Habitat Improvement: Table Bluff Segment at SwampLovers’ Preserve

What You’ll Help Do:

Help maintain habitat diversity and ecosystem quality in Alliance-owned SwampLover’s Preserve. Remove invasive brush from the oak savannas and woodlands using loppers and hand saws. Trained sawyers will bring down invasive trees, too. All this effort prepares the preserve for future broadcast burning. If there is adequate snow cover, we’ll also burn the brush piles.

Join us each day, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, January 19, and learn what it takes to maintain the lush prairies and savannas of these Preserves.

We also need NPS-trained sawyers and swampers (a person to ensure crew safety when a sawyer is running the chainsaw) and brush haulers to pile and burn the debris. We encourage NPS-certified sawyers to bring their chainsaw and PPE.

Registration:

 

 

 

All Talents and Abilities Welcome!
No experience is necessary and there’s a role for volunteers of all ages and abilities. Certified and friendly staff and volunteer crew leaders will provide hands-on training to get you started right away.

Schedule 
Your contribution of time and energy is welcome for any part of the event.

The event runs Friday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Lunch is provided.

Parking and Volunteer Check-In

Parking may be limited this time of year, so please consider ride-sharing. (Park at Scheele Road parking lot.)

There is no overnight camping or base camp for this project.

What to Bring
• Winter-appropriate footwear. If snowy/icy, consider snowshoes and ice cleats (Micro Spikes, Yak Traks, etc.) for secure footing.
• A plastic sled and/or backpack for hauling gear may prove helpful.
• Appropriate ‘near-fire’ clothing (no synthetics – leave that fancy coat at home).
• Clothing to dress in layers (for warmth and to keep dry).
• A daypack, sunscreen, and leather gloves.
• A water bottle(s) and a thermos filled with a warm beverage.
• NPS certified sawyers are welcome and encouraged to bring your own saw and PPE.

Looking Ahead:

Join us for similar-style habitat improvement efforts at Steenbock Preserve:

February 9 & 10: Steenbock Preserve, Gibraltar Rock Segment, Columbia County

Questions?
Please contact Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist, by emailing: Steve@iceagetrail.org

We hope to see you soon!

Happy Trails,

The Table Bluff Segment Project Team

 

Habitat Improvement: Invasive Brush Control, SwampLovers’ Preserve, Table Bluff Segment, Dane County

What You’ll Help Do:
Remove invasive brush from the oak savannas and woodlands in the Alliance-owned Swamplovers’ Preserve using loppers and hand saws. Trained sawyers will bring down invasive trees, too. These efforts maintain habitat diversity and ecosystem quality while preparing the Preserve for future broadcast burning. Provided there is adequate snow cover, we’ll burn the brush piles, too.

Schedule:
Join us each day, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, January 10, and Saturday, January 11, and learn what it takes to maintain the lush prairies and savannas of these Preserves.

Lunch is provided each day.

All Talents and Abilities Welcome!
We need brush haulers and trained swampers (volunteers who create brush piles) and brush-cutters. NPS certified sawyers are welcome and encouraged to bring their own chainsaw and PPE.

However, no experience is necessary and there’s a role for volunteers of all ages and abilities. Certified and friendly staff and volunteer crew leaders will provide hands-on training to get you started right away.

Registration:
To help us plan this event with your needs in mind, please register by Monday, January 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Limit: 50 volunteers.

 

 

 

Parking and Volunteer Check-In

  • Details about parking and volunteer check-in will be sent in confirmation email several days ahead of the event.
  • Parking may be limited this time of year, so please consider ride-sharing.
  • There is no overnight camping or base camp for this project.

What to Bring

  • Winter-appropriate footwear. If snowy/icy, consider snowshoes and ice cleats (Micro Spikes, Yak Traks, etc.) for secure footing.
  • A plastic sled and/or backpack for hauling gear may prove helpful.
  • Appropriate ‘near-fire’ clothing (no synthetics – leave that fancy coat at home).
  • Clothing to dress in layers (for warmth and to keep dry).
  • A daypack, sunscreen, and leather gloves.
  • A water bottle(s) and a thermos filled with a warm beverage.
  • NPS certified sawyers are welcome and encouraged to bring your own saw and PPE.

Questions?
Please contact Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist, by emailing: Steve@iceagetrail.org

We hope to see you soon!

Happy Trails,

The Table Bluff Segment Project Team

 

Ice Age Trail Alliance Entrusted with Swamplovers Preserve

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Swamplovers Preserve, Table Bluff, Wetlands, Vista
The diverse Swamplovers Preserve includes wetland, prairie, and oak savannah habitat, which host a variety of resident and migratory wildlife. The Preserve was recently transferred to the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Photo by Kevin Thusius.
On November 24, 2020, the ownership and management responsibilities of the Swamplovers Preserve, a 433-acre property perched on the rolling hills of southwestern Dane County, transferred from the Swamplovers Foundation to the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

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