What do you see as the value of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy to the City of Middleton and its residents?
Pheasant Branch Conservancy is the crown jewel of Middleton’s public lands. The Conservancy is central to our identity as a city, and it’s one of the things that makes Middleton such a special place to live. As a resource for Middleton and its residents, the Conservancy advances community well-being, provides ecological services, and strengthens our economic vitality.
- Community Well-Being: My home is just two blocks from the Conservancy, so every day I experience the benefit of having open space, accessible trails, and scenic landscapes within walking distance. For me and so many of our residents and visitors, the Conservancy supports our physical and mental health through access to nature and through recreation, and it strengthens community connections and civic pride. It serves as an outdoor classroom where people can explore on their own, learn about the environment through educational programs, and develop a sense of responsibility to care for our environment.
- Ecological Services: The Conservancy functions as essential natural infrastructure, providing flood mitigation, water quality protection, and groundwater recharge. It also supports biodiversity through prairie, savanna, woodland, and wetland habitats for pollinators, birds, amphibians, and other native species. It advances the City’s climate resilience goals by storing carbon, reducing urban heat effects, and buffering against extreme weather impacts. The Conservancy delivers measurable ecosystem services that engineered systems alone cannot replicate.
- Economic Vitality: The Conservancy protects public investment while strengthening Middleton’s economic competitiveness by reducing stormwater infrastructure costs and lowering the risk of flooding and property damage. It sustains and enhances adjacent property values and serves as a tourism and visitor attraction, drawing hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, and other outdoor enthusiasts to Middleton.
Protecting the Conservancy is at the heart of the City’s vision, codified in our 2023 Comprehensive Plan, of being “a sustainable, urban community with an exceptional quality of life that is rooted in environmental stewardship.” Investing in the Conservancy not only is good environmental stewardship, but it’s also fiscally responsible strategic planning for Middleton’s long-term resilience and well being.
What actions have you taken in your current capacity as a City official that reflects your support of the Conservancy and its watershed?
I have been an unwavering supporter of conservancy lands, in general, and of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, specifically.
- In 2022, I began working with City staff and the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy (FOPBC) on a process that led to the City acquiring Outlot 2 in the Pheasant Branch Ridge Greenway at no cost in 2025. City ownership and management of this 14-acre parcel of conservancy land will improve protections for the Conservancy and for Pheasant Branch.
- In 2024, as a member of the Water Resources Management Commission (WRMC), I began working on the Graber Greenway Project. The goals of this system-wide project are to expand stormwater management, improve water quality, control invasive species, and preserve habitat, all of which protect the Conservancy. The acquisition of Outlot 2 advanced the project, and pending acquisitions of land or conservancy easements will complete the steps needed to move forward with this important project. I continue to work with the WRMC, City staff, and members of the FOPBC to move this project forward, and I will support it as mayor in every way possible.
- In 2024, I worked closely with the FOPBC to communicate the importance of increasing Middleton’s stormwater utility fee in order to strengthen the City’s efforts to manage stormwater, protect water quality, and prevent floods. Specifically, I responded to media inquiries and authored an op-ed in the Middleton Times Tribune addressing concerns raised in opposition. The referendum passed by a comfortable margin, resulting in dedicated funds to hire stormwater technicians and address deferred maintenance projects. Improving stormwater system performance protects the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and all downstream waters.
- In 2025, as a member of the Finance and Personnel Committee, I persuaded my colleagues to restore to the proposed 2026 budget the Conservancy Lands staff’s #1 request: a dedicated Conservancy Lands Technician. The Conservancy Lands Committee had recommended this position, but the mayor cut it from her Executive Budget. With almost 800 acres of conservancy lands, Middleton is long overdue for having a staff person whose sole focus is managing those lands. I look forward to the City being able to hire this new staff person in 2026 to coordinate with the County and the FOPBC on management of Pheasant Branch Conservancy as well as oversee work on all Middleton’s conservancy lands.
How do you distinguish the management requirements of a conservancy from those of a traditional municipal park?
Traditional parks and conservancies have very different management needs. Parks need frequent mowing during spring and summer and they have structures like playground equipment, shelters, restrooms, etc., that need regular maintenance and eventual replacement. Maintaining a conservancy focuses on caring for the land itself—for example, eradicating invasive species, planting appropriate native species, conducting burns, monitoring water quality, and maintaining ecosystem functioning as noted in my response to Question #1 above. Both types of open space are important for Middleton and its residents. I’d like to see greater parity between the investments the City makes in our parks and our conservancies, using metrics such as overall need, land area, or number of visitors to guide the allocation of funds. Adding a Conservancy Lands Technician to the staff will help, but I’m sure there’s more we can do. I look forward to exploring our options if I’m elected mayor.
