience in restoration ecology. Although the number of individuals involved is small, the effects on the par-ticipants are transformative (See More Than a Summer Job in the October CAWS).

Regardless of what path in life these curi-ous and enthusiastic young men and women pursue, they are sure to do better by the environment for the experience. So, for all this support, what do we have to show for it? Lots of dead weeds, for one thing. Many cords of firewood removed from our savanna restora-tions, and gargantuan piles of invasive brush and branches burned. A barnful of prairie and savanna seeds ready (as of this writing) for mixing and planting. Useful data on the amphibian and avian inhabitants of the sanctuary. A slick new website (www.madisonaudubon.org/favillegrove) and electronic sanctuary newsletter. A really handsome informa-tional kiosk, routed wood signs, and map of the sanctuary to help orient visitors (see…). More land acquired (see page one). Another wetland restoration ready to go (or, we hope, completed by the time you read this—see …). And a sanctuary looking more beautiful and diverse than ever. And perhaps most important of all, an ambitious plan prepared by DNR with assistance from volunteer sanctuary manager David Musolf, and approved by the state Natural Resources Board creat-ing the Glacial Heritage Area that incor-porates the sanctuary and other MAS-protected properties into a comprehensive plan for outdoor preservation and recre-ational development in western Jefferson

County and nearby portions of Dane and Dodge Counties (see p. 9-10). Your contributions of time and money remain key to all of these successes. Many thanks to all.

Faville Grove Sanctuary Gains Ground Faville Grove Sanctuary expanded recently in a small, but important way with the acquisition of a conservation easement on a 12.8-acre strip of land along the west border of the sanctuary. The parcel lies north of Highway 89 and is only 175 feet wide, but more than six-tenths of a mile long. It consists primar-ily of rolling, recessional moraine, and includes the west half of Paradise Pond, protecting the entire pond within the sanctuary borders. For Faville Marsh, the acquisition provides an important buf-fer from agricultural runoff, and it adds much needed, upland nesting habitat for waterfowl, grassland birds and the state-threatened Blanding’s turtle. Plans for the parcel include removing the fencerow of invasive brush and trees that marks the former sanctuary bound-ary and west pond edge, which will improve habitat for birds and turtles that nest in the uplands. We plan to restore the uplands to prairie vegetation follow-ing several seasons of aggressive weed control. For a number of years we have worked cooperatively with the former owner by conducting controlled burns and manually removing invasive species. This past June, we stepped up the restora-tion process by having the entire upland area sprayed for broad-leaved invasives, primarily sweet clover, parsnips and alfal-fa, as well as box elder and honeysuckle seedlings. The acquisition will also permit us to begin work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service next summer on restora-tion of a section of the west marsh edge where more than 30 inches of topsoil has eroded into the marsh over the years and been overrun with reed canary grass. We will be able to use the newly acquired uplands (where much of the soil origi-nated) to spread the spoils that will be removed from the marsh edge. We also plan to do similar work along the east

Faville Grove 2009: Many hands; much progress

Chris Hassett collecting prairie dock seed for this fall’s prairie restoration.

3 December 2009The Audubon CAWS

edge of Paradise Pond while the heavy equipment is on-site, pushing the spoils toward Buddy’s farmstead, and we plan to fill the ditch that drained the pond into the larger marsh as well. The process will expand the marsh and pond to their original contours and expose the original wetland soils along with long-buried but still viable native seeds. It will also physically remove the canary grass and accumulated canary grass seed from the wetland areas. This past summer we herbicided canary grass in the areas to be bulldozed and we plan to treat it at least once more next year before earthmoving begins. By spread-ing the sediment that is removed on the

nearby upland strip, we will be able to continue treating canary grass as it germi-nates from the seed bank before planting the area to prairie. The parcel, formerly part of the Burkhard Laas farm, was enrolled for more than 20 years in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) until recent changes to that program made the land ineligible for reenroll-ment. Funds for land acquisition were available to Madison Audubon through Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program as match for an earlier donation of a conservation easement on nearby land, and rather than resume farming of the highly erodible strip, Burkhard agreed

to sell the parcel. Jefferson County zoning restricts the sale of parcels of this size to an adjoining landowner, in this case David Musolf and Roger Packard, even though Madison Audubon holds a conservation easement on the adjoining land, so last December David and Roger purchased the strip, and in early November of this year they sold a conservation easement to MAS, bringing the total acreage permanently protected within Faville Grove Sanctuary to about 560. Another 270 acres of land within the sanctuary boundaries is also protected under other ownership and is coopera-tively managed.

Pictured above is Bill Mulligan pounding the first stake to install the new sanctuary parking sign, with Greg Waters (Boy Scouts Committee Chairperson), Phillip Buelow (holding the sign), and Miguel Quintana (First Class Scout).

