News & Updates
The First 15
I have always been drawn to the first 15 minutes of a movie. That is when everything starts to unfold — you meet the characters, get a glimpse of the world they’re in, and start to feel the excitement of what’s to come. There is a sense of possibility, surprise, and discovery in those moments. Starting a new job is a lot like that opening scene...
How We Consider Conservation Opportunities
January is a month for introspection and planning. If you are a gardener like me, you spend the depths of winter perusing seed catalogs dreaming of the smell of green and growing things to come. At the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, we also spend time in January planning our work in the year to come. Including the recently announced...
Possibility
In early August, 2024 we welcomed a brand-new Nature Preserve: Dragon Woods! This beautiful oak woodland in New Glarus is a cooperative project of DALC and the BadgerLand Foundation, which jointly co-manage the nearby Wild Oaks Preserve. We are grateful to the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and Dane County’s Conservation Fund Grant Program...
It Takes a Village, to Care for Land
Sometimes it’s easy to imagine that the best parts of nature are far away, hidden on high mountaintops or secret valleys, only reachable after a trek and a scramble. But our favorite wild places are often right in our own backyards – and having nature so close to us makes it that much easier to take the initiative to head out and care for it....
Trusted Custodians
Judy and John Lovaas embarked on a mission to find land in the Driftless Area in 1988, driven by Judy’s deep-rooted passion for land preservation. This passion was ignited when the farmland adjacent to their home in McHenry, Illinois, was sold and earmarked for a sprawling subdivision. Before they departed, Judy valiantly fought to safeguard...
Take a Long-Term View
What are some ways to leave a positive, lasting impact on our world? Helping found a land trust is a pretty good one. So is a permanent conservation easement on private land with diverse native ecosystems. Joining DALC’s Legacy Society and supporting our future is another. And David Kopitzke and Paul Klawiter have done all three. Their deep love...
Two Driftless Trail Segments Nearing Completion, To Open Soon
After opening the re-routed Weaver Road Segment of the Driftless Trail last year, just north of Governor Dodge State Park, we are excited to announce great progress on two additional pieces of the Driftless Trail. The Knobs Road Segment, north of Ridgeway, is now in the “trial run” phase, open to a limited group who will provide feedback. In...
Twenty Years, and Forevermore
In 2003, DALC completed our first-ever conservation easement. Twenty years later, our celebration of this milestone is bittersweet – the donors, Deane and Edith Arny, are no longer with us. But their tremendous legacy lives on in the Driftless. For over forty years, Deane and Edith worked alongside their friends and family to restore a worn-out...