The MRPHA partnership includes state, federal, and local government agencies as well as non-profit organizations. See below for more information on the partneship's history, goals and members as well as maps of the project area and newsletters.
History:
The history of the MRPHA goes back several decades. One of the partner organizations, The Nature Conservancy, has had a presence here since 1964 when it received a donation of 3 acres of land from Stacy and Mildred Collins in honor of their father, Christian W. Thousand, who farmed the nearby land for many years. This was the first land donation ever made to the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
In the early 1970s, University of Wisconsin professor Jim Zimmerman recognized that this area was important for grassland-nesting birds. In the 1990s, biologists from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducted an analysis of landscape conservation opportunities across Wisconsin. They selected this area as one of the best areas to preserve prairie and grassland birds; the area was later ranked as the highest priority grassland landscape for management and protection in the state. The Nature Conservancy’s Prairie Forest Border Ecoregional planning process further identified this area as a high priority action site. These recognitions are due to the high concentration of prairie remnants, pasture, and Conservation Reserve Program fields that support many rare species.
The prairie that formerly covered this area was called the Military Ridge prairie. The Military Ridge represents the divide between the Wisconsin River tributaries flowing north and the Mississippi and Rock River tributaries flowing south. The ridge was named for the Military Road, which was built in 1835 and followed the crest of the ridge from Green Bay to Prairie du Chien. The Military Road served as a highway of immigration for settlers to the area. It was used as a highway, in part, because it was treeless. The Chicago Northwestern Railroad was built on the trail in 1881. It was converted to a bike path in 1985.
The nine partner organizations include:
- Blue Mounds Area Project
- Driftless Area Land Conservancy
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Pheasants Forever
- Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Prairie Enthusiasts
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The partnership uses several strategies to meet their goals. Land management strategies include planting prairie, removing treelines and brush, restoring streams, controlling invasive species, and prescribed burning. We also protect important habitat through land purchases and conservation easements, and use newsletters, articles, field trips, and workshops in our outreach efforts.
Working on both protected nature preserves and private lands, the partnership manages over 1,000 acres of grassland each year. To date, we have permanently protected over 4,460 acres. After continued management in prairie remnants, we have seen appearances of endangered species that had not been found there before. We look forward to similar successes in the future.
Maps:
MRPHA boundary
Southwest Wisconsin Grassland and Stream Conservation Area
Newsletters: Newsletters are sent quarterly (each season) to everyone owning land within the MRPHA boundary, as well as partners. If you would like to receive the newsletter via e-mail, or wish to be taken off the mailing list, please contact the MRPHA coordinator.
Current newsletter
Newsletter Archive:
