Southwest Wisconsin Grassland & Stream Conservation Area

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is joining with a diverse and dedicated group of conservation partners, local governments, and landowners in Southwestern Wisconsin to establish a new Habitat Conservation Area, called the "Southwest Wisconsin Grassland and Stream Conservation Area."

Southwestern Wisconsin has been recognized for many years as one of the best grassland conservation opportunities in the Upper Midwest. The area stands out for its distinct combination of resources: exceptional populations of grassland birds, which are in serious decline across their range; many scattered remnants of the area's original prairie and savanna that once covered the region; concentrations of rare plants and animals, and spring-fed streams, all set within this expansive rural farming region of open fields, croplands, oak groves, and pastures.

The view from this mound surpasses description! An ocean of prairie surrounds the gazer…interspersed with delightfully varying undulations…and every here and there, sinking in the hollows or cresting the swells, appear spots of wood, large groves…small groups of trees, as if planted by the hand of art

William Rudolph Smith, 1837, describing his view from the top of Belmont Mound, Lafayette County

The partnership of the existing Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA), which is within the DNR's proposed SW Grasslands boundary, has led the way. Here a diverse group of partners and landowners are already managing and protecting many key areas in eastern Iowa and southwestern Dane counties. This Southwest Grassland project would expand upon the MRPHA partnership model.

Project Boundaries

The project boundary for the SW Grasslands project is shown to the right. It was selected from four alternative project boundaries [PDF 357KB] taken to the public for input in August 2008. It expands upon an existing grassland boundary for the federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a voluntary set-aside program aimed at buffering area streams (shown in yellow). This "Modified CREP" boundary alternative was slightly adjusted following public input, so that the northern boundary from Dodgeville eastward is the Military Ridge State Bike Trail, rather than USH 18/151.

The Department proposes to protect 12,000 acres (through fee title and easement) across the 473,900-acre project area. The overall success of this project will depend upon working in coordination with our many partners and landowners, who have been protecting and managing grasslands, farmlands, streams, and prairies in this area for many years. We will aim to keep working farms on areas of prime agricultural land.

• Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development
• The Prairie Enthusiasts
• Driftless Area Land Conservancy
• The Nature Conservancy
• Natural Heritage Land Trust
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
  • Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Farm Services Agency
  • Farm and Ranchland Protection Program
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
• Green County Land Conservation Department
• Iowa County Planning and Zoning Department
• Dane County
• Lafayette County Land Conservation Department
• Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
• Pheasants Forever
• Trout Unlimited
• Blue Mounds Area Project

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