| Action Alerts
|
Jefferson County is updating its Rose Lake/Dorothy Carnes County Park Plan. It's important for anyone who cares about this special place to provide input.Please attend the public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hoard Museum in Fort Atkinson if at all possible. If not, submit your thoughts and ideas directly to Margaret Burlingham, LanDesign park planning consultant at landesign@centurytel.net and please copy me at Madison Audubon, masoffice@mailbag.com. See the press release from Jefferson County below for more information. Background Rose Lake is a 175-acre deepwater marsh located two miles north of Fort Atkinson. This prairie pothole contains scattered emergent vegetation such as soft-stemmed bulrush and cattails and several mats of wiregrass sedge. The wetland contains a wide variety of breeding marsh birds such as pied-billed grebes, Canada geese, black terns, Virginia and sora rails, common moorhens, American coots, sandhill cranes, marsh wrens, and yellow-headed blackbirds. Others nest in adjacent uplands, such as wood ducks, mallards, blue-winged teal, sedge wrens, and bobolinks. Also present are freshwater sponges. Over 800 white pelicans have been sighted in spring migration. Madison Audubon Society has been helping Jefferson County preserve uplands surrounding Rose Lake since the first purchase in 2000. We have acquired and transferred, or helped the county acquire (through match grants, etc), most of the land at the park, which totaled 394 acres as of 2008. Rose Lake was designated as the Rose Lake State Natural Area in 2006. Madison Audubon has also assisted with prairie and savanna restoration and are participating in the park's master plan update. Because of the importance of Rose Lake to the many birds that nest in and on the shallow lake/wetland and in the surrounding uplands, Madison Audubon is advocating for very low use (mowed "management" trails only) on most parcels. Management trails and most of the areas can be used for hiking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Other areas, such as the original parcel with the overlook deck on the west side and part of the Mason Farm can accommodate additional recreation. The 80 acres of the Mason Farm on the east side would be the best location for any additional low-impact recreation or other uses that would be compatible with this special place. Please contact me for any further information. Thanks in advance for providing input! |