Homestead Happenings
Newsletter of the Stahl-Conrad Homestead
www.HistoricHalesCorners.org
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9724 W. Forest Home Ave., Hales Corners, WI 53130
April, 2015__
Penokee Hills Program
We will kick off Historic Preservation Month at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday,
May 3 with “The Natural History, Geography and Unique Conditions of
the Penokee Hills & Mining Impacts” by Jim Uhrinak, certified arborist
and board member of Milwaukee Audubon. Jim describes what would
be lost to the proposed mine on the south shores of Lake Superior---the
wildlife, watersheds, air and water quality, unique climate conditions,
old and regenerating forests, tribal wild rice beds, and scenic and
recreational sites. The program is free and open to the public.
Refreshments will be served.
Prior to the program,we will plant a chinkapin oak tree in memory of
Richard Barloga, Homestead supporter and long-time resident of Hales
Corners who passed away in April, 2014. Richard was instrumental in
planting and maintaining the Ben Hunt Prairie at the library. He was
also an avid naturalist, botanist and talented photographer who
documented many natural areas in southeastern Wisconsin. The
planting will be at 1:00 p.m. followed by the opportunity to view a
display of Richard's beautiful nature photography.
Natural Landscapes
Conference
Milwaukee Audubon Society's
35th Annual Natural Landscapes
Conference will be held at
Concordia University on May 2
from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The
keynote address will be given by
Martha Bergland and Paul Hayes,
and there will be breakout
sessions under the categories of
“Protecting Natural Landscapes,”
“Avian, Fish & Wildlife
Connections,” and “Landscape
Heritage.” Speakers at the
breakout sessions include Jim
Reinartz from the UWMilwaukee Field Station,
William Mueller from the
Western Great Lakes Bird and
Bat Observatory, and Randy
Powers, owner of Prairie Future
Seed Company. The cost is $35
before April 28, and $40 after
that date and at the door.
Authors Receive National Award
Martha Bergland and Paul G. Hayes have received a Gold Benjamin
Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association for
their book, Studying Wisconsin: The Life of Increase Lapham. Martha
and Paul spoke at our annual meeting last September and we're sure you
will agree the award is well-deserved. They may now place Gold Seal
stickers on their books, and Martha plans to have some at our event on
May 3. If you have already purchased a book, bring it to the event to
have the sticker added.
Christmas tree sale
Many thanks to all our customers
for another successful Christmas
tree sale. The Homestead made a
profit of $3506. Thanks also to
everyone who visited our
German Christmas display. The
admission fees, bake sale and
raffle netted $574. We are very
grateful to everyone who donated
baked goods and raffle items,and
congratulations to those lucky
enough to win one of the raffle
prizes!
Still time to renew memberships
Most of you have already renewed your memberships, but if yours
“slipped through the cracks” there is still time to renew for 2015. Dues
are very reasonable at only $15 for an individual and $25 for a family,
and help to cover the costs of keeping the homestead going.
Also, a gift of appreciated securities can save you taxes and provide
needed funds for the Homestead. You can even designate how you
would like your donation to be used, i.e. capital improvements, debt
reduction, etc. Please consult your tax advisor to see how such a gift
might fit your situation.
Archiving inventories
As mentioned previously, Richard Barloga spent many hours
inventorying natural areas in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.
These inventories are an invaluable resource that document the
vegetation at a point in time, much as Increase Lapham and the early
surveyors did when Wisconsin was first settled. The Milwaukee Area
Land Conservancy (MALC) has acquired these inventories and the
Homestead is partnering with them to organize and store the
information for use by people who are interested in the study and
restoration of native landscapes. There are also numerous photographs
that need to be sorted and cataloged. This process will probably take
months to complete and has turned the house into a workspace. So if
you visit, please forgive the the disarray and understand that important
work is being done!
Board member wanted
The Homestead's bylaws call for a minimum of eight members on the
board, but because of resignations we are currently one person short. If
you are interested in lending your talents and contributing to the success
of the Homestead, please consider volunteering. The board generally
meets once per month at 6:00 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday. If
interested, please call 414-858-9076 and leave a message. Also, if you
would prefer to find out more before making a commitment, please do
not hesitate to visit one of our meetings.
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The mission of the Stahl-Conrad
Homestead is to create a museum
focused on transitions in the land in
Hales Corners and its environs from
presettlement into the future and to
preserve the Stahl-Conrad Homestead as
a remnant of a bygone
lifestyle.
The Homestead’s vision: The land is
restored and the buildings are renovated
to accommodate changing exhibits and
public events.
The Homestead is a nonprofit 501 (c)
(3) organization. Your donations and
in-kind gifts are tax deductible as
allowed by law.
Officers and directors are: president,
Delene Hanson; vice president, Jim
Bruening; secretary, Betty Braun;
treasurer, Michael Jedrzejewski;
directors: Bette Arey; George Berger,
Ron Noeske, and Dave Zepecki.
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