Dept of Natural Resources: Names Whitewater resident Ginny Coburn state natural areas steward of the year wispolitics.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wispolitics.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ASHTON CORNERSÂ â Chances are youâve seen it, though youâve probably never been there.
Situated in the middle of a farm field just off Highway 12 north of Middleton, the Ashton Unit of the Empire Prairies is a 12-acre state natural area with no public access.
But a couple of times each week, John Kessler drives his Ford F-350 up a dirt road to tend the hilltop, a remnant of a vast prairie that once spanned much of Dane and Columbia counties.
âItâs original soil thatâs never been tilled before. Because of that it has a rich assemblage of native plants and several rare plants,â said Jared Urban, state natural area coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources. âItâs kind of like old-growth forest, except old-growth grassland.â
Organized Volunteer Workdays Resume This Month
A DNR staffer scatters native seed collected by volunteers at a State Natural Area. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is celebrating volunteers who work on their own or in socially-distanced small groups at State Natural Areas (SNAs) to help control invasive species, collect and plant native seeds and cut and burn brush during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The DNR’s recently released 2020 SNA Volunteer Report shows that such volunteers collectively contributed as many hours – nearly 5,800 – as in previous years, despite COVID-19 safety precautions and group size restrictions.