Dane County Receives Grant Dollars for Wetland Preservation, Restoration

June 26, 2008
Topf Wells, Office of the County Executive (608) 266-9069
County Executive

Lower Mud Lake, Cherokee Marsh, Pecatonica River Watershed to Benefit (Madison)….Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced today the county will receive over $122,000 in grant dollars for wetland preservation and restoration work. The grants, from the Nature Conservancy and North American Wetland Conservation Act, will allow the county to do important conservation work in the Cherokee Marsh, Lower Mud Lake, and the Pleasant Valley Watershed, which flows into the Pecatonica River. “As Mother Nature reminded us during this month’s record rains, our wetlands are so vitally important and really are nature’s sponge,” Falk said. “These grant dollars will help us protect these sensitive areas and ensure their continued vitality.” The county is receiving $82,350 from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for wetland and prairie restoration in the Lower Mud Lake Resource Area. In addition, the grant will also be used to convert 32 acres of the Cherokee Marsh Natural Resource Area made up predominately of invasive grasses and brushes to prairie. Dane County has used dollars from this grant in the past to purchase lands in the Door Creek Wetlands and for habitat restoration work along the Capitol Springs Trail and in Badger Prairie Park, the Jenni and Kyle Reserve, and Mud Lake Resource Area. The county’s Land and Water Resources Department will utilize the other grant, $40,000 from The Nature Conservancy, to work one-on-one with farmers in the Pleasant Valley Watershed on conservation practices. This initiative is part of an effort to improve water quality and stream habitat in and along the Pecatonica River. As part of this work, areas of the watershed will be identified where improvements will have the greatest impact on the aquatic habitat while protecting the economic interests of agricultural producers. # # #