Editor’s Note
Since this story was first published, we have said goodbye to Jim Sime, who passed away on January 22, 2026, just days after his 94th birthday. Jim was a visionary conservationist, devoted steward, and generous teacher who believed deeply in protecting and sharing the Driftless Area.
Big Rock stands as one of Jim’s most cherished landscapes and a reflection of his belief that land once considered marginal could hold extraordinary ecological value. We are deeply grateful to Jim and Rose for their foresight, commitment, and generosity, and we are honored to steward Big Rock and carry forward the legacy they created.
The whole Driftless is a remarkable region, but there are especially remarkable places throughout it – and luckily, there are remarkable people who care for them. We’re thrilled to share the story of Big Rock, a remarkable place, and Jim and Rose Sime, the remarkable people who made it possible to forever protect, steward, and share this land.
The Simes’ connection to the Driftless goes back a long way, especially for Jim, who grew up around Boscobel. “We roamed all around the hills out there,” he recalls. “They all belonged to everybody.” Jim and his friends would go exploring on neighbors’ land, gathering nuts and mushrooms and playing in wild-growing pines they called their own “Up North.” His grandfather took him to the rich mesic woods of the Kickapoo River bottoms and taught him to identify plants, leading to Jim’s lifelong passion for botany.
Jim & Rose Sime. Photo by Stephanie Judge.
Rose was born in Wisconsin but grew up in California. However, after coming back for grad school in Madison, she decided to stay in the Badger State for good. “It felt homey. I felt like I belonged here.”
Both teachers, Jim and Rose met in Madison at the 1976 educators’ strike. “It’s been a good 49 years,” Rose says with a smile.
Well before meeting Rose, though, Jim had achieved another milestone: becoming a landowner. After his childhood outdoors, Jim was eager to buy land of his own in the Driftless, but it was difficult to find a farmer who was willing to sell him a parcel. Finally, in 1965, Jim found 80 acres of wooded land for sale. It was too marginal for farming, so no one was sure why he wanted it. After buying the land, Jim recalls being at a nearby bar when a local came up and asked him if he’d really paid $55 an acre for the property. Jim confirmed that he had. The man responded, “It ain’t worth 10.”
But to Jim, land was priceless. His vision was to protect the properties he bought as nature preserves for others to enjoy the same way he did, and Rose joined him in that endeavor. Together, they eventually owned five different parcels of at least 80 acres each.
“I used to tease him that he wanted to own half of Grant County,” Rose laughs.
They purchased Big Rock in 1994. According to Jim, the site’s native plants were incredible. Using a measurement called the Floristic Quality Index, developed by the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, parcels can be assessed for the uniqueness and diversity of their existing native plants and given a number that captures the ecological quality. “Anything with a value over 50 should be preserved immediately,” Jim explains. “Big Rock had a preliminary index of 68.8.”
A big rock at Big Rock. Photo by Stephanie Judge.
The phenomenal plant life at Big Rock is there in part because of the amazing variety of habitat on the 140-acre property. It’s primarily wooded, including a large pine relict – a rare ecosystem left over from the Ice Age, featuring species usually found much further north. The pine relict was sheltered from historic fire regimes by abundant large boulders, which also lend their name to the Big Rock Branch of the Blue River, winding through the property for about ¾ of a mile. In addition to the rich woodlands and trout stream, this parcel includes 38 acres of grassland that are enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, further boosting the diversity of plants, insects, and other wildlife.
“We always loved going out with people because it was exciting to see how excited they got,” Jim shares. “We took a world-renowned lichenologist out there once. He was like a kid in a candy store!”
The quality of the native species at Big Rock is also thanks to 30 years of dedicated stewardship by Jim, Rose, and their family and friends. At all their properties, they have worked diligently to combat invasive species and restore historic habitat. Everyone who’s helped out has enjoyed it, with a few exceptions – Rose remembers their young son complaining about having to drag brush while Dad had the “fun” job of running the chainsaw.
Many volunteers joined Jim and Rose at Big Rock in the spring to pull garlic mustard, a persistent invader of woodlands. It’s not an easy task, but it has a special reward: freeing spring ephemeral wildflowers to grow and bloom.
“That was the fun part about working on garlic mustard,” Rose says. “The spring ephemerals are just incredible. [The volunteers] knew they were going to get to see all kinds of beautiful things.”
Although picking a top native species is almost impossible, Jim and Rose agree that hepatica (shown on the cover of this issue) is a favorite of theirs. These early spring flowers have distinctive lobed leaves that survive the winter, and can bloom in a variety of colors, from white to pink to blue. “We used to go around and see who could find the prettiest ones,” Jim says.
Following the tradition of sharing the land that Jim grew up with, visitors have long been welcome to the Simes’ properties. Rose describes how when Covid began and social distancing was implemented, she and Jim sought refuge at their wilderness retreats – “but there was always someone already there!”
With so much love for their own land and a strong ethic of connecting people to the outdoors, it’s no surprise that Jim and Rose are longtime volunteers and members of regional conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy, The Prairie Enthusiasts, Mississippi Valley Conservancy, and of course, DALC. In 2023, they asked if we might be interested in acquiring Big Rock.
“At Big Rock, we had 30 years of absorbing the wildness,” Jim says. “It was always the plan to protect [the land] from development, to hand it off to someone who could care for it. And we want to make sure other people can continue enjoying it.”
Taking on a new nature preserve was a big decision. But thanks to the support of our incredible community, DALC’s capacity has grown substantially in recent years, and we felt confident we could accept this responsibility. In addition, Jim and Rose made a bargain sale, which enabled us to buy the land using matching funds from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. And even more – Jim and Rose also provided a substantial donation to launch DALC’s land management fund, ensuring that we’ll be able to steward Big Rock and all our nature preserves for generations to come!
“We just feel really blessed we’ve had this land and can share it with people,” Rose says.
Jim and Rose’s generosity and lifelong dedication to conservation is an inspiring example of the positive impact we can have on the land and on each other. After a quarter-century as a land trust, DALC continues to be honored by the trust and support of our community. We can’t wait for another 25 years of stories like this!
Written by Emilee Martell
DALC Communications Associate
Big Rock Overlook. Photo by Zach Pacana.