PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #49: Restoration of Public Lands.
Presiding: D. Gordon
Wednesday, August 7. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Mohave Meeting Room, TCC.
Large-scale prairie restoration: Prospects for the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, WI.
FULLER, AMANDA*,1, ZEDLER, PAUL1, 1 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
ABSTRACT- Few examples exist of prairie restorations greater than 1000 acres, and because large-scale restorations pose unique problems and possibilities, practices at large-scale projects should be different from those at small scales. One site where this challenge is being met is the Badger Army Ammunition Plant in Baraboo, Wisconsin. I have chosen four case studies to serve as potential models for the implementation of large-scale restoration at Badger: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. These sites differ in land ownership, project history, and planning processes. From site visits and interview data, I have drawn nine conclusions from these sites, regarding formation of partnerships, volunteer programs, allocation of financial resources, research, technological and ecological innovation, communication, land-use planning, and public relations. I apply these findings toward the ecological restoration of the Badger Plant. Badger is 7500 acres, and the reuse planning process since 1997 has involved a wide array of stakeholders, scientists, and local, state, tribal, and federal government entities. Badger presents opportunities for integrating ecological restoration with agriculture, education, recreation, and research, and is strategically located to achieve regional conservation objectives. The high level of community participation at Badger holds great promise for continued collaboration to meet the challenges of time and cost of a large-scale restoration.
KEY WORDS: Large-scale restoration, prairie restoration, community conservation