The Lakeshore Nature Preserve offers a rich environment for teaching, research, and outreach. 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, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Geography, Planning and Landscape Architecture, Biology, and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies use the Preserve to study many living and non-living components within its boundaries. No natural area is closer to campus or more fully integrated into the UW-Madison curriculum.
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 fieldwork in all corners of the Preserve, from Muir Woods to Eagle Heights Woods.
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.
Biocore Prairie Bird Banding Station
The Biocore Prairie Bird Banding Station (or Observatory) is an all-volunteer operation that monitors bird populations in the Preserve, above Picnic Point. They welcome volunteers of all skill levels, and will teach volunteers how to band birds. Banding offers a wonderful opportunity for people to see birds up close, learn about their migration and nesting patterns, and understand how natural areas enhance their biological success. The Observatory provides opportunities for students to do research projects in the summer, and for individuals to use as a research resource.
UW Student Farm
The UW Student Farm is a collection of agricultural plots (including the Dining and Culinary Services (DCS) Farm, The People’s Farm, Wunk Sheek, and Greenhouse Learning Community) at Eagle Heights Community Gardens. The UW Student Farm is a project of the UW Organic Collaborative, a group of faculty, staff, and partners committed to furthering organic agriculture using research, academics, and outreach. The UW Organic Collaborative provides administrative support for all of the student groups involved.
The People’s Farm
Formerly F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture, The People’s Farm is a UW-Madison student organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture. It operates a farm adjacent to Eagle Heights Community Gardens where members grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rotation crops and maintain a composting area and a small meeting/gathering space. All the food they grow is all given back to the community for free.
Art and Anthropology Kilns
The Anthropology Department maintains an Experimental Archaeology Laboratory south of Biocore Prairie where students in the Ancient Technology and Invention class build and fire a clay kiln each year. The art kiln is an Anagama-style kiln that students and faculty use to study traditional wood-fired methods of firing and glazing ceramics.
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, supplementing classroom and laboratory activities.
Other Educational Uses
Finally, many UW-Madison courses and programs whose curricula may not seem directly related to the Preserve’s physical resources still benefit significantly 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 offers community educational opportunities through several key programs and partnerships. The Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve nonprofit hosts year-round, free public field trips, birding excursions, and nature walks led by local experts. Hundreds of volunteers learn about the natural world while working alongside staff to help with habitat restoration and invasive species removal. The Preserve hosts annual science events like UW Science Expeditions and other community science events like the 2025 and 2026 Bioblitz.