News & Updates
DALC’s New Look
We are thrilled to welcome you to Driftless Area Land Conservancy’s new online home. Explore our refreshed website, deigned to reflect the beauty, care, and connection that guide our work across the Driftless.
No Houses Here – this Land is for the Birds!
The meadowlark lifts from the grass as we tread across its territory on our walk toward the ominous sign proclaiming “5 Acre Lots for Sale.” Perched on high open ground with distant views of Blue Mound and just a short commute from Madison, this site must have seemed perfect for residential development, just as it was a perfect spot for this bird...
Celebrating a Legacy of Stewardship: Honoring the Cates Family
Presented by Richard (Dick) Cates, August 12th, 2025 On August 12th, 2025, Driftless Area Land Conservancy welcomed all to the Legacy Society Picnic. During this gathering, Gathering Waters had the honor to present the Land Legacy Award to Richard (Dick) Cates and his family for their outstanding commitment to conservation. After the Cates family...
All Kinds of Beautiful Things
The story of Big Rock is one of deep connection to the Driftless Area, extraordinary native plant communities, and decades of dedicated stewardship that ensured this remarkable landscape would be protected forever.
Weaving a Legacy – Patrick Michaels
Patrick Michaels may not have grown up in the Driftless Area, but he's weaving a legacy into its landscape that will endure for generations. It all started when Patrick met his great-uncle Gary Zimmer. Inspired by Gary's innovative agricultural practices, Patrick decided to leave the bustling city of Los Angeles and move to the serene Hoyer Farm...
Chuck’s Send Off
This farm boy from southeast Wisconsin grew up surrounded by the gently rolling hills of the Kettle Moraine landscape. That viewshed, along with the ubiquitous rounded fieldstones and smooth, “polished” gravel, is unmistakable evidence of the tremendous power of the glaciers that shaped that land. To me, this was the Wisconsin countryside. But...
Emilee’s Send Off
Is there any month that changes our Midwest landscapes as dramatically as May? When I look at photos I took just four weeks ago, the trees were still bare and the understory plants were just tiny sprouts. Today, leaves are rustling in the wind, the grass is knee-high, flowers bloom everywhere, and the whole world is green and lush. It feels...
Build Deeper Connections with Nature this Earth Month
Shinrin-yoku, the practice translated as Forest Bathing, is an activity that invites us to slow down and really connect with nature, the experience that connects us all. It became popular in Japan in the 1980’s during the technology boom. With people working in buildings and cities, the Japanese noticed that people were not healthy and becoming...