Dane County Natural

Resource Trends & Goals

Darren MarshDane County

ParksNovember 19, 2003

Dane County Parks OverviewEarly years: 1935-1969•Stewart-1935•Babcock-1936•LaFollette-1936•Goodland-1937•Mendota-1951•Brigham-1952

•Fish Lake-1959•Riley-Deppe-1962•Festge-1963•Half-Way Prairie-1964•Token Creek-1966•Lake View Woods-1967

Middle Years: 1970-1979•First Parks and Open Space Plan - 1970•Park Land Increases 644 Acres to 2600+•Shift to Larger, Regional Parks•ORAP/LAWCON Funding Fuels Expansion

Middle Years: 1980-1989•2800 +/- Park Acres, 800+/- NR Area Acres•DCP Widens Recreational Opportunities•Intern program established

Current: 1990 - 2003•More focus on Resource Protection•Conservation Fund Established - 1990•Conservation Fund Expanded through referendum - 1999•Adult Conservation Team Established -expansion of volunteer program

View of Black Earth Creek Valleyfrom Festge Park

Dane County Parks Organizational Structure

CLERK TYPIST(LTE)

CLERK TYPIST IIIG 13(1.0)

CLERK IIIG 13(1.0)

CONSERVATION FUNDSPECIALIST

M 9(1.0)

SEASONALLTE

PROJECT(LTE)

LAND MANGEMENT

CONSERVATION FUND MANAGERM 11(1.0)

SEASONALLTE

BOTANIST/NATURALISTM 8(1.0)

SEASONALLTE

PLANNERM 5-9(1.0)

PARK PLANNERM 11(1.0)

PARK LABORERG 12(1.0)

SEASONALLTE/INTERN

PARK RANGERG 14(3.0)

SEASONALLTE

GROUNDSKEEPER IIG 12(1.0)

SEASONALLTE

PARK LABORERG 12(1.0)

PARK MAINTENANCETECHNICIAN

G 14(1.0)

PARK MAINTENANCETECHNICIAN

G 14(1.0)

PARK CREW LEADERG 17(1.0)

PARK SPECIALISTG 14(0.25)

MECHANICG 16(1.0)

SEASONALLTE

PARK LABORERG 12(1.0)

ARBORISTG 16(1.0)

PARK SPECIALISTG 14(0.75)

MECHANICAL REPAIRWORKER

G 16(2.0)

PARK LABORERG 12(1.0)

PARK MAINTENANCETECHNICIAN

G 14(1.0)

PARK LABORERG 12(1.0)

HEAVY EQUIPMENTOPERATOR

G 14(1.0)

PARK CREW LEADERG 17(1.0)

PARKS OPERATIONS MANAGERM 10(1.0)

ADULT CONSERVATIONTEAM MANAGER

M 7(1.0)

DIRECTOR OF PARKSManagerial Contract

(1.0)

•7 member Parks Commission appointed by County Executive oversees entire Parks Department and sets goals and initiatives.

Dane County Parks Primary Programs

•Operations & Maintenance

•Planning & Development

Naturalist Program

•Land Acquisition & Property Management

Conservation Fund Grant Program

•Adult Conservation Team - Volunteer Program

Dane County Parks Resource Trends

Forests(County Forest Sites)

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

(Natural Resource Sites)

Parks & Open Space (Recreation Parks)

Recreational Resources

County Forest Sites•Relatively new program - Why?

Grant eligibilityEducation

•Incorporated into the current Parks & Open Space Plan•Acquired for protection and sound management of forests & woodlots •Recreational use (passive) is secondary•Other compatible goals include wildlife habitat and watershed protection

County Forest Trends•Most forests of Dane County were historically old field Oak openings.

•Lack of fire, agriculture and development has resulted in fragmented, isolated woodlots

Niche in landscape? (wildlife habitat)

County Forest Goals•Create forest management plans for County Forest Sites

•Create model or demonstration areas to illustrate forest management practices.

County Natural Resource Sites

•1969 U.W. Environmental Awareness Center & U.W. Landscape Architecture Department under direction of Phil Lewis created the “E-Way” Model

EducationalEcologicalEstheticEnvironmental

•Goal was to develop a model where natural and man-made areas in Madison/Dane County were linked for purposes of environmental education/issue identification.

Nine Springs E-Way: The Beginning

•Boundary was based on a system of water, wetlands, and steep topography that created buffers between urban areas•Dane county Parks has been responsible for overseeing and acquiring parcels of land within the corridor since 1970.•RPC has numerous other environmental corridors mapped throughout the County.

County Natural Resource Sites

•Areas specifically set aside for protection of a valuable natural environment.•Recreation is secondary.•28 existing and proposed Natural Resource Sites, e.g. Cherokee Marsh•Areas are identified during the Parks & Open Space Plan Planning Process

Cherokee Marsh

County Natural Resource Sites Trends•Dane County Parks is moving towards large scale resource protection:

WatershedsViewsheds?Linking as well as providing separation of communities through continuous tracts of natural areas.

•Forming partnerships is critical•Lands protected through:

Purchase of development rights/conservation easements

Fee title acquisitionAll transactions are with willing sellers

•Easements are usually purchased to provide undeveloped buffers to existing parklands and may be a stepping stone towards eventual purchase of the property.

County Recreation Parks

•Dane county Parks identified 20 existing and proposed recreation parks.•The role of County Parks is to provide regional, passive recreation areas.•Desire large open areas that accommodate a variety of uses.

County Recreation Parks Trends

•Close to “full recreation park buildout” scenario.•Moving toward less developed recreation parklands, maintaining large tracts of natural space.•Link existing park and open space resources as opposed to creating new ones.

Recreational Resources

•County Parks seeks to provide more passive recreation opportunities

hikingcross-country skiingpicnicking

•Provide access to create passive recreational opportunities

water trail accessboat landingsland trail accessequestrian opportunities

Recreational Resource Trends

•Provide greater diversity of recreational opportunities that require fewer capital improvements

mountain bike trailsregional equestrian linksaeromodelingdisc golfdog exercise areas

•Emphasis on trailsIce Age Trail - Festge to Indian Lake County Parks

Summary of Dane County Parks and Open Space Trends

•Provide and partner on large-scale resource protection, preservation and management projects•Provide and partner on county-wide multi-modal trail linkage•Preserve greenspace corridors that provide separation of community.

Overlook at Indian Lake Park along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail

If we buy it, they will come...

•Habitat•Target Species•Park Users•Friends Groups•Partners

Trends & Threats to Wildlife & Plant Populations

•Fragmentation of existing natural resources•Invasive vegetative species•Lack of management personnel to protect natural areas