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Protecting land, water, and wildlife is a benefit to all who live in and visit Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. Every generation and community in our area will be more resilient with the clean water, fresh foods, education, recreation, and way of life that undeveloped natural spaces and farmlands provide. Sign up to receive Conservancy News and stay informed about land protection, environmental education, and outdoor recreation programs offered by Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

View of Barlow prairie in Monroe County

Tree Farmers Share Their Land Legacy With New Owners

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MONROE COUNTY, WI – An unusual three-way partnership is set to conserve important habitat in Monroe County. Two families, along with Mississippi Valley Conservancy, have been negotiating an agreement to…
View at Trempealeau Lakes trailhead

Trempealeau Lakes Hike

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I delayed writing about the Trempealeau Lakes Trail for several months. I first hiked the three-fourths-mile trail in the late spring. The trail, located between Lake Road and the railroad…
Removing goldfish from pond

The cost of releasing pets and plants into nature

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While collecting water samples near the pond behind Stoney Creek Hotel, DNR Water Quality Specialist Jeremy King saw a bright orange fish and knew right away that it was a…
Photo of floodplain forest at Black River Bottoms

Bequest of Land Protects Wildlife Habitat Along Upper Mississippi Flyway for Migrating Birds

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LA CROSSE, WI-November 18, 2020 – A pristine tract of Black River bottomland in La Crosse has been acquired by Mississippi Valley Conservancy through the bequest of Phyllis and Dean…
Land Legacy Award

Land Legacy Award Presented to Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

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LA CROSSE, WI – October 23, 2020 – Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s alliance for land trusts, presented the 2020 Land Conservation Leadership Land Legacy Award to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual…
Prairie strips at Van Dyke farm

Vernon County Farmer Protects Soil With Prairie Strips

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Prairie strips provide diversity and erosion control for greater resilience to a wide variety of climatic events.
MJV monarch habitat survey

Monarch Habitat Research Includes Prairies in La Crosse Blufflands

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Data from a recent survey of reconstructed prairie habitat in La Crosse collected to help the declining population of monarch butterflies.
view from Tenwinkel/Donlin property

Successive Landowners Renew Commitment to Conservation

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Passing the torch in land protection means enduring conservation value.
view from a ridge at Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve – a state natural area

"Catching Up" at Tunnelville Cliffs

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Hiking at Tunnelville Cliffs southeast of Westby, Wisconsin, began with an email from Tom, a hiking buddy I have known for many years. He wrote, “It's been too long. We…
Ellen Brooks and Dave Hackett

Crawford County Landowners Protect Wildlife and Water in a Growing Corridor of Native Habitat

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GAYS MILLS, WI—Ellen Brooks and Dave Hackett have lived a sheltered life for some 40 years – sheltered by the woods and east-facing hill that rises from the homesite on…
forget-me-not

Forget me not

Climate Change
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Sometimes I find myself surprised by what a little attention to detail and taking a pretty picture can tell about the resiliency of the habitats Mississippi Valley Conservancy protects. On…
Trail at Romance Woods

Romance Woods: a secluded refuge

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There are certain advantages of getting “lost” in Wisconsin's Driftless Area – you discover a lot of territory and sights you wouldn't ordinarily see – stately chapels in small hamlets…
flowering sweet clover – an invasive specie

Restoration Update: July 2020

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The Conservancy's field crew has been busy these last few weeks of June and into early July working to combat an invasive specie that threatens our native prairie remnants and…
Carolina puccoon

Restoration Update: June 2020

Climate Change
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Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s land management crew (Freddy Ragan, Jon Baranowski, Ben Halfmann, and Reece Mullen) has been busy as ever caring for our nature preserves as the summer has gotten…
Eastern meadowlark

Conservation Volunteer Awards Announced

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LA CROSSE, WI – MAY 5, 2020 – Each year, hundreds of individuals volunteer time and talent to support the land and water conservation mission of Mississippi Valley Conservancy. The…