Tom's Blog has moved! Crane Prairie New Weeds: Newly revised! Species list with flower photos Seed collecting dates (table) Phenology (flowering times) Prairie planting procedures and results Recent news Trail map         Check out our completely redesigned web site for Pleasant Valley Conservancy!       The dedication of Pleasant Valley Conservancy as State Natural Area #551 will take place at 1:00 PM on Saturday, June 7, 2008. See the following link for details.   Pleasant Valley Conservancy is now State Natural Area No. 551. Follow the above link to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Area web site. Or check the new Pleasant Valley Conservancy web site!   Directions for reaching the Preserve   Click for air photo of Pleasant Valley Conservancy   The founders and principal officers of the Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc. are Tom and Kathie Brock. Our goal is the preservation and restoration of one of the rarest ecosystems on earth, the oak savanna. At Pleasant Valley Conservancy, we are having considerable success restoring an outstanding example of an oak savanna ecosystem. We use this conservancy to demonstrate oak savanna restoration techniques and results.   Purpose of this web site This web site has two major purposes. The first, and most important, is to present the principles and practices of prairie and oak savanna restoration. The second purpose is to present work completed or in progress at Pleasant Valley Conservancy, a fine natural area in northwestern Dane County, where the restoration practices have been developed and applied. This web site is sponsored by the Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of prairie and oak savanna habitats. The Foundation serves as an operating organization carrying out restoration work, and an educational organization. It was originally established to ensure that Pleasant Valley Conservancy will remain as a natural area in perpetuity.   Click here for an overview of Pleasant Valley Conservancy.   New High Resolution Air Photo of Pleasant Valley Conservancy     What is an oak savanna? Although definitions vary, one common definition is: an oak savanna is a plant community with scattered “open-grown” oaks. Other terms for these savannas are “oak openings” and “oak barrens”. In contrast to a forest, which has a closed canopy, the savanna canopy ranges from about 10% to 50%. In such a habitat, the ground layer receives dappled sun and shade, which permits growth of a wide diversity of grasses and flowering plants. However, due to the reduced sunlight, typical prairie species such as big and little blue stem grass, and most goldenrods and asters are more restricted in distribution. Savannas have their own characteristic and complex communities of ground-layer grasses, flowering plants, and shrubs. A few examples of flowering plants of the savanna include giant false-foxglove (Aureolaria grandiflora), yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima), and upland boneset (Eupatorium sessifolium). One savanna specialist, purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) is now listed as endangered in Wisconsin. A common savanna shrub is hazelnut (Corylus americana). Early settlers to the Midwest described the park-like setting of oak savannas. At one time oak savannas covered about 75% of the landscape of southern Wisconsin. The oak savanna is a transitional form between tall grass prairie in the west and deciduous forest in the east. Although there is a continuum from prairie to savanna to forest, oak savanna is a distinct vegetation type. Oak savanna is a fire-controlled vegetation. With settlement, fires were eliminated and the savanna changed into a jumble of woody vegetation, with the handsome oaks being crowded out. Grazing by bison and elk may also have helped keep the savanna open. When Wisconsin settlement eliminated fire and grazing by native animals, most of the savanna acreage experienced an invasion by dense shrub and tree growth. Oak savanna is now considered one of the most threatened plant communities in the Midwest and among the most threatened in the world. It has been estimated that only about 500 acres (less than 0.01%) of the original oak savanna remains.   Important trees of an oak savanna. The original land surveys of southern Wisconsin, made in the 1830s, give us evidence of the kinds of trees that were originally present. The dominant oaks of the savanna were bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and white oak (Quercus alba), with lesser amounts of black oak (Quercus velutina), red oak (Quercus rubra), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Because of their long lives, a few the original bur and white oaks can sometimes be found even today in highly degraded savannas, but completely hidden by invasive trees and shrubs.       Why restore an oak savanna? Biodiversity. There are many plant species that are unique to the oak savanna, and are found rarely or not at all in prairie or oak woods. An abbreviated list of savanna species found at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. Wildlife. The oak savanna provides a life support system for many species of animals. Acorns, a major food source, are eaten by many species of birds and mammals including deer, turkeys, grouse, and woodpeckers. The red-headed woodpecker, an uncommon species that thrives in oak savannas, returned to Pleasant Valley Conservancy once restoration took place. Wild turkeys nest in open areas but need trees as shelter and food sources. Aesthetics. The visual appearance of an oak savanna is striking. The large open-grown oaks are handsome specimens and inspire awe and pleasure. Historical. The oak savanna was the dominant vegetation type in our region. Just as we might restore an historic old house, we can derive satisfaction from restoring an historic landscape. Education. The oak savanna at Pleasant Valley Conservancy is close to Madison, Wisconsin and is easily accessible and visible from a paved county highway. University classes, conference field trips, and interested individuals are able to come and learn about this important landscape. Although many people come on their own, we also carry out guided trips for classes or small groups of individuals. Also, every Labor Day (the first Monday in September) we offer a field trip, sponsored by Madison Audubon Society and The Prairie Enthusiasts, that is open to the general public. Call Tom or Kathie at 608-238-5050 for further information. Research. Pleasant Valley Conservancy is a protected landscape that is suited for long-term research on various problems in ecology. It is especially suited for research in restoration ecology. Recent research problems that have been carried out include control of reed canary grass, galls on goldenrods, population biology of great blue lobelia, and control of buckthorn and exotic honeysuckles. Some of this research has been supported by the Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc.

Recent News

Kathie and Tom Brock received a 2007 Invader Crusader Award from the State of Wisconsin during June's Invasive Species Awareness Month. This award recognizes their extensive volunteer efforts to control invasive species in a variety of Wisconsin's natural areas, including sites owned by the Nature Conservancy, Prairie Enthusiasts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Village of Shorewood Hills, and the Town of Vermont (Dane County), as well as the extensive ongoing restoration work at Pleasant Valley Conservancy.

At the annual banquet of the Prairie Enthusiasts (March 10, 2007) Tom and Kathie Brock received the 2007 Prairie Enthusiasts of the Year Award. We were quite surprised and very pleased to receive this award.

On 28 Dec 2006 the property of Pleasant Valley Conservancy owned by Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc. was donated without charge to The Prairie Enthusiasts, a Wisconsin organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of prairies, oak savannas, and other fire-controlled natural areas. The Prairie Enthusiasts is a membership organization with chapters in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.

Also today, a conservation easement for the property at Pleasant Valley Conservancy owned by Thomas D. and Katherine M. Brock was donated without charge to The Prairie Enthusiasts.

These two donations ensure that Pleasant Valley Conservancy will be managed and permanently preserved by The Prairie Enthusiasts.

Tom and Kathie Brock are very pleased to be able to make these donations and we look forward to continuing to work with The Prairie Enthusiasts as Site Managers.

In October 2006 Kathie and Tom Brock received a Leopold Restoration Award by the Arboretum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is in recognition of their work at Pleasant Valley Conservancy and for establishing the Savanna Oak Foundation. These awards are sponsored by the Friends of the Arboretum and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Download this PDF file for details.

In 2006-2007 the Savanna Oak Foundation had a restoration grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through its Landowner Incentive Program (LIP). Our work under the grant involved invasive brush control in areas where purple milkweeds and other species on the state list are present. Work on this grant began in December 2006 and continued through March 2007. Over 19 acres was restored, mainly on the steep south-facing slope and in the bur oak savanna.