Pat Mulligan poses involuntarily in front of the nearly complete kiosk with (standing, from left)

Jonas Rugtvedt (foreign exchange student from Norway), Bill Mulligan, Rob Waters (soon to be

Eagle Scout), TJ Streich, and Alex Mulligan.

Faville Grove Sanctuary is now more visitor-friendly thanks to the efforts of Eagle Scout candidates Bill and Pat Mulligan and their friends and dad. For his Eagle Scout project, Bill made and installed nine routed cedar signs identifying various tracts within the sanctuary. Pat, for his project, designed and built an informational kiosk and installed it by the new parking area on upper Prairie Lane. Both young men earned cash for materials through various scout projects and recruited volunteers to assist them. And both showed the highest levels of craftsmanship and attention to detail in executing their projects. Many thanks to Bill and Pat and friends for jobs well done!

Greg Waters, Rob Waters, and Miguel Quintana install a prairie sign.

December 20094The Audubon CAWS

MAS to Receive 120-Acre Easement Gift from “Wildland” Goose Pond managers Mark and Sue Foote-Martin have announced plans to donate to Madison Audubon Society a conservation easement on “Wildland,” their 120- acre property near Wyocena in Columbia County, about 15 miles north of Goose Pond. The Martins are a private match partner in a federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant that MAS administers. The gift of this easement is a continua-tion of the Martins’ support for Madison Audubon over their 30 years with the

organization. The easement will protect the property by removing two building sites from development. The Martins will reserve a 10-acre building zone where they have a small cabin. The rest of the property is being restored and managed by Mark and Sue to provide wildlife habitat. The ease-ment does not provide for public access. Before the Martins purchased the prop-erty, 87 acres were farmed. The former owner enrolled 70 acres of farmed wet-lands in the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), which resulted in restoration of wetland habitat including springs and spring runs, sedge meadow, wet-mesic prairie and shallow marsh. Seventeen acres of upland cropland has been entered in the 15-year Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and has been

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Faville Grove SanctuaryMADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY

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This new map of Faville Grove Sanctuary, prepared by Bob Marshall of Middleton, will be featured in a sanctuary brochure to be developed, and will be posted on the web and in the new kiosk on upper Prairie Lane.

Lady tresses blooming at Wildland.

5 December 2009The Audubon CAWS

restored to mesic prairie. In addition, 17 acres of woodlands are being restored to oak savanna. The property is adjacent to DNR’s 40-acre Roelke Creek Fisheries Area and 17 acres of private wetlands that are also in WRP. The Martins’ property contains about 800 feet of shoreline on Roelke Creek, a cold water stream with

brook and brown trout. The response by plant and animals to wetland and upland habitat restoration has been impressive. A large population of yellow giant hyssop (state-threatened) was found in the oak savanna shortly after restoration began. Many wetland species were planted in the restored sedge meadow and wet-mesic prairie. Most of these species have been found along with a good number of species that were probably in the seed bank including Kalm’s lobelia, lady tresses orchids and a twayblade orchid. The native genotype of phragmites was found this fall and there

are four small clones of the non-native phragmites that are being removed. Fringed gentian seed was scattered in the fall of 2007 and this past fall hundreds of fringed gentian flowered. Species such as white–tailed deer, Wild Turkeys, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Barred Owls were found before resto-ration work began. Breeding species that greatly benefit from the restoration include Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers, Pied-billed Grebes, American Bitterns, Least Bitterns, Sandhill Cranes, Wilson’s Snipes, and Eastern Bluebirds. The Martins’ goal is to have 100 young Wood Ducks/Hooded Mergansers jump from nest boxes and to fledge 100 bluebirds/Tree Swallows. Great Egrets (state threatened) are also found in migra-tion. A wide variety of wetland wildlife has been sighted, including beaver, otter, and Blanding’s (state-threatened), snapping and soft-shelled turtles. In 2008, Heisley Lewison found a five-lined skink in the oak savanna. The skink is a “species of special concern” and the first record for Columbia County. Sue found a blue spot-ted salamander under a fallen tree trunk and has spotted four species of snakes: common gartersnake, northern red-bellied snake, common watersnake, and DeKay’s Brownsnake. In future years, the Martins hope additional species such as Red-headed Woodpecker will be added to the list of breeding birds calling Wildland home, and that populations of species of animals and plants now found will be maintained.

High water at Goose Pond.

