Hello land stewards!

As we continue to be faced with the heavy burden of mounting societal frustration, many of us are feeling a strong desire to give back to our community. While the future will continue to be uncertain, there is much we can accomplish from an ecological perspective.

Aldo Leopold says it best with this quote about ecological certainty: A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.

This should be a call to action for many of us as we look out across our community’s large, underutilized public lawns. Friends of Starkweather Creek has been given a rare opportunity to reclaim some of our natural heritage and help it recover.

I would like to invite all of you to take part in this restoration and investment in our ecological future.

Here are the details:

Sunday, 6/21 from 9:00-11:00am: Native Planting at Starkweather Legacy Park: 

Bring: gloves, face covering, a small trowel if you have one, and other necessities (water, sunscreen, repellent, etc)

Directions: You can find the new Starkweather Legacy Park located on the corner of McCormick and Commercial Avenue (2998 Commercial Ave). 

This is an extremely exciting project with many moving parts including collaboration from Friends of Starkweather Creek, Eken Park Neighborhood Association, City of Madison Engineering, Bird City Wisconsin, and–hopefully, you!

We have acquired approximately 300 native plants to create a new wildlife (and human!) sanctuary along Starkweather Creek. City Engineering has already performed the site preparation and the plants are ready for the new home in our watershed. This is the first stage of many future stages for this area (100 state-endangered Wild Hyacinth bulbs arrive next month and we have received a grant for purchasing native seed that will need to be broadcast).

Our groups continue to remain small and we will be adhering to social distancing requirements. Hand sanitizer will be available for volunteer use.

Hope to see you all on this minor ecological historic event!
Thanks!
Jeff Steele-FSC Board Member

Challenging, uncertain times call call for hope and ways to give back to the world around us. Our activities may seem small in the grand scheme of problems facing society–but I assure you, they fall directly in line with environmental justice. The spot you pull an invasive plant  today may be the spot a prairie seedling grows tomorrow and when that seedling turns into a mature plant it will provide for literally hundreds of species. I’m reminded of a quote from John Muir:
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
Hopefully John Muir’s inspiring words have motivated you to help with some cathartic weed pulling! Here are the details for this Saturday morning’s activity:
Saturday, 6/6 from 9:30-10:30am: Pollinator Garden Maintenance at Washington Manor Park: Well, the mosquitoes are back in full force so I thought I would use this opportunity to tackle some of FSC’s more manicured areas (well away from bloodsucking nuisances). Various non-native grasses have invaded an otherwise beautiful new-ish pollinator garden at Washington Manor Park. The more hands we have pulling, the faster this activity will go. Bring: gloves, face covering, your favorite weed pulling tool (if you have one), and other necessities (water, sunscreen, repellent, etc)
Directions: You can find the pollinator garden by walking east through Washington Manor Park (801 N Oak Street). Can’t miss it.
Our groups continue to remain small and we will be adhering to social distancing requirements. Hand sanitizer will be available for volunteer use. Hope to see you all on a (relatively) crisp Saturday morning! 
Thanks!
Jeff-FSC Board Member