Future of Campus Natural Areas To Be Discussed

How should the university care for Picnic Point and other beloved campus natural areas? There’ll be a public meeting to discuss the future of these important lakeshore lands on April 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Union.

The Lake Mendota shoreline along the campus' northern edge is one of the natural areas that will be considered in a public meeting April 9.

The 325 acres of natural areas on the Madison campus, including an extensive stretch of Lake Mendota shoreline, have long been a source of educational experiences, recreation and pride for the university and citizens of Wisconsin. But without a concerted effort to preserve and restore them, these lands will suffer irreparable harm from erosion, misuse and other threats to their ecological well-being.

Scientists at the UW–Madison Arboretum recently completed a comprehensive management plan to ensure the future health of the campus natural areas. But the success of the plan depends on the support of all those who use the lands. At the meeting, representatives from the University and the Arboretum will describe the new plan and invite people from the surrounding community to help care for this beautiful lakeshore area.

“We envision a partnership between the University and the community,” said Gregory D. Armstrong, the director of the Arboretum. “Our hope is that through the commitment of these groups, we will be able to heal the land in our natural areas and, in the process, improve the relationship between people and nature.”

The UW–Madison’s campus natural areas are among the finest at any major university. One of the largest expanses of undeveloped land left along the Lake Mendota shoreline, they provide an excellent glimpse of what the lake looked like before settlement. Their remnants of the natural biological communities and land forms of Wisconsin lend a special ambiance to the campus and Madison. They also comprise one of the best public access areas around this 10,000-acre lake.