Goose Pond Sanctuary Highlight of the Year Record high water (220 acres) attracted a record 145 pairs of nesting ducks – Blue-winged Teal (70 pairs), Mallard (45), Ruddy Duck (13), Northern Shoveler (12), Wood Duck (2) Green-winged Teal (2), and Gadwall (1). Canada Geese nested at Goose Pond for the first time in about 150 years and fledged five young.2008 – Weather – 100 inches of snow and 18.25 inches of rain from June 7 – July 122007 - Acquisition of the 17-acre farmette at Goose Pond.2006 - A flock of 41 American avocets

Above: Oak savannah being restored at Wildland. Left:Rattlesnake master and white baptisia seed pods.

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December 20096The Audubon CAWS

sighted in April at Goose Pond2005 – Great gray owl added to Goose Pond bird checklist2004 – HIGHLIGHT OF THE DECADE: Acquisition of the 116-acre Lapinski-Kitze Prairie.2003 – Acquisition of 1,730 acres at Goose Pond, Rose Lake & Zeloski Marsh2002 – Goose Pond went dry – lowering water levels provided excellent shorebird habitat2001 – Acquisition of 3 acres at Goose Pond and 140 acres at Faville Grove Sanctuary2000 – Willy Hutcheson’s sighting of five species of geese at one time at Goose Pond – this was before “Cackling Geese” were split from Canada geese1999 – Restoration of 25 acres of wetland and prairie at Faville Grove Sanctuary1998 – Excellent growing year for prairie establishment and seed production1997 – Snowy owl invasion in January and February on Arlington Prairie1996 – HIGHLIGHT OF THE DECADE: Sandhill cranes return to nest at Goose Pond Sanctuary after 100-year absence 1995 – Establishment of Mary Muckenhirn Stewardship Endowment1994 – Large numbers of waterfowl, pheasant and gray partridge broods at Goose Pond1993 – Record rainfall – 16 inches in June and July at Goose Pond1992 – Acquisition of 74 acres at Goose Pond1991 – 1,200 snow geese in fall at Goose Pond Sanctuary1990 – 30,000 mallards use Otsego Marsh Sanctuary as staging area during migra-tion

Office Volunteers Get It Done! What do computers, membership renew-als, Christmas cookies and posters have in common? They’re the focus of some vital contributions made by Madison Audubon’s office volunteers. The office has five computer worksta-tions and a central server that hosts our website and links all seven Environment Wisconsin organizations to the Internet. Paul Noeldner has handled MAS com-puter installation, upkeep, and trouble-shooting for many years. Paul enjoys giv-ing people the resources they need. “I do

what I enjoy, and if there’s something that needs doing, I try to fill the gaps.” Every few months, office volunteer Amy Ihlenfeldt produces hundreds of letters and reply forms encouraging MAS mem-bers to renew their membership through our chapter. Over the past year, her efforts have resulted in nearly 400 renewals and about $10,000 in dues and donations that directly benefit MAS. Amy says, “I enjoy volunteering at the office because it’s an easy and rewarding way to contribute to the strength of MAS. It feels good to sup-port the important work that MAS does.” Community Shares is an umbrella group that provides more than $10,000 annually to our chapter. In exchange, MAS volun-teers contribute 50 volunteer hours per year. Since 2007, Pete Cannon has donned his Santa hat in December and delivered homemade cookies to special Community Shares donors. Pete volunteers because “I love being able to help two of my favorite organizations at the same time. MAS gets credit for the things I do at Community Shares. And, everybody smiles at you when you deliver cookies!” Madison Audubon’s collection of large posters was out of control until Cassie Mescher volunteered to help organize them. She used her digital camera to photograph each poster, then organized the images into an electronic library. Now other volunteers, such as Education Committee members, can refer to the library on-line and find the posters they need. “It’s fun and rewarding to volun-teer for a cause you really care about,” Cassie reports. “The Madison Audubon staff is great to work with and I plan to be involved in helping for many years to come.” The volunteers mentioned here are just a few of the individuals who incorporate volunteering with the MAS office into their lives. Others provide office help for events such as the art fair, annual ban-quet, volunteer recognition, and excel-lence awards. Office volunteers also assist with fundraising, advocacy, and wildlife sanctuary activities. And volunteering is not a one-way street. Research shows that volunteering improves both your health AND the com-munity’s through the work performed and the social ties built. To volunteer at the office, please contact John Minnich at (608) 327-0129, johnmaudubon@yahoo.com

Notes from Goose PondBy Mark and Sue Foote-Martin

Bird Trail Projects: Everyone is pleased with the results of our bird trail projects. Our 2010 goal is to fledge 2,500 Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, House Wrens, and Black-capped Chickadees. The 2009 Wood Duck/Hooded Merganser report will be in the CAWS in 2010. However, we believe the number of woodies and hoodies will be over 700 and we’re setting the 2010 goal at 850 ducklings. We also hope to have 40 American Kestrels fledge from our nest boxes. If you would like to help with any of these projects please con-tact us. We are especially looking at estab-lishing additional bluebird/Tree Swallow nest box trails.

