“My Story”
by Heritage Heights Sanctuary Woods
My story starts many years ago as I have many relatives in my woods over 100 years old. But the story I want to tell you started in 1971. A new garden club had organized in Heritage Heights and met in a neighborhood church. Soon after the club was organized, a housing development was started in my home. Developers were marking off lots and one basement was already poured. These women became very concerned as they had seen the beautiful flowers, the trillium, bellwort, shooting stars and many other native plants that thrived on my floor.
They had seen the many birds that rested and fed and nested in my families’ branches. A school was located a few blocks away and these women felt II would be a wonderful place for teachers and children to walk to and for all folks to come and learn and enjoy more about the natural world. If I do say so myself, I was a pristine woods in an urban setting.
Well these women had lots on enthusiasm and energy to save me but they needed direction in the “how to”. Lucky for me the Superintendent of Madison Parks lived in Heritage Heights. So, this is how it went…The women took inventory of the plants, birds and trees in my home. They had a huge neighborhood garage sale in a neighbor’s yard. This was done so the city would now that the neighborhood was really involved in saving me.
Lots were already sold in my house so the Nature Conservancy was called in and said I was a great woods and worth saving and they loaned the money quickly to the City of Madison so the lots could be repurchased. I am still amazed that this happened! All the lots were purchased except the one under construction. Funding was eventually obtained from a state conservation program and this was used to reimburse the Nature Conservancy.
I was then placed in a Conservation park status of which I am one of thirteen in the City of Madison Parks Department. Eagle projects by the Boy Scouts did the trail and bridge. Now you know the rest of my story—but wait a minute, I want to continue for years to come so children and adults can come and enjoy and learn how to be good stewards of our natural world. I become frightened when dogs are in my house as it disturbs my nesting birds and animals. I am a Conservation park.
I also shake my leaves when I see cats roaming in my home. I heard that cats kill millions of birds in WI each year. Wow! With birds losing their habitat and pesticides and chemicals and collisions with windows and cars, my feathered friends are declining. So please help me by keeping your cats inside.
Just to let you know I have many old friends and some are dying and sometimes we get diseases and sometimes a very strong wind comes and blows some of us down. We are not cleaned up and the nutrients we used to grow over the years will be returned to the earth again as we decay. It is nature’s recycling. I am a Conservation park.
Something else occurs in my home are invasive plants, they are like weeds in your garden. I need help in having these removed by trained people who sometimes do cutting, pulling and sometimes burning.
So I would like to say, “Keep up the good work of being my voice so the future seedlings can be seen by YOUR future seedlings.
by Heritage Heights Sanctuary Woods
My story starts many years ago as I have many relatives in my woods over 100 years old. But the story I want to tell you started in 1971. A new garden club had organized in Heritage Heights and met in a neighborhood church. Soon after the club was organized, a housing development was started in my home. Developers were marking off lots and one basement was already poured. These women became very concerned as they had seen the beautiful flowers, the trillium, bellwort, shooting stars and many other native plants that thrived on my floor.
They had seen the many birds that rested and fed and nested in my families’ branches. A school was located a few blocks away and these women felt II would be a wonderful place for teachers and children to walk to and for all folks to come and learn and enjoy more about the natural world. If I do say so myself, I was a pristine woods in an urban setting.
Well these women had lots on enthusiasm and energy to save me but they needed direction in the “how to”. Lucky for me the Superintendent of Madison Parks lived in Heritage Heights. So, this is how it went…The women took inventory of the plants, birds and trees in my home. They had a huge neighborhood garage sale in a neighbor’s yard. This was done so the city would now that the neighborhood was really involved in saving me.
Lots were already sold in my house so the Nature Conservancy was called in and said I was a great woods and worth saving and they loaned the money quickly to the City of Madison so the lots could be repurchased. I am still amazed that this happened! All the lots were purchased except the one under construction. Funding was eventually obtained from a state conservation program and this was used to reimburse the Nature Conservancy.
I was then placed in a Conservation park status of which I am one of thirteen in the City of Madison Parks Department. Eagle projects by the Boy Scouts did the trail and bridge. Now you know the rest of my story—but wait a minute, I want to continue for years to come so children and adults can come and enjoy and learn how to be good stewards of our natural world. I become frightened when dogs are in my house as it disturbs my nesting birds and animals. I am a Conservation park.
I also shake my leaves when I see cats roaming in my home. I heard that cats kill millions of birds in WI each year. Wow! With birds losing their habitat and pesticides and chemicals and collisions with windows and cars, my feathered friends are declining. So please help me by keeping your cats inside.
Just to let you know I have many old friends and some are dying and sometimes we get diseases and sometimes a very strong wind comes and blows some of us down. We are not cleaned up and the nutrients we used to grow over the years will be returned to the earth again as we decay. It is nature’s recycling. I am a Conservation park.
Something else occurs in my home are invasive plants, they are like weeds in your garden. I need help in having these removed by trained people who sometimes do cutting, pulling and sometimes burning.
So I would like to say, “Keep up the good work of being my voice so the future seedlings can be seen by YOUR future seedlings.
PLEASE JOIN THE MADISON PARK DISTRICT EACH MOTHER'S DAY FOR AN INVASIVE WEED PULL AND TOUR AMONG THE FLOWERS IN FULL BLOOM FROM NOON TO 3PM
MORE INFORMATION ON INVASIVE PLANTS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
MORE INFORMATION ON INVASIVE PLANTS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
