Conservation crews restore more prairie land in Tendick Park

A cadre of conservation volunteers and others are working at Tendick Nature Park in the Town of Saukville to restore another 16 acres of grassland to native prairie, making the land more suitable for grassland birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. 

The restoration includes native trees being planted by members of the La Crosse-based WisCorps conservation team, which engages youth and young adults in conservation projects, job training and nature education programs in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.

It’s the latest in a series of projects by the Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department since 2007 to improve the habitat at Tendick. 

Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, state Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever, the county has seeded and restored 25 acres of native prairie.

The county also has constructed a wetland restoration within the restored prairie.

The current tree-planting project is funded through a $2,500 grant from the American Transmission Company (ATC). Similar ATC grants have funded previous tree-planting efforts.

ATC has awarded approximately 240 communities and organizations with funds totaling more than $425,000 since the program’s inception in 2013.

Plans call for permanent signage to be posted at the restoration site to serve as an educational opportunity for park users to learn about the restoration process and the value of prairie and wetland habitat.