BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
2023-07-17 17:00 - 19:00, 2023-08-21 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Meeting, Email office@pheasantbranch.org to request call-in info, Middleton, WI
All FOPBC members are welcome to attend the meetings of the board of directors.
Meetings are generally held the third Monday of each month at 5:00 PM. Prior to COVID, we met at Kromrey Middle School room 600, entrance at door #18. We are currently meeting virtually. If you’d like to join the meeting, please email a request for a Zoom invite at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time by emailing us.
Time and place are subject to change.

CONSERVANCY DAY: ACKER FARM RESTORATION UPDATE
2023-07-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Middleton Public Library, 7425 Hubbard Ave, Middleton, WI, 53562
Details and registration HERE

Friends of Urban Nature (FUN): Summer Tree Phenology
2023-07-22 13:30 - 15:00

Seed Collection in the Prairie
2023-08-05 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-20 13:00 - 16:00, 2023-09-02 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-17 13:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-07 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-22 13:00 - 16:00 | Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Prairie Lot 5000 Pheasant Branch Rd,, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join us on select weekends, June through October, collecting native seed at Pheasant Branch Conservancy to be used to expand and diversify our prairies.
Saturday Events: 9am to 12pm
Sunday Events: 1pm to 4pm
We meet at our equipment trailer located between the Springs parking lot and Orchid Heights Park.
Please use the form below to sign up!

Bock Forest Seed Collection
2023-08-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Bock Community Garden, 5606 Highland Way, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join the Friends along with Adaptive Restoration staff and Bock Community Gardeners as we collect native seeds from the prairie at Bock Forest. Please use the form below to sign up in advance.

Fill out my LGL Form!

Friends of Urban Nature (FUN): Summer Flora and Fauna
2023-08-26 13:30 - 15:00

Restoration Workday
2023-09-02 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-16 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-07 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Prairie Lot 5000 Pheasant Branch Rd,, Middleton, WI, 53562
The Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy will host Restoration Workdays on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays in April, May, September, and October in 2023. Please use the form below to sign up!

Fill out my LGL Form!

Bock Forest Seed Collection
2023-09-12 16:00 - 18:00 | Bock Community Garden, 5606 Highland Way, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join the Friends along with Adaptive Restoration staff and Bock Community Gardeners as we collect native seed from the prairie at Bock Forest. Please sign up in advance using the form below.
Fill out my LGL Form!

CONSERVANCY DAY: Updating Wisconsin's Wolf Management Plan
2023-09-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Middleton Public Library, 7425 Hubbard Ave, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join Randy Johnson, large carnivore specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for a discussion on all things wolves in Wisconsin. In this talk, Randy will focus on the recent efforts to update the state’s wolf management plan, including a summary of the plan’s key elements.
Join Randy Johnson, large carnivore specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for a discussion on all things wolves in Wisconsin. In this talk, Randy will focus on the recent efforts to update the state’s wolf management plan, including a summary of the plan’s key elements and ultimately what it all means for Wisconsinites and for wolves.

Register Here

Friends of Urban Nature (FUN) Bird and Nature Adventure: Insect Superpowers
2023-09-23 13:30 - 15:00 | 4864 Pheasant Branch Road, Middleton, WI 53562
Join Master Naturalist Marjorie Rhine for a free fun family friendly guided walk to learn all about insects.
Location: Pheasant Branch Homestead Parking Lot 4864 Pheasant Branch Road
This is a free, welcoming, diverse, educational, fun and family friendly program.
Post your pictures and comments on our FaceBook and Instagram pages!
Monthly Guided Bird and Nature Adventures are on the 4th Saturday of each month at 1:30 in Pheasant Branch Conservancy. These events are co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners, Madison Audubon and the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. See the FUN webpage, and the Madison Audubon Webpage and FOPBC Webpage for more activities.
Contact 608-698-0104 for information about FUN Bird and Nature Adventures.

Happy Feet at Pheasant Branch Conservancy
2023-09-28 18:00 - 19:00, 2023-10-05 18:00 - 19:00, 2023-10-12 18:00 - 19:00 | Orchid Heights Park, 3960 Valley Ridge Rd., Middleton, WI, 53562
Are you looking for some tips for healthy walking? Do you enjoy mindful walks in nature? Join these first sessions in a budding, diverse collection of nature wellness events at the Pheasant Branch Conservancy.
– Meet at Orchid Heights Park Shelter by 6 pm
– Spend 10-15 minutes sampling stretches and mindfulness techniques for healthy walking
– Walk for up to 40 minutes and try out a mindfulness cue

Shannon Prairie 20th Anniversary Celebration
2023-09-30 13:30 - 15:30 | Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Prairie Lot 5000 Pheasant Branch Rd,, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join the Friends in celebrating their success in the establishment of the Shannon Prairie. Activities will include speakers, guided tours, and refreshments. More details can be found on the event website.

Bock Forest Seed Sowing
2023-11-06 16:00 - 18:00 | Bock Community Garden, 5606 Highland Way, Middleton, WI, 53562
Join the Friends along with Adaptive Restoration staff and Bock Community Gardeners in sowing seed in the prairies at Bock Forest. Please use the form below to sign up so we know how many volunteers to expect.
Fill out my LGL Form!

