The Landowner Incentive Program Hosts Field Trips to Privately Owned Project Sites

On July 8, The Landowner Incentive Program hosted its second annual field trip to 2 privately-owned properties in Rock and Jefferson Counties. Landowner hosts John Van Altena and Kim Karow each led a tour of their properties and discussed their management efforts with approximately 25 guests, including local landowners and individuals from the DNR, TNC, Madison Audubon Society, UW, NRCS, and Gathering Waters Conservancy.

At the first site, John Van Altena discussed how the still-present flooding of Lake Koshkonong had challenges his ongoing prairie and savanna restoration. Recent work assisted by LIP funding has focused on removing Reed Canary Grass from habitat supporting sizable populations of the federally threatened Eastern prairie fringed orchid. Despite the high water, guests were still able to view and help locate and flag new orchids.

The afternoon portion of the trip featured the diverse mix of community types found on Kim and Dale Karow’s 33 acre property. Management of this site has focused on extensive removal of encroaching woody plants to encourage the growth of light-dependant native species. Guests were able to walk through areas dominated by sedge meadow species, a rich mix of wet prairie species, and a fen mound supporting calcareous peat species. Over 250 plant species are found at this site, in particular a number of rare sedges which Kim was quick to identify.

LIP will be hosting a second field trip in Door County on September 5, 2008. This trip will showcase the complementary efforts of two adjacent landowners, funded in part by LIP grants. These project areas were once a contiguous block of diverse upland and lowland forest, escarpment, and terraced wetlands which provided high-quality habitat to many wildlife species. The sites were subsequently fragmented and degraded by logging, clearing for agriculture, and for residential and recreational development. Current efforts include promoting natural succession through ongoing control of invasive species, and replanting of native species in their place.

Please contact the LIP coordinator for more information on LIP, or if you are interested in attending the Door County Field Trip: Heidi Nelson, 608-267-0797.