Seed The Need: A Growing Success, A Celebration of Community

By Pam Shannon and Hans Hilbert, Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy Board Co-Presidents

It was May 2019 when former Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced the $10 million purchase of 160 acres abutting the northern boundary of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. As County Parks staff began restoration efforts by removing the buildings and concrete from the past decades of agricultural use, the Friends, partnering with Clean Lakes Alliance (CLA) and The Nature Conservancy, kicked off our “Seed the Need” campaign.

In less than four years, we raised over $100,000 to buy a platinum mix of native prairie seed. Our fundraising was matched by CLA through a grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation. Starting in 2020, the purchased seed was used to sow a quadrant of 40 acres each year, with the final seeds being spread in early 2024.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our members and our community, we have achieved our goal of establishing an additional 160 acres of prairie at the Pheasant Branch Conservancy.

As each seed sowed finds its way into the soil and germinates, it brings us one step closer to restoring a thriving ecosystem for countless species. Already, grassland birds thought to be lost to Pheasant Branch Conservancy have returned and are nesting in the new habitat. The diversity of prairie plants sowed will be used as a seed bank to grow future prairie restorations in the county.

Utilizing the considerable institutional knowledge of the Friends has allowed us to achieve so much in the past five years. In contrast, when the first prairies were restored by Friends volunteers in the late 1990s, it took twice as long.

To celebrate this monumental achievement, we invited our members and the community to join us for our “Seeded the Need” celebration in early August of 2024. This special event allowed Conservancy users to celebrate the final seeding together and featured informative talks from experts on prairie ecology, as well as guided walks through the newly establishing prairie with Dane County naturalists. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about this exciting project and witness firsthand the positive impact of our collective efforts.

As we look ahead, we are filled with optimism and excitement for the future of the Platinum Prairie. This restored ecosystem will not only provide essential habitat for wildlife but also serve as a vital educational resource for generations to come. Your support has laid the foundation for a brighter, more sustainable future for our community.

Thank you again for your generous contributions. We are truly humbled by your support and look forward to sharing the continued growth and beauty of the Platinum Prairie with you.