BARNEVELD, Wis.— For 30 years, a group called the Prairie Enthusiasts worked to preserve and restore a Wisconsin habitat that was almost lost.
Richard Henderson, who is a volunteer and site steward at Mounds View Grasslands, said he knows every bird call on the property.
Mounds View Grassland is the Prairie Enthusiasts' largest preserve.
“That’s a dickcissel. There are a lot of birders that come here," said Henderson. "There are a lot of butterfly watchers because there are rare butterflies here. There’s a lot of people interested in bumble bees.”
The group tends a preserve, about 30 miles outside of Madison; it's home to many rare and endangered species.
Henderson pointed out a wild quinine.
"It’s kind of cauliflower-like," he said. "It was on our endangered species list for the state but they’ve taken it off because we’ve found we can plant it into these restorations pretty readily.”
The Prairie Enthusiasts' name is fitting. The group works to transform grassland areas into active prairies.
As the country grew, midwest farmers were attracted to prairies for their fertile soil.
“The prairie soil here developed over thousands of years, and it got a deep black soil a horizon built up. That’s very productive," said Henderson. "That’s the bread basket of the U.S.”
Henderson became interested in prairies while in high school.
“When I grew up I thought all this open landscape was a result of the settlers clearing the forest. No, it was treeless to start with. Most of the trees have shot up since then," said Henderson.
He said at one point, a third of the state was covered in fire-driven prairie ecosystems.
“One-tenth of one percent of really intact examples is all that was left. Little pieces here and there. There were a lot of degraded areas that you can bring back, and we’re starting to do that," said Henderson.
Henderson said grassland birds have been on a steep decline for 50 years due to habitat loss.
That's what brings intern and bird lover Jackie Fertel out to remove invasive species.
“I found out that a lot of my favorite birds live in grasslands that need protection. I got involved that way because I wanted to conserve the places for the birds I love," said Fertel.
The group recently announced the acquisition of over 260 additional acres from a neighboring farm, adding to the existing 570 acre preserve, Mounds View Grassland. The Prairie Enthusiasts worked alongside the family for years on a small parcel of their land that contained a prairie remnant.
"It’s a great grassland bird habitat," said Henderson.
The new addition is home to over two dozen rare and endangered species of plants, animals, insects, reptiles and birds. The group raised nearly $3 million through private and public funding for the purchase.
“It's a dream come true to add this much to the preserve,” said Henderson.
With the purchase, the Prairie Enthusiasts will continue connecting nature lovers to an ecosystem that was nearly wiped out.
The preserve is open to the public. The next peak bloom should happen around July 4, and new flowers will pop up about every two weeks until September.