As I discussed in an earlier post, Google Earth has some up-to-date imagery that is not available through other sources. I found the image of the Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie area…

In posts from earlier years, I have discussed solar radiation on steep slopes and its effect on snow melt, vegetation, and burns. Because the sun and earth constitute a predictable…

The quality of images used in Google Earth varies with year and with location, but currently the air photo used in our area is outstanding, provided the brightness and contrast…

Last October (2013) the Pleasant Valley Conservancy crew led a field trip through our savannas and prairies for the Society of Ecological Restoration, which was holding a World Conference at…

This is the time of year when restorationists are cutting lots of brush. Often, the brush piles get fairly large, and when they are burned big sterile patches are created.…

This post is concerned not with new plantings, but with planting remnant prairies or savannas that have become heavily degraded with invasive shrubs. The first two phases in the restoration…

Restoration ecology is quite a new discipline. I did a search of the principal scientific journals (using JSTOR) with the Search term “restoration ecology” . The first “hits” (4) were…

Now that we have invasive brush mostly under control in our upland sites, we are starting to do some  work in our wetlands. Unfortunately, the habitat and the species are…

The Prairie Enthusiasts has just announced their summer internship program. As an added attraction, new sites  have been added in northwestern Dane County. Six internships in restoration ecology will be…

Gregory Nowacki’s important webinar is now “live”: Oak, Fire, & Mesophication Past, current, and future trends of oak in the eastern United States This is an important overview on the…