Our Mission and Purpose
To restore, protect and promote the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and watershed for today and tomorrow. This drives our programs and decisions as we advocate for the Conservancy, and do our physical, informational and educational work.
Our Vision for What We Seek to Achieve
We are striving to become increasingly effective at restoring, protecting and promoting the Conservancy as an ecological whole.
The Pheasant Branch Conservancy is a regional treasure, a natural haven in the midst of a growing urban area. As a mosaic of marshlands, springs, prairies, meadows, lowland forest and wooded hills, it offers peace and respite to the individual, as well as educational opportunities for all ages.
It is part of the 25 square-mile Pheasant Branch watershed, which includes thousands of acres of fertile farmland as well as urban and suburban development. It is an important part of the larger Yahara River Watershed.
A complex set of jurisdictions and interests affect the Conservancy and its watershed — state, city, county, townships, neighborhood and condo associations and other environmental organizations.
To serve this resource we use our Strategic Plan to achieve our desired self concepts to serve as:
- The only voice speaking on behalf of this land and water system as an ecological whole
- Vital and unique stewards of an increasingly fragile ecosystem
- A source of systematic and agile leadership
- Volunteer and committee driven
- Managed sustainably by a board of directors
- Supported by members and donors
- Collaborative with other stakeholders
- Transparent and open in our planning and actions
We pursue this vision by building goals which are achievable, measurable, and move us closer to the ideal of pre-settlement conditions. The Yahara Chain of Lakes will benefit from cleaner headwater discharges.
Our Values for How We Work
There are many things we value in our work:
- To support an urban land ethic, in keeping with Aldo Leopold’s advocacy of a land ethic, “which enlarges the boundaries of community to include soils, waters, plants and animals.”
- To support the distinction between parks, landscaped and recreational, separate from conservancies, managed to achieve natural conditions but providing reasonable public access for passive uses.
- To restore the natural ecosystems of the Conservancy by removing invasive species, gathering and planting native seed, conducting prairie burns, and monitoring the health of all flora and fauna in the Conservancy.
- To protect and improve the water quality and environmental health of the Pheasant Branch Watershed in partnerships with others.
- To provide environmental education, using the Conservancy as a unique local laboratory.
- To apply solid science, data and measured results.
- To support the quality of life in Dane County and its economic future.