Parks Restoring Native Prairie, Forest on Former Agricultural Land

Root River Parkway. Photo taken October 9, 2021 by Dave Reid.

Milwaukee County Parks is planning to restore 90 acres of county-owned agricultural land to natural prairie and forest.

The area in question is an agricultural field located along the Root River Parkway in Franklin, south of W. Oakwood Rd. and west of S. 27th Street. The field has been farmed for nearly 100 years, based on historic aerial photography, according to Parks. Parks plans to restore native prairie habitat to approximately 58 acres, and riparian and upland forest habitat in the other 32 acres.

The project is being funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Sustain Our Great Lakes program. The NFWF is the largest private wildlife foundation in the U.S. and it provides grants for wildlife protection and habitat restoration through more than a dozen specific programs. The Great Lakes program prioritizes habitat restoration and water quality improvement.

Agricultural fields are notorious sources of polluted stormwater runoff into rivers and streams, which eventually makes its way into Lake Michigan. The boundaries of the project site come within 80 feet of the Root River and 50 feet of a headwater stream, according to Parks. The primary goals of the project are to reduce sediment and fertilizer runoff, and to restore habitats for native pollinators and aquatic species.

“Restoration of these fields will reduce sediment and nutrient run-off into local waterways, reconnect fragmented natural areas, promote climate resilience, and enhance habitat for priority wildlife species,” the department said in a public solicitation for contractors.

To restore the habitats, Parks expects weeds and invasive plants will need to be suppressed through mowing and a prescribed burn. The project is scheduled to start in 2025 and wrap up by 2028.

The project is one part of the department’s overarching policy of converting more of the agricultural land it owns to natural habitats. Some of the animals present in the Franklin site, which Parks hopes will benefit from the restoration, include prairie crayfish, monarch butterfly, rusty patched bumble bee and unicorn clubtail, a species of dragonfly.

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