Monches Property Reforestation

Planting a diversity of shrubs and trees along the Oconomowoc River Greenway to reduce pollution from agricultural land and improve water quality. A partnership with the Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Program (OWPP). Please donate to help us complete the next phases.

Thanks to the generous donations to the Parkland Conservation Fund and volunteer tree planting events, over 300 trees and shrubs have been added. Approximately 800 more native trees over 16 acres remain!

• Phase I: Completed in 2020
• Phase 2: Completed in 2021 
• Phase 3: Completed in 2022
• Phase 4: 50% to Our Goal - Help Us Reach It
• Phase 5-6: Up next!

Brown's Fen Restoration

Help restore Brown’s Fen at Retzer Nature Center!

Brown’s Fen is classified by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission as an NA-3 natural areas. NA-3 sites represent native biotic communities judged to have been substantially altered by human activities, but which are of local significance, often containing good wildlife habitat or providing refuge for a number of native plant species which no longer exist in the surrounding area.

A fen is an uncommon type of wetland where the water chemistry (pH) is basic or alkaline and provides habitat for rare and specialized plants and animals. More specifically, a calcareous fen in Southeast Wisconsin is a wetland that occurs in places where springs or seeps bring carbonate-enriched groundwater to the surface.

The mineral-rich groundwater that feeds Brown’s Fen sometimes produces observable mineral deposits along the stream channels. A formal plant inventory of Brown’s Fen was conducted by SEWRPC Biologist Zachary Kron in 2021 and resulted in 78 species including an endangered species of grass, called Mat muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis). Brown’s Fen was also confirmed to support the Federally endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Beein 2021, due in large part to the population of native swamp thistle that occurs there. There are only five known fen ecosystems in the park system and Brown’s Fen has one of the highest restoration potential due to its management history, access, and existing remnant species composition.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of prescribed fire and altered hydrology, Brown’s Fen has become severely infested with invasive woody plants. Phase 1 of the Brown’s Fen Restoration Project will include forestry mowing and treatment of the invasive woody brush followed by the reintroduction of prescribed fire!

These proposed activities would not only bring the fen back to a more manageable state for our existing staff and volunteers to maintain, but they would improve the hydrological function provided by the fen ecosystem and increase the unique species diversity that is present there.

Nashotah Park Native Prairie Restoration - Complete

Creating Pollinator Habitat with Native Prairie Plantings

Restoration of old agricultural fields into native prairie habitat. Native plantings provide habitat for birds, pollinators, and other insects. The beauty of blooming flowers will also add to the natural beauty of Nashotah Park. Read more about this no-mow area in our FAQ.

Thanks to the generous donations to the Parkland Conservation Fund and support from Project Wingspan’s Pollinator Partnership, staff has successfully drill-seeded 13 acres of native prairie plants!

• Phase 1: Completed in 2020
• Phase 2 & 3: 100% to Our Goal - completed as of Dec 2023