Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy

TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT VALUABLE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS FOR THE WILDLIFE DEPENDENT ON THESE RESOURCES, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN QUALITY OF LIFE, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, AND NATURAL SCENIC BEAUTY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

THE ORGANIZATION MANAGES THE 23 ACRES OF CARITY PRAIRIE, A RARE VIRGIN PRAIRIE/SAVANNA/SEDGE MEADOW COMPLEX, WHICH WAS DONATED IN 2005. THE PROPERTY IS ONE OF THE LAST KNOWN EXAMPLES OF VIRGIN (UNPLOWED) PRAIRIE IN THE HIGHLY POPULATED MILWAUKEE COUNTY. ITS MANAGEMENT PRESERVES AND EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS TYPE OF RARE AND UNIQUE HABITAT. SIDNEY WOODLANDS PRESERVE, CONSISTING OF 3.76 ACRES IN GLENDALE, WISCONSIN, A SOUTHERN MESIC WOODS WITH NUMEROUS VERNAL PONDS, WAS ACQUIERED THROUGH A WDNR KNOWLES NELSON STEWARDSHIP GRANT AND A PARTIAL DONATION BY THE WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY IN 2012 AND IS MAINTAINED FOR CONSERVATION BY MALC. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION MANAGES A 22.5 ACRE CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON THE MAYER PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, MILWAUKEE COUNTY WISCONSIN. THE PARCEL ADJOINS THE COUNTY-OWNED FRANKLIN SAVANNA STATE NATURAL AREA (FSSNA). THE FSSNA CONTAINS AN EXTREMELY RARE HABITAT FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY WHERE 93.9 PERCENT OF NATURAL VEGETATION AND NEARLY ITS ENTIRE PRAIRIE AND OAK SAVANNA HABITAT HAVE BEEN LOST. THE EASEMENT AREA GRADES FROM THE SAVANNA SITE INTO A WHITE OAK AND HICKORY WOODLAND, WHICH IS PART OF A DESIGNATED SECONDARY ENVIRONMENTAL CORRIDOR. RYAN CREEK, A TRIBUTARY TO THE ROOT RIVER FLOWS THROUGH A PORTION OF THE SITE. THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS CONSERVATION EASEMENT MAINTAINS THE EXISTING HABITAT, PROVIDES A BUFFER TO THE STATE NATURAL AREA, AND AFFORDS LONG-TERM PROTECTION TO A PORTION OF RYAN CREEK. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO MANAGES FITZSIMMONS WOODS, AN ISOLATED NATURAL RESOURCE AREA (INRA), THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 43 ACRES IN SIZE: 19 ACRES ARE UNDER OWNERSHIP OF MILWAUKEE COUNTY. MALC HOLDS TITLE TO THE REMAINING 24.5 ACRES THUS MAINTAINING A DIRECT LINK TO THE PORTION OF WOODLAND OWNED BY THE COUNTY. IT IS HOST TO 145 NATIVE WISCONSIN PLANT SPECIES AS WELL AS 13 EPHEMERAL WETLANDS (VERNAL POOLS). THERE ARE 25 SPECIES OF TREES (ALL NATIVE), 20 SPECIES OF NATIVE SHRUBS, AND APPROXIMATELY 100 NATIVE HERBACEOUS (GROUNDLAYER) PLANT SPECIES. THE WOODS ARE ONE OF THE MOST INTACT AND UNDISTURBED WOODLANDS IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. MANAGEMENT OF THE WOODS EDUCATES THE PUBLIC OF AND PRESERVES ITS NATURAL AND HISTORICAL BEAUTY. THE MUCHIN LAND DONATED TO MALC IN 2016 CONSISTS OF 3 ACRES, LOCATED AT 9941 W LOOMIS ROAD IN FRANKLIN, WISCONSIN ADJOINING CARITY PRAIRIE, WHICH MALC MAINTAINS FOR CONSERVATION.MALC RECEIVED A DONATION FROM THE MILWAUKEE METROPOLITAN SEWERAGE DISTRICT OF A 49.89 ACRE PARCEL OF LAND LOCATED ON 116TH STREET OF RYAN ROAD IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN WI. THE PARCEL CONTAINS RECONSTRUCTED NATIVE PRAIRIE AND WETLANDS. MALC MAINTAINS IT FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES.MALC HAS ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE MILWAUKEE METROPOLITAN SEWERAGE DISTRICT BY GRANTING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TO MMSD IN 2021 FOR RYAN CREEK PRAIRIE, CARITY PRAIRIE AND FITZSIMMONS WOODS, THEREBY FURTHER PROTECTING THESE LANDS FOR CONSERVATION.