How will you approach conflicts among various user groups within Pheasant Branch Conservancy? (e.g., birdwatchers, dog walkers, e-bikers, physically impaired)
Conflict resolution requires listening, finding common ground, and being willing to compromise. It begins with holding a community conversation—hearing the concerns and ideas of all sides—and continues with bringing people together to discuss those concerns, identify what we can agree on, and build from there. I also would try to help people understand that everyone has a right to enjoy the conservancy—no one group has more rights than others. We all can enjoy the conservancy if we follow the rules and guidelines for keeping everyone safe—for example, keeping dogs on leashes and following trail etiquette by staying to the right side, maintaining a safe speed when on a bike, and signaling when passing. Middleton’s 2023 Comprehensive Plan lists the values of striving “for fair and just opportunities and outcomes for all people” and embracing “full participation by all members of our community.” If the Conservancy is inaccessible to residents with mobility challenges, we aren’t living up to those values.
Does population growth and popularity of the Conservancy pose ecological harm to the Conservancy’s resources? If so, how should it be mitigated?
Population growth can cause ecological harm. Construction of new housing leads to soil disturbances that can create more sedimentation and reduce the ground’s ability to infiltrate stormwater. More buildings and more pavement mean increased runoff, much of which contains fertilizers and other lawn-care chemicals, as well as road salt and “leaf tea.” At the City level, we can mitigate some of these impacts by strengthening enforcement of erosion control in our City-Developer Agreements, increasing inspection frequencies, and imposing higher fines for noncompliance. Following stringent erosion-control requirements will be especially important for both the City and the County during the reconstruction of the Century Avenue Bridge in 2027 and the construction of a trailhead between Stagecoach Trail Apartments and Pheasant Branch. Increasing public education on responsible use of fertilizer, herbicides, and salt would help, as well.
The increasing popularity of the Conservancy could cause ecological harm if, for example, people don’t follow the rules (stay on trails, dogs on leashes at all times). Potential harm caused by increased use can be mitigated by posting and enforcing the rules noted above. Speed limits and appropriate signage would be a good place to start. Community Service Officers riding bikes in the Conservancy could provide friendly reminders during a “Conservation Education Week.” More Conservancy users, however, can also lead to more support for the Conservancy, which is important for recruiting volunteers, soliciting donations for the FOPBC, and advocating before Council and the Finance and Personnel Committee for funding to support the Conservancy’s management.
Specifically, what policies or initiatives would you support to protect the Conservancy from impacts from surrounding urban development?
Middleton’s Comprehensive Plan, Sustainable City Plan, and LEED for Cities framework explicitly prioritize watershed protection and climate resilience. This alignment ensures that decisions on housing, infrastructure, and capital investment take into account downstream impacts on the Conservancy. I support the Graber Greenway Project and strengthening our stormwater management, as noted in my answer to Question #2 above.
I would support a comprehensive review and strengthening of the City’s Erosion Control Ordinance (Chapter 28), which was adopted in January 2003. We can learn from other municipalities and adopt their best practices related to enhanced protection for sensitive areas like the Conservancy. I would also welcome a discussion with the Friends, City staff, and others to learn what other actions might be possible under current state law.
Additional ideas include more frequent inspections by City staff to verify that erosion-control measures are in place and doing their job. Right now, our ordinance says, “The number of inspections shall be no less than once every thirty (30) days.” Past practice shows, however, that more frequent inspections would be better—especially ahead of expected rainfall events, to make sure any deficiencies can be corrected, and afterwards to document whether the control measures are actually working. I would also support including wording in our City-Developer Agreements to make developers responsible for reimbursing the City’s actual costs for compliance inspections related to the developer’s erosion-control plan.
At the state level, I would advocate for the DNR to update stormwater performance standards so they’ll be based on more realistic rainfall amounts instead of (for Dane County) the average annual rainfall in Madison in 1981. Climate change has increased storm frequency and intensity, but state and municipal codes for stormwater management still are required to base their performance measures on outdated numbers. WRMC members have frequently expressed frustration with modeling being based on 45-year-old data. It would be much better to use observed rainfall data from recent decades because these data reflect current conditions.
As Mayor, how would you enhance cooperative management of Pheasant Branch Conservancy between the City of Middleton and Dane County?
Although Middleton’s mayor doesn’t manage staff or programs, the mayor can bring people together to work toward a common goal. I would learn from our staff about their experience working with the County and what they see as opportunities for improvement. I’d have the same conversation with the FOPBC and with relevant City committees. I’d also reach out to my counterparts in other municipalities that co-manage conservancy lands with the County to learn what they do, how well it’s working, and what their recommendations are for improving shared management. Then, I’d convene a meeting with City and County staff, elected officials, and the FOPBC to capture ideas that, over time, could become formal commitments for moving forward together.