Protected Lands

Mayer Land

Preservation easement donated by the Mayer Family.

The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy (MALC) has accepted a 22.5 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. Steep slopes and wetlands are also present. The goal of this conservation easement is to maintain the existing habitat, provide a buffer to the state natural area, and afford long-term protection to a portion of Ryan Creek.

Restricted Public Access: This easement was a private donation without the use of public funding. The right of public access is not part of the rights with this easement. The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy will explore the future possibility of public access. Presently, public access is allowed only via coordination through MALC.

Carity Prairie

The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy has partnered with developer Bill Carity to preserve a rare prairie remnant and restore a sedge meadow complex. As a result, the subdivision was showcased in the 2005 Parade of Homes-Prairie Grass Preserve.

The site totals 23 acres and is one of the last known examples of virgin (unplowed) prairie in the highly populated Milwaukee County. It also will contribute to the public's knowledge of this type of rare and unique habitat because it is open for viewing and educational access.

Not only is this site a rarity in southeastern Wisconsin, but equally as rare is a developer who sees the wisdom of making a land donation to preserve it for future generations. Another developer might have easily destroyed this ecological jewel in favor of a few more home sites. Our hope is that the land ethic developed by the famous Wisconsin conservationist, Aldo Leopold, and evidenced by Bill Carity's generosity, will serve as a model to other land developers in the region.

Fitzsimmons Woods

Fitzsimmons Woods is an Isolated Natural Resource Area (INRA) as identified by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) in Planning Report #42, "A Regional Natural Areas and Critical Species Habitat Protection and Management Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin". A one acre buffer surrounds the woodland on the east and south boundaries. The overall site 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.

The many wetlands and natural drainageways in Fitzsimmons Woods are headwaters to the Oak Creek and the Root River. The site is a southern mesic beech-maple woodland with a heavy composition of oak species also present. 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 groundlayer includes an extremely diverse mix of spring ephemeral species that peak in their display in May and early June. There are only seven (7) exotic plant species that have been recorded within Fitzsimmons Woods, clearly making it one of the most intact and undisturbed woodlands in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Adams Prairie

The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy has negotiated a conservation management agreement with the property owner and has received funding to assist with restoration of this spectacular prairie. More information coming soon!

Sidney Woodlands Preserve

This diverse and unique site has been under ownership of WEPCO for 81 years. The 3.76-acre site known as the Sidney Woodlands Preserve has been the subject of preservation interest in Glendale. Sidney Woods has also been the subject of study by naturalist Richard Barloga since 1984. Over 136 native plant species have been identified, and the parcel has an overall Floristic Quality Site Index of 51.0. It is estimated that less than 1% of the remaining natural habitats within Milwaukee County would score as high as 35.0, making this a premium example of pre-European settlement habitat. Informal footpaths crisscross the Sidney Woods, providing viewing access to the site's vernal ponds. The location of the woods is less than ¼ mile from the planned intersection of the Milwaukee County Oak Leaf Trail and the Ozaukee Interurban Trail.

The woodland is categorized as a Southern Mesic woods, with numerous vernal ponds. Native plants present on the site include 24 tree species, 15 shrubs and 76 wildflowers, sedges and grasses. Red oak is the dominant tree and comprises approximately 40% of the canopy, followed by white oak at 20%, with basswood as the third most dominant, along with beech, maple and other species. Of particular significance on this site, the beech are reproducing, with small and medium age classes present. There are an estimated 25 woodlands containing beech remaining in Milwaukee County. Additional notable plant species include purple-sheathed graceful and gray sedge; red baneberry, blue cohosh and wild sarsaparilla. The understory canopy also contains musclewood and witch hazel.

The Woods have experienced an extremely limited amount of impact during the years it has been held by WEPCO. There is no evidence of deforestation or other disturbance. Its location within a densely populated area bordered by high traffic streets acts as a natural deer exclosure, limiting foraging of the native understory. Human impact has been limited to primitive footpaths that crisscross the property, along with mowing of the grass right-of-way on the southern boundary.