Conservancy day- Spring flowers & folklore
2023-11-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Middleton Public Library, 7425 Hubbard Ave, Middleton, WI, 53562
Wednesday, November 15, at 6:00pm
Location: Middleton Public Library- In the downstairs Archer Room
Imagine 75+ years ago a walk in the woods and pasture with your grandfather sharing stories about the wildflowers and stories of his youth.
Wayne Pauly spent 43 years as Dane County naturalist and restoration ecologist for the county parks, working with thousands of school children and adults restoring 800 acres of prairie and savanna woodlands.

REGISTER HERE

December FUN (Friends of Urban Nature) Winter Solstice Walk
2023-12-23 13:30 - 14:30 | 4864 Pheasant Branch Road, Middleton, WI 53562
The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and marks the return of longer days. Join Master Naturalist Kathlean Wolf for a fun free family friendly walk on easy paths at beautiful Pheasant Branch Prairie.
Enjoy the shortest days of the year outdoors and celebrate the return of the sun and longer days! Learn how ancient cultures celebrated the Solstice. What changes do shorter and longer days trigger in nature? What birds, animals and tracks do you see out and about even on the shortest days of the year?
Free, welcoming, diverse, family friendly, educational, no registration required, no pets. Fourth Saturday Every Month Guided Bird and Nature Adventures and Self-Guided Walks and Activities at Pheasant Branch are co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners Badgerland Bird Alliance and Friends of Pheasant Branch.
This is a welcoming, diverse, educational, fun and family friendly program. No registration required.

Monthly Guided Bird and Nature Adventures are on the 4th Saturday of each month at 1:30 in Pheasant Branch Conservancy. These events are co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners, Madison Audubon and the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. See the FUN webpage, and the Madison Audubon Webpage and FOPBC Webpage for more activities.

Contact 608-698-0104 for information about FUN Bird and Nature Adventures.

2024 Annual Meeting
2024-01-06 08:00 - 10:30 | Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI, 53562
Please join us for the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy Annual Meeting
Saturday, January 6, 2024
8:00 AM at Holy Wisdom Monastery
4200 County Road M, Middleton
Keynote Presentation: Native Plants and Land Health
Native plants are the basis of sustainable, diverse, and beautiful landscapes supporting wildlife, pollinators, and beneﬁcial insects. They also play an important role in watersheds and carbon sequestration. With Susan Carpenter, Native Plant Garden curator and gardener at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, we will explore these roles and relationships. Drawing a connection between public native plant restoration and our own backyards, we will learn how to foster resilient gardens and landscapes using native plants that thrive without fertilizers, pesticides, mowing, or supplemental watering.
Agenda
8:00 Breakfast Buffet- no cost; donations accepted
(those needing extra time may arrive for breakfast at 7:45)
8:30 Business Meeting
9:00 Keynote Presentation
10:00 Q&A and Wrap-up

Whether attending in person or virtually, please RSVP here.

Conservancy Day: Bobcats in the Midwest and beyond
2024-01-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Middleton Public Library- downstairs Archer Room
Learn about the life history, population, and landscape ecology of bobcats based on long-term field studies in Iowa. Intensive sampling and tracking enabled study of the reproduction, survival, and population trends. The results included the importance of diverse habitats to successful dispersal as the species recolonized landscapes where they were once uncommon. Learn how genetic data from across the continent revealed not only current sub-populations, but also how lineages expanded after the last ice age. Ongoing research in the Upper Midwest is revealing the linkages between bobcat populations in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, helping to inform conservation and management in the region.
Dr. William (Bill) Clark, is Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Ecology from Iowa State University, where he taught for 35 years. His research focused on population dynamics and landscape ecology of animal species ranging from endangered snails in the Driftless to bobcats across the continent. He has collaborated with academicians as well as federal and state biologists in ecosystems as varied as western deserts, Canadian wetlands, and the agricultural landscapes of the Midwest, including with biologists from Wisconsin. He now lives in Cross Plains and is active in conservation organizations in Wisconsin.

REGISTER HERE

* This program is in-person only. *

Winter burn/brush removal workday
2024-01-20 09:00 - 12:00 | Highland Way Entrance- Bock Forest, 5672 Highland Way, Middleton, WI, 53562
The January 20 Winter workday has been cancelled due to below freezing temperatures and a wind chill below zero. Please see the event calendar for future events.

January FUN (Friends of Urban Nature) Walk: Winter Woody Plant ID
2024-01-27 13:30 - 14:30 | 6900 Pheasant Branch Road, meet at the Pheasant Branch Prairie Encampment kiosk
Join Master Naturalist Eva Roos for a free, fun, family friendly educational guided walk or take a walk on your own along the beautiful nature trails in the prairie and woods and along the creek. Learn how to learn to identify trees and shrubs in Winter! Plant ID is a bit of a challenge with no leaves but the basic structure of trees and plants is actually easier to see in winter and offers many clues.
These Free and welcoming, naturalist guided Bird and Nature Adventures are the fourth Saturday of the month. No registration required and no pets. These events are co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners Badgerland Bird Alliance and Friends of Pheasant Branch. See the partner websites and Facebook pages for updates and more activities! Contact 608-698-0104
