Southwest Wisconsin Grassland
and Stream Conservation Area
Working Together to Protect
Grasslands
What is a Grassland
And why do we need them?
Photo C. Bleser
Wet Prairie
Marsh
Milkweed
• Lots of water
• Deep clay, silt loam or peat
soil
• Poor drainage
Prairie
Cordgrass
Mesic Prairie
Big
Bluestem
Yellow
Coneflower
Thomas Meyer
•
•
•
•
Some water
Medium-deep silt or sandy loam soil
Good drainage
Dominated by tall grasses
-By late summer, flowers may reach 4
to 6 feet high
Dry Prairie
Purple
Coneflower
Eric Epstein
• Little water
• Dry shallow soil over sand or
limestone
• Dry prairies on steep slopes
are also called "goat prairies"
Sideoats
Grama
Prairie Remnant
A small piece of a pre-settlement native prairie that has survived to the present day
Often these areas are:
-Too rocky
-Too sandy
-Too steep
-Or too wet for farming
But still a home for native plants and animals
Restored Prairie
Can take decades of growth before it
becomes a good representation of a prairie
Managed Grasslands
Grass Hay Field
Hay fields, like native prairies
provide habitat for wildlife…
Pasture
…and so do grazing pastures
Wildlife Habitat
Who lives in the grasslands?
Franklin’s Ground Squirrel
Special Concern
• Habitat:
Prefer tall grass
prairie
Burrows into ground
• Hibernates from
September to April
• Also known as
whistle pigs
Badger
• Habitat
Large, open grasslands
• Very aggressive
Badger dens can be 31
degrees warmer than
the outside air in winter
USFWS
Bobolink
Special Concern
• Habitat
Open Grasslands
•Food
Seeds, grains,
insects
Migrates 12,500 miles
roundtrip each year!
Henslow’s Sparrow
Threatened
• Habitat
Large, flat fields with
no woody plants
• Food
Insects like
grasshoppers and
beetles
Doesn’t like to fly, but
instead run from
threats through the tall
grass
Blanding’s Turtle
• Habitat
Semi-aquatic
Grassy marshes and
shallow water
• Food
Crayfish, snails,
insects, frogs, fish,
and earthworms
Threatened
Kevin
Wallenfang
Nervous turtles
They are the first turtles to dive into the water when threatened and the
last to come back up to the surface
Regal Fritillary
Endangered Species
• Habitat
Breeds only in
native prairie
Less than 1% of historical habitat left
• Food
Adults feed on
nectar of milkweed,
thistles and blazing
stars
Larvae feed on only
violets
Ann Swengel
Prairie Flora
Purple Milkweed
Small White Lady’s Slipper Orchid
Wild Quinine
Purple Turnip
Hill’s Thistle
Pale Purple Coneflower
Healthy Soil
Grasslands….
Reduce soil erosion
Help maintain soil fertility
Protect Stream and
Watershed Quality
USFWS
Grasslands…
-Filter out toxins from entering our water sources
-Reduce soil run-off and river sedimentation
Cultural Resources
Thunderbird
Deer
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center
Native
American
Rock Art
Effigy
Mounds
WDNR
Cultural Resources
Pioneer farms
Paddling
W.A. Smith
Hiking
Fun Place to Play
Nature Study
Cathy Bleser
Appreciation of Cultural History
Fishing
Bird Watching
Less than 1/10th of 1% of the original
grassland habitat is left
Where did all the grassland go?
Fire Suppression
Fire is common in prairies and keeps grasslands
healthy…
Or forest succession will shade out prairie species
© Dr. Michael Pidwimy, University of British Columbia Okanagan.
Development
Ryan O’Connor
Agriculture
Tredt
Wildlife Friendly Farming
Agriculture, like pastures and hay fields, are
common in southwest Wisconsin
Working Together to Protect Grassland
+
•Assist and encourage
farmers to manage the land
in a more grassland-friendly
manner
•Educate public on the
importance of grasslands
Farmers and Landowners
Photo S. Winter
The Project
Protect and conserve12,000 acres of
healthy grassland
Includes 2,000-acre core areas of
unfragmented, permanent grassland
Satellite Imagery
How do we know where the best grasslands are located?
Advanced computer software called Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
uses satellite images, maps, survey data, etc. to tell us what’s on the
ground!
Locating Focus Areas
• Step 1:
Map the area’s
vegetation cover
and current land
use
Locating Focus Areas
• Step 2
Add natural
resources and
cultural
resources
Locating Focus Areas
• Step 3
Identify known
prairies
Locating Focus Areas
• Step 4
Add protected
lands
Locating Focus Areas
• Final Step
Use all of the
information,
including public
input, to draw
focus areas
Will add BCA and Core
maps when approved
How do we protect our
grasslands in the
SWGSCA?
Protect Farms in SWGSCA
Protecting both Grasslands and Farms
It is the many generations of landowners in Southwest
Wisconsin who have maintained the health of the
grasslands, savannas, and streams
NRCS
Grassland Restoration
Work with landowners to…
Protect and restore
grassland
Manage Invasive
Species
Promote grassland-friendly
farming
Photo C. Bleser
USFWS
Monitor wildlife, vegetation and the
effects of the project
Educate and create
awareness
Questions?