2024 Impact Report
Because of you, 2024 was an AMAZING year! From saving land to building community connections to supporting incredible volunteers, you made a difference to the land and people of the Driftless. Check out the highlights in our 2024 Impact Report!
Plus, did you know that 2025 is DALC's 25th anniversary? We can't believe how far we've come since 2000, and none of it would be possible without YOU! We look forward to celebrating with you across our amazing Driftless throughout the year.
Speak Up for Conservation Funding
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, a crucial source of funding for land conservation in Wisconsin, is at risk of disappearing if not renewed in the 2025 state budget. DALC's service area is located in the 17th Senate District, and our senator, Howard Marklein, is co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee. Please consider reaching out to Senator Marklein and sharing your support for renewing Knowles-Nelson! The team at Gathering Waters has made it easy to contact your lawmakers virtually. Senator Marklein is also holding a series of listening sessions across the district - a great way to make your voice heard! Find dates and locations for the upcoming sessions here.
Come See Us at the Garden Expo!
Join DALC at the 2025 Garden & Green Living Expo in Madison, February 7-9, to cultivate a love of sustainable living! Celebrate ecological responsibility, local food culture, and and outdoor living in this vibrant three-day event. In addition to hosting a booth, DALC staff members will also be giving two educational presentations on conservation easements and the Driftless Trail. Learn more!
Volunteer Opportunities
Head outside and make a difference! Join our outdoor workdays:
Weekends at Wild Oaks: 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Upcoming dates: 2/1, 2/15
Sundays at Sardeson: 3rd Sundays of the month. Upcoming dates: 2/16
Wednesdays at the Wetland: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Upcoming dates: 2/5, 2/19
Find more details and let us know you're coming at our Volunteer page.
Notes From the Field
with Shannon Roznoski
Winter Planning for Summer Success
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 Wintergreen project, we are actively working with 18 landowners to protect approximately 2500 acres. In addition, we are reviewing new inquiries from over 40 landowners interested in permanently protecting over 4700 acres in the Driftless Area.
Just as you consider many factors such as sunlight, soil type, productivity, and space to narrow down which varieties to grow in your garden, we consider many factors when determining which conservation opportunities to pursue each year. Some considerations that impact our planning include the size of the property, relationship to other protected lands, presence of threatened habitats and endangered species, and other unique features.
Size of the Property
Large properties can support more diversity and are at higher risk of being subdivided than smaller properties. But this doesn’t mean that small properties are ineligible for a conservation easement, especially if that smaller property has other features making it unique.
Relationship to Other Protected Lands
Connectivity makes plant and animal communities more resilient to change. For this reason, we prioritize projects that are adjacent to lands that are already protected or that could create corridors connecting protected lands to one another.
Presence of Threatened Habitats and Endangered Species
Prairies and oak savannas are some of the rarest community types in the world, and the Driftless Area is a patchwork containing many small prairie and oak savanna remnants. Protecting these remnants is of high importance in order to protect the remaining natural diversity of plants and animals. Furthermore, documented evidence of threatened, endangered, or special concern species adds impact to a conservation project.
Other Unique Features
Trout streams, wetlands, caves and rock outcroppings, and prime agricultural soils are just a few of the additional unique features we consider when prioritizing conservation projects.
Careful planning in the winter can lead to a beautiful flowering of conservation projects throughout the year, ensuring we spend our limited garden of time on those areas that will make the biggest impact on our mission: maintaining and enhancing the health, diversity and beauty of Southwest Wisconsin's natural and agricultural landscape through permanent land protection and restoration.
Shannon Roznoski, Conservation Coordinator
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