Jefferson County Parks Initiative David Heyman and Brian Wright

Capstone Statement The Jefferson County Parks Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have identified Jefferson County as a critical area to establish more outdoor recreational opportunities. We are proposing to enhance these two visions by selecting the most productive area within the county to establish a new a park area that would be complimentary with the existing park system, preserve natural features, and establish a diverse amount of recreational opportunities for the local and regional needs.

Factors: County is in the fastest growing area of the state Land value directly affects the acquisition of new public land Contains some the world’s beast examples of glacial drumlin areas Contains some of the best agricultural soils in the state The county needs to act now to acquire park and open space for recreation and preservation of natural resources. Jefferson County Parks Initiative Goal: Select the most ideal location that could provide an array of recreational opportunities, preserve unique physical attributes of the Wisconsin landscape, and expand existing park system within a contiguous area. Problem:To identify which park areas has diverse physical attributes and recreational opportunities that preserve to benefit to the public and the potential to expand into a an area 100 acres or greater in size.

The Importance of Recreation Background: Opportunities to expand recreational facilities in this landscape are diminishing as residential development continues to expand into the rural countryside. Our study focused on areas that could be restored to provide a wide range of activities in order to meet the future needs. Study Area: Jefferson County is located in south central Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Madison metropolitan areas. The county is also 70 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois. These large urban areas greatly influence the population land use and recreational opportunities in Jefferson County.

County Statistics Is.44% