The Lakeshore Nature Preserve offers a rich environment for teaching, research, and outreach activities. Many university programs use the Preserve as an essential part of their curricula, treating it as an extension of the classroom and research laboratory. Courses in Botany, Forestry, Geography, Planning and Landscape Architecture, Limnology, Integrative Biology, and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies use the Preserve to study any number of living and non-living components within its boundaries. No natural area is closer to campus or more fully integrated into the UW-Madison curriculum.
Here are a few more ways in which formal and informal learning happens within the Preserve:
Biocore Prairie
Students and staff from Biocore’s Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics course began restoring an old field to tallgrass prairie in 1997 and continue to monitor its progress. Each new class of students is learning ecological principles and methods by contributing to multi-year research projects in the Biocore Prairie.
The People’s Farm
The People’s Farm (formerly F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture) is a UW-Madison student organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture. It operates a farm adjacent to Eagle Heights Community Gardens where they grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rotation crops and maintain a composting area and a small meeting/gathering space.
Art and Anthropology Kilns
The kilns are located south of Biocore Prairie. The Anthropology department builds and fires a clay kiln each year as part of its Ancient Technology and Invention class. The art kiln is an Anagama-style kiln that was used by students and faculty to study traditional wood-fired methods of firing and glazing ceramics.
Class of 1918 Marsh Studies
The Class of 1918 Marsh serves students and faculty in Biocore, Integrative Biology, and Planning and Landscape Architecture, as an example of a restored wetland. It is also an important birding area.
ROTC Training
Naval ROTC uses Picnic Point and its trail connections for training runs and navigation exercises. Army ROTC uses the Preserve for off-trail navigation exercises in the shrubby understory of Frautschi Point. ROTC students have also made significant contributions to restoration work in the Preserve as community service projects.
Soil Pits
The soil pits, located in Bill’s Woods, have been a part of the Soil Science, Geography, and Geology curricula. In particular, the introductory physical geography lab course has used these areas to demonstrate various soil horizons and soil types as a supplement to classroom and laboratory activities.
Field Ecology
Because the long snaking corridor of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve is never very distant from any location on campus, virtually every part of it gets used for ad hoc educational exercises, especially those designed to get students out into the field to identify plants, study soils, observe wildlife, or think about human relationships with nature. Courses regularly do ecological field work in all corners of the Preserve, from Muir Woods to Eagle Heights Woods.
Other Educational Uses
Finally, it is worth noting that many UW-Madison courses and programs whose curricula may not seem to be directly related to the physical resources of the Preserve significantly benefit from its amenities. Previous projects include writing and journaling, art installations, mapping, history, genetics, kinesiology, and wilderness first aid.
Community Educational Outreach Opportunities
The Preserve staff offer numerous opportunities for members of the campus and surrounding community to volunteer to care for the Preserve, and the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve organization sponsors field trips/guided walks designed to educate the public about various aspects of the Preserve.