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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 from Sugar Creek Bkuff

Spring 2020 Habitat Restoration Update

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What’s Cooking?
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It’s garlic mustard season! With all burning cancelled, due to the current health emergency, our habitat restoration efforts are now focused on other seasonal tasks. As land manager Levi Plath…
Borah Creek Prairie

Two Prairies

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Grant Smith shares insights from his visits to Holland Sand Prairie and Borah Creek Prairie. I celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by driving through the Driftless Region to…
Protected land photographed by Robert Hurt

Earth Day Announcement of New Milestone Reached in Driftless Area Land Protection

Climate Change
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LA CROSSE, WI – April 20, 2020 – With the signing of a recent agreement to permanently protect 88 acres of land in Monroe County, the total acres now conserved…
Canniff woodland

Monroe County Landowner Protects Land, Water, and Wildlife from Development

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SPARTA, WI–April 15, 2020–With the protection of 88 acres of land in Monroe County, Wisc., this month, Mississippi Valley Conservancy now protects more than 21,000 acres in its efforts to…
view of Angel Bluff in Buffalo County

Angel Bluff Gets a Guardian Angel

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When Tim Wucherer signed up to be site steward for Angel Bluff, one of the 22 nature preserves owned by the Conservancy, he knew exactly what he was getting into…
Greens Coulee trail

Remembering What is Important in Life

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One of the buzz words that we hear often today is mindfulness, or the practice of “being in the moment.” This practice takes a designed effort. For example, every morning…
MVC logo

Mississippi Valley Conservancy Statement on Grandad Bluff Park Trail Project

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Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s mission is to conserve native habitats and farmlands in the Driftless Area for the health and well-being of current and future generations. We encourage outdoor recreation and…
Southward view from Hass Tract in La Crosse Blufflands South

Body and soul in the La Crosse Blufflands South

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Reflections on a hike from the Easter Road trailhead (Hass Tract) I hiked the Hass Tract of the La Crosse Blufflands South alone. A friend's wife had died unexpectedly the…
Visitors at Little Bluff

Sacred Bluffland Now Permanently Protected

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TREMPEALEAU, WI—February 17, 2020— With a Sunday morning ceremony, the Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation has celebrated completion of a long-hoped-for land conservation easement for its 19-acre Little Bluff…
Peg Brenneke overlooking Covia sand mine

Land in Monroe County Protected Against Frac Sand Mining

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TOMAH, WI—January 23, 2020—Mississippi Valley Conservancy helps third-generation landowner protect wildlife habitat and family farm from industrial use. Peg Brenneke, a Monroe County native, resisted selling her grandfather’s farm to…
Dave Skoloda skiing at Red Mountain in Colorado

Skiing Protected Land

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Trail Trek Challenge Hike of the Month How painful it was to write about cross country skiing when, in mid-January, the ground was brown and the temperature at 40 degrees…
Grant Smith at Sugar Creek Bluff

On the trail with Grant Smith

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November 3, 2019 Sugar Creek Bluff State Natural Area Crawford County, Wisconsin I took advantage of perhaps the last sunny day of the fall to hike the Sugar Creek Bluff…
Bobolink perched on a protected land sign

Land Trusts Can Help!

Climate Change
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In the News
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A new article from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's October newsletter highlights the role of land trusts in protecting bird habitat. The whole article is available at this link. Mississippi…
farmland with woodland protected

Conservation agreement in La Crosse County protects land and water on local farmland

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LA CROSSE, WI – October 3, 2019 – A new land conservation agreement between Mississippi Valley Conservancy and a landowner in La Crosse County will protect valuable wildlife habitat and…
Prairie on Amsrud property

Imperiled Wildlife Habitat Protected in Vernon County

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GENOA, WI – Steep, wooded bluffs enfold broad, sloping pastures for sheep and horses where Gene Amsrud and Patty (McNamee) Amsrud shared the view with a visitor to their land…