Summer Interns: Five interns worked every Friday at Goose Pond this sum-mer. They did an excellent job, and we hope they enjoyed their time at Goose Pond. The interns also worked at the UW Lakeshore Preserve, Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Pleasant Valley (Savanna Oak Foundation) and with The Prairie Enthusiasts. The interns, Dylan Kirk UW-Stevens Point; Josephine Horton UW-Madison; Matthew Groshek UW-LaCrosse; Jessica Buchberger Beloit College; and Megan Goplin UW-Madison are majoring in natural resources or biology. The interns worked on a variety of management activities including fence removal, plant-ing and watering prairie/wetland seed-lings, seed collecting and cleaning, and invasive species removal. They collected a record amount of lupine and spider-wort seed. Invasive species controlled included garlic mustard, sweet clover, wild parsnip, Queen Anne’s lace, and spotted knapweed. They enjoyed viewing the three Whooping Cranes that spent the summer in the local area and also helped search for prairie bush clover.

Lapinski-Kitze Prairie Update: The 10 acres that were planted last fall look great. The density of plants is probably 1.5 to 2 prairie plants per square foot. Even with two mowings some of the species flowered, including spiderwort, poten-tilla, wild lupine, pale purple coneflower, flowering spurge, showy sunflower,

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7 December 2009The Audubon CAWS

and showy goldenrod. Interns and Paul Michler pulled several hundred Queen Anne’s Lace to prevent this species from getting a foothold in the restoration. We are looking forward to collecting seed from this planting in a year or two.

We hope that one clone of Japanese knotweed growing north of the parking lot has been eliminated after three years of control efforts. This fall over 60 cubic yards (four dump truck loads) of topsoil were spread on the knotweed area and prairie seeds will be spread this fall. Thanks to Bill Grogan, Don Schmidt and Curt Caslavka for mowing the restora-tion.

Parking lot and turnaround: You will notice that LMS Construction completed the turnaround at the end of Prairie

Lane and added more gravel and soil to the Lapinski-Kitze Prairie parking lot. Thanks to a donor for providing funds to complete these public access projects.

Fall Seed Collecting: The farmers have been having a difficult time harvesting their soybeans and corn due to wet and cool conditions. The prairie species were also behind in ripening. Wet and cold weather also impacted some seed collect-ing days. However, thanks to Dorothy Haines and her efforts in getting public-ity out, many volunteers helped collect and clean seed. Some species set a lot of seed this year while others did poorly. This year compass plant and prairie dock did not set much seed. Species from which we collected a lot of seed included mountain mint, potentilla, pale purple coneflower, hoary vervain, rattlesnake

master, stiff gentian, and four species of goldenrod. A good amount of seed was collected from Browne Prairie (2nd growing year) and Jill’s Prairie (4th growing year). Over pound of stiff gentian seed was collected from the Browne Prairie. Everyone was impressed with the development of both prairies.

Saturday, October 31, 2009: A day of work on an enjoyable day It was enjoyable to work with 17 volun-teers including many close friends who gathered to collect and clean seed on the last day of October. Scott Weber with DNR was busy seed stripping goldenrod that will be planted on a 145-acre restora-tion in Juneau County. Curt Caslavka was busy repairing windows on a build-ing that will serve as our workshop.

Mark Martin gives school children close-up views of prairie seeds.

Some of the large number of Canada Geese that found Otsego Marsh this fall and were feeding in picked corn-fields.

Brand Smith with Sue and Mark. MAS is recognizing Mark and Sue’s 30 year anniversity at Goose Pond with a plaque donated by Bremner Granite in Portage. The plaque will be placed on a rock at Goose Pond.

Summer interns left to right Jessica, Jo, Matt, Megan, and Dylan.

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Dcember 20098The Audubon CAWS

Some of the volunteers were lucky enough to see three Whooping Cranes flying around Goose Pond. When the volunteers were leaving at noon an adult Bald Eagle was observed hunting and flushing hundreds of Mallards and 2,500 Canada Geese from the wetland on Jill’s Prairie. The west side of Goose Pond con-tained several hundred American Coots and a good variety of ducks. Muskrats have been busy and over 40 muskrat houses can be found on Goose Pond. We enjoy working with all the volun-teers and the results of everyone’s hard work can readily be seen in the quality and amount of prairie restorations and in the diversity and numbers of wildlife found in the wetlands and grasslands.

