In fall 2005 we have kept busy seed collecting and preparing new areas for prairie planting. This has been one of the driest fall seasons on record. From the middle of August until the middle of September there was no rain. Since mid-September, rain has occurred, but not in large amounts. Despite the drought, we have obtained good seed production of most species except in our dry prairie remnants. In the latter, little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium) has suffered the most. Although little blue stem flowered well, an analysis of seed set under the dissecting microscope showed that seed production was only 10% or less. This has forced us for the first time to purchase seed of a prairie grass. Up until this year, all of the grasses planted at Pleasant Valley Conservancy have come from collections elsewhere on the property, or from nearby roadsides. (We made certain that the little blue stem seeds we purchased were from southern Wisconsin genotypes.)

Flowering and seed set has been quite good in our wetland. This is reasonable since the wetland is fed primarily by underground springs and seeps, which have remained at usual water levels. Fortunately, one of the major areas we are planting is a wet-mesic area adjacent to the wetland, and most of the species to be planted are coming from this wetland. We have not yet given this area a name, and are temporarily calling it the "marsh edge." It is a long narrow area adjacent to Pleasant Valley Road and is 4-5 acres in extent.

Kathie Brock and Susan Slapnick examining our wetland. Because of the excellent burn done this spring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we have had outstanding plant development. The large purple stalks of Joe-pye-weed (Eupatorium maculatum) shown here are an example of the profusion with which wetland plants have flourished this summer.

The Land Trust Alliance, a national coalition of land trusts from throughout the United States, had its annual rally in Madison October 14-17, 2005. One of the field excursions was a bicycle trip led by Peter McKeever into the Driftless Area of western Dane County. This trip included a visit to Pleasant Valley Conservancy, where the participants were able to examine at first hand our restoration work. They were also able to discuss with us how the Savanna Oak Foundation, Inc. is organized in part as a land trust to provide permanent protection and management of Pleasant Valley Conservancy. The photo to the left shows the participants arriving at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. The large prairie remnant in the background is dominated at this time of year by little blue stem grass.

This is a Fall 2005 update on the buildings at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. We have purposely avoided any significant building projects. Buildings are expensive, and tend to become a major focus of activity. We prefer to put our resources into restoration work.

The "shack" in the photo was on the property when we purchased it 25 years ago. It was constructed by the former owner from a pig pen, and is a single-room affair. It has electricity but no running water, and is heated only by a wood stove. We have a small library of plant identification manuals, a dissecting microscope, and a refrigerator. We store brush cutters, a leaf blower, the console for our weather station, and some hand tools. This is where we have lunch every day we are in the field. Among other things, lunch is the time when we discuss upcoming projects. Visitors sometimes drop in.

Near the cabin, painted to match, is the well house, a very important facility. Although the water is not drinkable, we use lots of water for diluting herbicides and for filling our pumper units for controlled burns. A lawn sprinkler keeps our nearby forbs garden from drought.

Behind the well house, painted to match, is the privy, another important facility. This one is brand new in 2005, and was built to replace the old one that was housed in a corn crib (see photo below).

This photo shows all the buildings at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. (The "shack" is mostly hidden behind the barn.) The small barn was installed by the former owner to keep his horses. It is about 35 years old. We installed a concrete floor and built a work shop in one corner. Here we store our Kubota tractor (for mowing), our Kawasaki Mule (for herbicide spraying, controlled burns, and general utility), our Ferris walk-behind mower, and our pumper unit (for controlled burns). We also dry seeds on the concrete floor and hang them from the rafters to overwinter.

This photo looks across a small part of our wetland toward the south slope, where prairie remnants and oak savannas dominate. We have a complete John Curtis vegetation continuum on the Conservancy.

Pleasant Valley Creek is a small spring-fed watercourse that drains about 3 miles of Pleasant Valley. It generally runs clear and has lots of watercress (Nasturtium officinale), an attractive albeit nonnative and potentially invasive plant.

However, most of the water in our wetland does comes not from the creek, but from the numerous springs which well up throughout the property.Groundwater here is reliable and plentiful.

One of the joys of our oak savanna are the patches of hazelnut (Corylus americana), which turn a deep red in October. Although we can hardly ever pick hazelnuts (the squirrels always beat us to it), these shrubs are the most important species in the savanna shrub layer. When their leaves turn red, we are able to easily tell how common they are in our savannas. And their color really dresses up the landscape.