Potluck with Wisconsin Women in Conservation in West Central WI

Join us for walking tours of restoration sites in action from 10 am to noon with potluck to follow from noon to 1 pm. Two professional ecologists, Carolyn and Cynthia, will outline how they have used a conservation mindset to develop a plan for the properties they own.  They will share their insights into what factors to consider when seeking to protect and restore biodiversity on a farmed landscape typical of the region.  Learn more about how considering a site's ecological characteristics, condition, history, and position in the wider landscape can result in a more robust conservation plan.

This on-farm gathering will be an opportunity for women landowners, farmers, gardeners, and conservation professionals to connect around their shared interest in conservation practices and learn from one another.  It will be a casual potluck hosted by WiWiC Coaches Carolyn Carr and Cynthia Lane. Carolyn and Cynthia will spend some time talking about the conservation practices they've implemented, and others will be invited to share their experiences, including with implementing conservation plans. Please bring a dish and/or beverage to share, and your questions! If you are intersted in a conservation plan for your land, you can sign up at the event.

What To Expect:

• To network with other women in the area around shared dreams, challenges, and experiences of conservation.
• To learn about the WiWiC project and opportunities that exist for women landowners to access conservation practices
• To gather on a working farm, with some uneven ground and uncertain weather - dress accordingly.
• To eat, talk, laugh and connect.

There will be two tour options. Carolyn will take half the group to one restoration area while Cynthia takes the other group. Following that initial tour sessions, the groups will switch guides and visit the other restoration area. One tour will visit a unique bluff prairie and savanna restoration site - a spectacular example of habitats once common throughout the Driftless Region.  The other tour will visit a set of former agricultural fields now converted to prairie plantings of 3 different ages and types, all enrolled in the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

WiWiC Networking Coach for Pepin County, Sally Farrar says, "No two people have inspired me more than Cynthia Lane and Carolyn Carr, for their inventiveness, depth of knowledge, and passion for all things conservation. It is a unique opportunity to hear them speak about the land they love, protect and nurture while being with them on the land."

Event Details:

• Event is free to attend but registration is required and space is limited.
• Women, all who identify as such, are welcome to attend – from  landowners to farmers to conservationist enthusiasts –  whatever your background, from beginners to experts!

Land description:

This diverse 120-acre parcel is in the northern reaches of the Driftless Region.  It hosts former agricultural fields of silt-loam on the plateau top, steep slopes of forest, savanna and prairie, as well as land along an intermittent stream and along Elk Creek, a spring-fed creek that ultimately drains into nearby Chippewa River.

Photos are taken at WiWiC events to help amplify the work being done by Wisconsin's women land stewards, and to help promote future events. Your registration grants consent for your photo to be taken and used for these purposes. 

About Wisconsin Women in Conservation

WiWiC is a state-wide collaborative effort led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with Wisconsin Farmers Union, Renewing the Countryside and Marbleseed (formerly MOSES).  A five-year multi-faceted project funded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), WiWiC brings together Wisconsin's women landowners, farmers, farm workers, urban growers, and conservation professionals to connect and share about conservation practices, resources, and funding opportunities.