Changes at Erstad Prairie and Schoeneberg’s Marsh By Mark and Sue Foote-Martin High water conditions continued for the second year at both Madison Audubon’s Erstad Prairie adjacent to Schoeneberg’s Marsh, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Waterfowl Production Area. Madison Audubon’s pond is still very high and nearby oak trees are dying from flooding. Harvey Road was underwater for much of the summer and it was esti-mated that to repair the road would cost $300,000 including $75,000 of Town of Leeds funds. Due to the high repair cost the Leeds

Town Board held a public hearing and 3,700 feet of Harvey Road were officially abandoned. There was no opposition to the road closing. The Town dropped their easement on the road that was owned by Madison Audubon and FWS. Within a couple of weeks of abandonment the Town redid the east end by constructing a curve and removed the roadbed. FWS is trying to find someone to remove the roadbed and thereby restore the topography and hydrology. Until the roadbed is removed it will provide access for bird watchers. The FWS parking lot at the curve has also been abandoned. To provide for additional parking FWS enlarged the Audubon lot at Erstad Prairie.

FWS is also completing a handicap acces-sible nature trail that will originate on Priem Road and go north to a marsh overlook. Lynch Road and its parking lot on the west side of the marsh is also being abandoned due to high water conditions. Ted Keyel, a 2008 summer

intern with MAS, helped conduct a bat survey on the main body of water. Before heading out in the canoe, two screech owls were heard calling at Lynch Road. Maybe Mark and Jenny McGinley who monitor and maintain Wood Duck nest boxes for MAS at this site will find evi-dence of screech owl use in the Wood Duck nesting boxes. Results of the bat survey and Wood Duck house checks will be reported in future CAWS. Dave Shealer, Black Tern Researcher from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, coordinated placement of Black Tern nest-ing structures on MAS and FWS ponds. Some of the platforms were used by nest-ing terns. Erstad Prairie’s 60 acres contained nine acres of warm season grasses from Nebraska. Our goal was to restore that parcel to a diverse native prairie mix of grasses and wildflowers (forbs). To pre-pare the site, the nine acres were farmed for two years. Wisconsin Waterfowl Association provided funding to pur-chase prairie species that could not be collected at Goose Pond. Many volun-teers and students did an excellent job this fall collecting a large amount of seed for the restoration which was planted in November. With native habitat restored and with the removal of the Harvey Road curve, the area more resembles the early preset-tlement landscape of this small part of the once vast Arlington-Empire Prairie.

Part of the Erstad Prairie planting crew and Dick Erstad. Photo is at west end of Harvey Rd. where the Fish & Wildlife Service recently installed a gate.

East side of abandoned Harvey Road looking west.

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9 Dectember 2009The Audubon CAWS

Poynette students helped with seed collecting.

A Note from YOUR Education Committee We are proud of our accomplishments in 2009, as we have joyfully worked to con-nect children and learners of all ages with the natural world. Audubon Adventures Field Trips to our sanctuaries provide school children, their teachers, and parent volunteers with the opportunity to learn about the sanctuary ecosystem in hands-on, meaningful and inspiring ways. These trips engage chil-dren in the natural world through nature games, observation, and stewardship in the form of seed collecting. Children are heartened, empowered, and encouraged to know first-hand that they can make a real and positive difference in our sanctu-ary habitat restorations. Our groups this year included 44 fourth and fifth graders from Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, and 77 second graders from Glacier Ridge Elementary in Verona. Our nature-educator volunteers this year, who seemed to enjoy the experience as much as the children did, included Jennifer Schehr, Kevin Riggle, Amanda Lederer,Marsha Cannon, Mark Martin, Laura Stoesz, and Nancy Hylbert. Our Audubon Adventures partnership with Madison School & Community Recreation’s Mad (Making A Difference) Camp is in its second successful year. MAD Camp is a service camp for middle school students in the Madison area. This summer, we expanded our Audubon Adventure Days to two mornings each

week, to accommodate campers from both the east and west sides of Madison. One morning a week, for six weeks, each of these 80 energetic teens engaged in all three aspects of Madison Audubon Society’s mission, learning about the natu-ral world, engaging in advocacy projects, and working to protect and restore natu-ral habitat in the greater Madison Area. We are grateful for the competent and creative leadership provided by Amanda Lederer, lead environmental educator for MAD Camp this summer, (and Biology Lecturer at UW-Platteville) and her team of dedicated (and fun!) interns-Kevin Riggle, Kristi McGrinley, and Katie Wipfli. Our Bird Mentor Program, led by Dee Wylie, has really taken off this year! Thanks to our Ed. Committee’s grant writing skills, we received a second bird mentor kit. With more requests from classrooms than in previous years, we are actively recruiting Bird Mentors. No prior experience is necessary, and you do not need to be a ‘bird expert’. We provide a bird identification powerpoint and a suitcase-on-wheels filled with binocu-lars (including kid-size binocs) and field guides. Dee facilitates periodic workshops to give potential Bird Mentors an idea of what to expect. Please contact dwylie@chorus.net with questions about bird mentoring, or with requests for a bird mentor at your kids’ or grandkids’ school. Our Education Committee has expanded into new territory this year, with our first-ever birding presentation at Olbrich Gardens. Mark Smith, middle school sci-ence teacher, MAS Education Committee member, and enthusiastic birder, pre-

