The story begins 15 years ago when a director of Folklore Village Folkarts center, near Dodgeville, signed up the non-profit to put some of its fields in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), to coax fields into prairies, in exchange for a modest $5,000 - $8,000/year.  Well, one director passed on to another and the payments kept coming, but the small print about Folklore Village's obligations to develop and nurture the prairie got buried. Until the US Dept of Ag came calling to check on the 15 years of enrollment, and they sternly informed Folklore Village that with such a mess of weeds, etc., that not only would the land lose its CRP certification, but the hard-scrabble organization would owe thousands of dollars back to the feds.

       Eek.  Board members actually discussed selling the land!  Enter knowledgeable volunteers on white horses -- Dan Wallace, Wendy Frances, Cathy Palzkill, David Lovell, and others, who in the past months made amazing progress. Some of you know the routine: getting rid of tangles of trees/bushes, burns, and now rooting out specific invasive plants. The Ag folks came back a couple weeks ago and couldn't believe the positive changes.

      But we're not yet out of the weeds. We still have lots more to do on the land before the previous CRP contract "passes" and future plans can be made.

  I'm asking if YOU can come out to this quiet, beautiful land and dedicate 2-3-4 hours.  I've been surprised how much I enjoy it. One person alone can't make much progress ;  we need a little team of 4-5 people. 

If yes, definitely RSVP.  

     If this date doesn’t work, let me know and I can contact you in the future. It is a good, healing, lovely way to spend a morning -- creating a beautiful prairie under blue skies to nurture butterflies, wild flowers, and moments of peace, of which the world needs more.

Kindly RSVP to me, Madeline Uraneck or (608) 658-5537 (Cell)so we'll have leaders and tools.  Thank you for considering.