Prairie Restoration
Most of the land at Maple Wood Lodge is heavily forested, but we have
a beautiful, sloping five-acre clearing, completely surrounded by tall trees and bordered on two sides by a wide creek. Previously it was used as a pasture, but we
have returned it to a native prairie, boasting the wildflowers that would have graced this hillside centuries ago.
The first step was to rid the pasture of the short grasses and invasive species that were either been planted there or invaded on their own. That required a prescribed burn. We hired a local burn professional to assist us, and the first burn took place on April 8, 2004.
In the winter of early 2005, we
seeded it with a lush variety of native
wildflowers. Over the next several
years, as the prairie takes hold, we'll
get to witness an amazing, natural
bouquet.
We hope you'll join us in this adventure, and watch the prairie unfold before your eyes in the coming years.
Bird Watching
We have available for download a list of the 410 species of birds that frequent
Wisconsin. We have highlighted on the list those birds that have been sighted on the property. See if you can add to that list!
View the
list!
Flora
We had an ecological survey conducted by Biologic Environmental Consulting LLC. They provided us with a comprehensive list of all the ferns, vines, grasses, shrubs and trees on our preserve. Take a look!
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