sented Introduction to Backyard Birding on October 11. Mark has plans to offer two more workshops in January and March: Winter Birding and Homegrown Bird Habitat. All three workshops conclude with a bird watching trek through Olbrich Gardens. Binoculars and guidebooks are provided. You can register online at Olbrich.org. Please watch for more details on our website, and in the January CAWS. Hope to see you bird watching in the Gardens! Lucky You! We are seeking a few new active members. If you would like to find out more, please email or call Nancy Hylbert: nhylbert@yogaforhealth.net, or (608) 271-0956.

The Strings and Pearls of Jefferson CountyBy Karen Etter Hale, Exective Secretary Those of us who live in Jefferson County already know that its natural features include hidden and not-so-hidden gems: Faville Grove Sanctuary, Zeloski Marsh, the Bark River, Rose Lake, Hope Lake Bog, the Jefferson Marsh, and many oth-ers. Now, thanks to an impressive amount of effort over the last four years by a Department of Natural Resources led advisory team, which included Madison Audubon and many diverse partners, the Glacial Heritage Area has come into being. In the coming years, we can look forward to numerous and diverse “strings and pearls” being added to the land-scape. Special thanks go to Faville Grove

Glacier Ridge Elementary 2nd graders learn about the prairie ecosystem at Goose Pond.

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December 200910The Audubon CAWS

Sanctuary Co-Manager David Musolf for serving on the advisory team. The Glacial Heritage Area (GHA) is one of the first of 229 Land Legacy places across the state to have a feasibility plan developed and completed. The citizens of Wisconsin identi-fied these Land Legacy places as the most important for the state to save over the next 50 years. In the coming years as the GHA plan is implemented, all of us can look forward to having access to more and diverse outdoor recreational opportunities in Jefferson County. The DNR is committing between $125 million and $175 million toward land preser-vation in the GHA project area, with a total proposed land acquisition of 28,020 acres. The GHA is very likely the most exciting and important project to ever be planned for western Jefferson County and adjacent areas. With the unanimous approval of the Natural Resources Board on October 21, 2009, the citizens of Jefferson County and the state of Wisconsin will be enriched immea-surably by this well-thought-out and comprehensive project--our best chance to preserve a significant amount of habitat for birds and wildlife in south central Wisconsin. The plans for the GHA are impressive: expanding the area’s “pearls”, including 11 state wildlife areas and five existing parks, establishing seven new “conservation parks”, and creating several new state natural areas, as well as expanding the system of “strings” that connect these “pearls”, includ-ing 100 miles of trails and protected shorelands with canoe access points, especially along stream corridors, which will provide the added benefit of enhancing water quality. In addition, the plan calls for establishing “rural landscape pro-tection areas” to serve as buffers to some of the more impor-tant natural areas. Of particular interest is the establishment of the Crawfish Prairie Habitat Area in order to restore 2,500 acres of habitat for grassland birds, which are declining at a faster rate than any other suite of birds. Madison Audubon’s Faville Grove Sanctuary will anchor this premier site. When the GHA project is fully implemented, a process that will take many years, the area’s “strings and pearls” will provide for a wide diversity of nature-based uses, including birding, hiking, biking, wildlife watching, fishing, paddling, hunting, horseback riding, and camping; as well as protec-tion and restoration of grasslands, savannas, woodlands, wetlands, and river and stream corridors. The GHA has the enthusiastic support of Jefferson County, which will play an instrumental role in helping DNR with implementation of the plan. Many organizations, including Madison Audubon, communities, businesses, friends groups, and others are also committed to the initiative. We hope you will take time to visit Jefferson County and begin to discover some of the “strings and pearls” that make the area so spe-cial. More information, including a map of the area and the plan in a nutshell, can be found on DNR’s website, which includes an informative four-page overview brochure at www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/facilities/glacial/documents.html

BackyardHero Award

Recognizing outstanding volunteers for their work in our community

Brand SmithMadison Audubon SocietyFor years now Brand Smith has helped with seed collection and prairie restoration at MadisonAudubon's Goose Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. Brand has also served on the board of MadisonAudubon Society and this month begins a two-year term as president. Brand's energy, commitment to conservation, and willingness to stick with a project make him an outstanding volunteer.

