We are thankful for all the ways individuals and groups come together to care for this special campus landscape.
In 2021 we welcomed back 223 volunteers who donated 1843 hours to the Preserve. They scoured 90 acres for invasive garlic mustard, cut 5 acres of invasive brush, monitored 12 miles of trails, planted hundreds of native plant plugs, sowed native seed across nearly an acre of woodland, and assisted with administrative projects like mailings.
Donors also continue to make our work possible. In 2021 donors gave 279 gifts totaling $552,966.
Gifts fund student and seasonal employees, equipment, vehicles, seeds, plants, and contracted work for prescribed burns and some hazard tree removal. They even make the volunteer program possible by paying for the tools and gloves the volunteers use and the granola bars and juice they enjoy as their reward. Ecological restoration and land management projects would simply not happen without the generosity of our donors.
The Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve contributed to the success of the Preserve by organizing self-guided and in-person field trips engaging more than 200 attendees. They also continue to provide financial support to the Preserve for the Prairie Partners internship program ($7,500), the Eagle Heights Woods project ($6,000), a matching gift for the Day of the Badger ($4,000) as well as contributing $30,000 towards the Preserve Master Plan update.
If you would like to support the Preserve financially, gifts can be made through the University of Wisconsin Foundation website or you can join an upcoming volunteer event listed on the Preserve Events Calendar.