Getting ready for dormant season (spring) burns
The end of January is when we start planning our spring burns. Lately, we have been burning earlier than we used to. (Sometimes even late February). We need WiscDNR permits…
Annual Labor Day field trip at Pleasant Valley Conservancy
Kathie and I have been running the Labor Day trip at PVC annually since September 2002 (17 years). If the weather is good, attendance is fairly high, generally 25-40 participants.…
Surprising resilience of a black walnut tree
As I discussed in a 2017 post, black walnut (Juglans niger) is one of the bad guys in oak savanna restoration. As that post also discussed, walnut trees are fairly…
Exploring the wetland at Pleasant Valley Conservancy
The wetland at Pleasant Valley Conservancy is small but diverse, and a lot of it can be reached with (relatively) dry feet. As part of some management activities, Craig Annen…
Best year ever for spring burns at Pleasant Valley Conservancy
We have been doing burns at PVC for 22 years and we burned more acreage this year than ever. We always have ambitious burn plans but conditions are not always…
Volume II of the history of restoration at Pleasant Valley Conservancy
We've had quite a few favorable comments about the history of Pleasant Valley Conservancy that Kathie and I have been preparing. Volume I has been available for several months. If…
Protecting trees in a bur oak savanna burn
The south-facing slope at Pleasant Valley Conservancy is a good example of a bluffprairie. Such bluff prairies are common in the Driftless Area. However, although most of these sites are…
Keeping track of the prairie & savanna acres restored
Once we got seriously into prairie/savanna restoration, I kept track of the work by measuring the acres restored. It was easy to do with a Garmin. I just walked around…
Nice recognition for Pleasant Valley Conservancy
Read the link from UW-Madison news service. Kathie and I really appreciate the kind things said about Pleasant Valley Conservancy. It makes the past 20-some years of work worth it!…
New book for Download: Restoring a Fragile Landscape (Pleasant Valley Conservancy)
Download the book (PDF) 44 MB We are announcing the availability for free download of a new book which should be of interest to restoration ecologists. It was written by…