For information about Madison Audubon Society orto volunteer, please visit www.madisonaudubon.orgor call 608.255.2473.

Photo by John Urban

Community Shares of Wisconsin’s 51 member nonprofits challenge the root causes of social problems by advocating, educating,

and seeking progressive solutions. Our nonprofits are dedicated to building social and economic equity and a healthy environment.

Sponsors:

BackyardHero Award

Recognizing outstanding volunteers for their work in our community

Don SchmidtMadison Audubon SocietyDon Schmidt is a dedicated volunteer atMadison Audubon Society's Goose PondSanctuary. He helps remove invasive species,cares for prairie restorations, and collectsprairie seeds. Although Don and his wife have their hands full restoring more than 20 acres of prairie and savanna on their own property, Don still finds time to helpMadison Audubon Society - and to help motivate other volunteers.

For more information about MadisonAudubon Society, or to volunteer, visitwww.madisonaudubon.org or call 608-255-2473.

Photo by John Urban

Community Shares of Wisconsin’s 52 member nonprofits challenge the root causes of social problems by advocating, educating,

and seeking progressive solutions. Our nonprofits are dedicated to building social and economic equity and a healthy environment.

Sponsors:

continued from page 9

BackyardHero Award

Recognizing outstanding volunteers for their work in our community

JeannieDruckenmillerMadison Audubon SocietyJeannie's passion is fundraising events, and sheputs her talent to work for Madison AudubonSociety's art fair, silent auction, and bird seed sale.Jeannie also volunteers for Wisconsin PublicTelevision's auction and Garden Expo, and theMadison Symphony Chorus. Everyone at MadisonAudubon Society is grateful to her, knowing just how much her gifts of time and leadership havehelped this organization thrive.

For information about the Madison Audubon Society or to volunteer, please visitwww.madisonaudubon.org or call (608) 255-2473.

Community Shares of Wisconsin’s 51 member nonprofits challenge the root causes of social problems by advocating, educating,

and seeking progressive solutions. Our nonprofits are dedicated to building social and economic equity and a healthy environment.

Sponsors:

Photo by John Urban

Congratulations 2009 “Backyard Heroes” This year three Madison Audubon Society volunteers were de-clared “Backyard Heroes” by Community Shares of Wisconsin and featured in Isthmus newspaper. Volunteers are the heart of Madison Audubon.

11 December 2009The Audubon CAWS

THE AUDUBON CAWS is published September through June by:Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703, (608) 255-2473.

Birding hotline, 255-2476.www.madisonaudubon.org masoffice@mailbag.com

E-mail services donated by Berbee

The mission of the Madison Audubon Society is to educate our members and the public about the natural world and the threats that natural systems are facing, to engage in advocacy to preserve and protect these systems, and to develop and maintain sanctuaries to save and restore natural habitat.

MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETYPresident: Brand SmithVice-president: Debra WeitzelGoose Pond resident managers:Mark and Sue Foote-MartinFaville Grove Sanctuary managers:David Musolf, Roger PackardEditor: Patrick Ready pready@tds.netGraphic design: Patrick Readypready@tds.netCAWS printer: Roemer Printing

Submissions for the January CAWS are due Dec. 1.

Madison Audubon Wishlist We greatly appreciate any donations, or contributions, for the following items. • Quality binoculars • Digital (LCD) projector • Mule utility vehicle • Rider mower in working

condition• Energy efficient washing ma-

chine• Energy-efficient chest-type

freezer

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!Join Madison Audubon Society, or give a gift membership.

TIME TO RENEW?Check your Madison Audubon CAWS ad-dress label to determine your renewal date. Please renew two months before that date to keep your membership current and avoid missing any issues of the CAWS. Tip: Renewing through the MAS office directs more of your donation to local activities and conservation projects. Update: We now send an annual renewal notice. In the future we plan to offer a re-newal option via the MAS website.

MAKE A DONATIONHelp make Madison Audubon’s vision a reality. We offer education about the natural world, opportunities to advocate for the en-vironment, and two wildlife sanctuaries with natural habitat where you can learn about the beauty and value of nature.

MAIL TO: MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY222 S. Hamilton St., Suite #1Madison, WI 53703

Madison Audubon Society, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Madison Audubon’s financial statement is available upon request.

Membership, Renewal and Donation FormMY NAME _________________________Address ______________________________City __________________________________State_____ ZIP _________________________Day phone: ( ) ______________________E-mail ________________________________

YES! I want to ___ Join Madison Audubon

Society

___ Give a gift membership to:Name ________________________________Address ______________________________City __________________________________State_____ ZIP _________________________Day phone: ( ) ______________________E-mail ________________________________

___ Renew/upgrade my membership

___ Make a donation [ ] In memory of _______________________ [ ] In honor of _________________________

Please send notification of this gift to:Name ________________________________Address ______________________________City __________________________________State_____ ZIP _________________________Day phone: ( ) ______________________E-mail ________________________________

[ ] Please do not acknowledge my Gift in Madison Audubon CAWS.

