May 30, 2008 Contact: Tom Brock, tdbrock@charter.net,

For Immediate Release or 608-238-5050

Land Near Black Earth to be Dedicated

as Wisconsin’s 551^st State Natural Area

Madison Couple Have Been Restoring the Land for More than a Decade

madison, wi — When Tom and Kathie Brock bought their first piece of land at Pleasant Valley Conservancy near Black Earth almost 30 years ago, they knew it was a special place. But they never imagined it would become a Wisconsin State Natural Area.

On Saturday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m., the Brocks, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and The Prairie Enthusiasts will formally dedicate the 140 acres at Pleasant Valley Conservancy as Wisconsin’s 551^st State Natural Area. The event will include a short dedication ceremony, field trips and refreshments.

State Natural Areas protect outstanding examples of Wisconsin’s native landscapes, geology and archeological sites. They also provide some of the last refuges in the state for rare plants and animals.

The Brocks bought their first piece of land in 1980 because of the lovely oak trees and the creek that runs through the area. It was a great spot to hike with their young children. But the prairie remnants and oak savannas, two extremely rare native plant communities, were overgrown with buckthorn, honeysuckle and planted pines, which were competing with the native vegetation.

With advice and help from The Prairie Enthusiasts, a nonprofit conservation group dedicated to preserving Wisconsin’s prairie and savanna heritage, the Brocks began restoring their land. They removed the invasive trees, brought fire back to the landscape through controlled burns, and collected and sowed prairie seeds into their goat prairie and other remnants.

And the land responded. Because of the Brocks’ restoration efforts, today Pleasant Valley Conservancy has a wide variety of plants—more than 400 species—and wildlife. Bluebirds, Baltimore orioles, red-headed woodpeckers—an increasingly rare species—can all be seen there. Sandhill cranes have been nesting in the wetland for at least 20 years. Coyotes, foxes, snakes and muskrats can also be seen.

“What the Brocks have accomplished in restoring the health of a rare piece of Wisconsin’s natural history for all to experience, enjoy and learn from is nothing short of amazing,” commented Rich Henderson, president of The Prairie Enthusiasts’ Empire-Sauk chapter. “Their tireless dedication and commitment of time and resources has been an inspiration to many landowners. The Prairie Enthusiasts is proud and grateful to have the Brocks as active members and supporters of or conservation mission.”

The Brocks have donated 37 acres of land and conservation easements on the other 103 acres to The Prairie Enthusiasts. In doing so, they have protected the land from development forever, regardless of who might own it in the future. Dedication as a State Natural Area adds another layer of protection, ensuring that the land will always be a sanctuary for prairie wildflowers and a haven for wildlife.

“What the Brocks and The Prairie Enthusiasts have done by legally dedicating Pleasant Valley Conservancy as a State Natural Area is no small matter,” said Signe Holtz, Director of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Endangered Resources Program, which oversees natural areas. “Their foresight and generosity enriches us all by providing a special place where we -- and future generations -- can experience the splendor of Wisconsin’s native landscape. Pleasant Valley Conservancy and other places like it are living proof that citizens and private conservation organizations play a key role in protecting our state’s natural heritage.”

Learn more about The Prairie Enthusiasts at www.theprairieenthusiasts.org

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The Prairie Enthusiasts is a private organization committed to the protection and management of native prairie and savanna of the Upper Midwest. We have an incorporated, nonprofit status and are a grass roots organization run by volunteers. The Prairie Enthusiasts differ from other conservation groups in its sole dedication to the preservation of the last remaining pieces of the once vast, now endangered, prairies and savannas of the Upper Midwest through land protection and management. The Prairie Enthusiasts evolved from small prairie preservation organizations that began in the mid-1970s. We now have chapters in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. On the Web at theprairieenthusiasts.org.