Many hands make light work. And for volunteers collecting and processing native seeds, it can be fun work, too!
On any given fall day, you can likely find volunteers collecting native seeds from a local prairie. For years, many organizations, including Clean Lakes Alliance, have offered this volunteer opportunity and encouraged people to join us in the prairie.
October 30 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Join us for a native seed collection event with Village of McFarland Public Works to help our lakes! We’ll meet at Marsh Woods Park on Lower Mud Lake on Thursday, October 30th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We’ll be collecting native seeds to create and restore native prairie spaces around our lakes. Please wear closed toed shoes and pants as we’ll be in the prairie, off trail. Long layers are highly encouraged to protect yourself from bugs/ticks/scratches. All tools and training will be provided.
How do native plants help the lakes? The more native plantings and prairie spaces we have near our water bodies, the healthier they’ll be. Native plants have profound root systems that prevent erosion and soil loss, stabilize shorelines, slow and filter contaminated runoff before entering the lake, and provide invaluable habitat for our pollinators and wildlife. Seed collections are always a volunteer favorite because you can go at your own pace, do it solo or walk with a small group, and learn a new native plant or two along the way. No experience necessary; all tools are provided!
November 9, 2022 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Join us for this VIRTUAL EDITION of Clean Lakes 101 on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Register below to receive a Zoom link through your confirmation email and watch virtually.
All Clean Lakes 101 events are free to Friends of Clean Lakes Alliance. Friends are individuals that support our lakes annually with a tax-deductible donation.
The Dane County Park System manages over 17,000 acres of land that staff, volunteers, and partner organizations work to protect, improve, and restore. Among that total acreage exists a scattering of robust tallgrass prairies, a critical habitat for wildlife and a water quality benefit for our lakes. Prairies are native to the state of Wisconsin and have evolved here alongside native wildlife and pollinators. Prairies perform ecosystem services like managing rainfall by increasing infiltration, which is crucial for plant growth and resupplying groundwater. Many prairie plants have long, deep roots, which prevent soil erosion that would otherwise bring nutrients like phosphorus into our lakes.
To support existing prairies and establish new ones, native seeds are in high demand. In 2021, the total collected seeds had an estimated value of well over $1,000,000 and will be used to restore hundreds of acres of land. Without the support from volunteers, this level of restoration would not be possible. This presentation will showcase the Dane County Park’s native seed program and take the audience through every step of the process from seed collection to planting and everything in between.
Lars Higdon has been the Botanist/Naturalist with Dane County Parks since 2016. He enjoys working closely with a large workforce of volunteers to restore prairies, savannas, and woodlands across dozens of parks and project sites throughout the park system. Lars has worked in multiple capacities managing and restoring natural communities in Wisconsin as well as southern California. Lars holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This event has been changed to ONLY VIRTUAL. A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants via your confirmation email.
Clean Lakes 101 is a series of educational events open to the public and a great chance to learn more about the science behind the issues that affect our lakes. Each month we feature a different expert to make the science accessible and interesting to non-technical audiences. The series is produced in partnership with the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and UW-Extension Lakes, with presenting sponsors First Weber Foundation and Johnson Financial Group, hosting sponsor The Edgewater, supporting sponsor National Guardian Life Insurance Company, and media sponsor WKOW.