PAYMENT INFORMATIONNew membership [ ] $25 New or Gift $_________Renewal _________ [ ] $25 Student/senior[ ] $60 Family[ ] $40 Renewal[ ] $20 CAWS newsletter Only

(non-member) Over and Above Member _________[ ] Patron $1,000 [ ] Benefactor $500[ ] Partner $250[ ] Contributor $100Donation _________[ ] Acre-Maker, $2,500 or more can purchase and restore one acre of land[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499 [ ] Quarter-Acre-Maker, $625-$1,249[ ] Adopt-an-Acre, $100 a year for three years ($300 total). Here is my first installment. [ ] Nest Egg, $50 a year for three years ($150 total). Here is my first installment.[ ] My Own Vision Total enclosed/charged $_________Please make check payable toMadison Audubon Society, OR please charge my [ ] VISA [ ] Master Card

Name on card _______________________________Card # _____________________________________Expiration date _______/ _________Signature __________________________________

12 December 2009The Audubon CAWS

First Field Trips of 2010Friday, Jan. 1: New Year’s Sunrise at Faville Grove MarshSlip into your Long Johns and warm winter jacket and join us for the annual New Year’s Day sunrise field trip at Faville Grove Sanctuary. We meet at Buddy’s Place, the old farmstead at N7710 Hwy 89, at 6:55 a.m. If there is good snow and you have snow-shoes, bring them along. Otherwise, sturdy boots for uneventerrain will do. We will enjoy the predawn light as we meander through the prairie, arriving at the marsh overlook by 7:23 a.m. to see the sun rise over the Faville Grove Marsh. We will then spend the early morning exploring the winter marsh and sur-rounding uplands. From I-94, take the Lake Mills/Waterloo exit and go north on Hwy. 89 about 2.5 miles. The driveway is on the right immediately past North Shore Rd., which intersects from the left. Volunteer sanctuary managers David Musolf and Roger Packard will lead the trip.

Saturday, Jan. 9: Wisconsin River Raptors

Come watch eagles soar over the Wisconsin River! Marty Evanson will lead this trip to Sauk Prairie to search for soaring raptors and other wintering birds. Likely finds include Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Kestrel. Other possibilities include Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Harrier, and Northern Shrike. We will check the river and Prairie du Sac dam for waterfowl and gulls. You may want to bring a snack as the trip will last until noon. If you have a scope, please bring it along. Dress appropriately for the weather. We will meet at 8 a.m. to carpool from the parking lot of Copp’s Supermarket at 6800 Century Ave. in Middleton. Riders are expected to share expenses with drivers. Contact Marty Evanson(608) 271-6846 with questions.

Area Christmas Bird Counts - 2009Here are the scheduled dates for Madison area Christmas Bird Counts. All the counts can use more volunteers. If there is one you’d like to participate in, please contact the coordinator as soon as possible, to help them in their planning.

Waterloo – Tuesday, Dec. 15Bob Domagalski, (262) 251-6259, rcd2@wi.rr.com

Madison - Saturday, Dec. 19Aaron Stutz, (608) 294-9618, agstutz@sbcglobal.net

Poynette – Saturday, Dec. 26Mark and Sue Martin, (608) 635-4160, goosep@chorus.net

Sauk City – Saturday, Dec. 26Karl and Dorothy Legler, (608) 643-4926, karlndot@charter.net

Mt. Horeb - Sunday, Dec. 27Ken Wood, (608) 767-3343, kwwood@tds.net

Baraboo - Tuesday, Dec. 29Scott Swengel, (608) 356-9543, aswengel@jvlnet.com

Cooksville – Friday, Jan. 1, 2010David and Anna Marie Huset, (608) 882-5648, huset@att.net

Donations Received in October ACRE MAKER Roma Lenehan Jerry MartinQUARTER-ACRE MAKER Curt and Arlys Caslavka Mary WashburnMY OWN VISION Alliant Energy Foundation Robert and Ann DeMars Renata Lucht Wayne and Jacqueline Pauly Marcia Schmidt Jobelle Shands Jerry Simmons Wisconsin Master Gardeners AssociationGIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSONIn Memory of Evelyn Batchelor Edna and Don Corrigan Marge Etter Sharon and Warren Gaskill Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Hambley Mark and Sue Foote-Martin Betty Ragotzkie Robert and Pamela Schmied The Taylor Family Olive Thomson Ken Wood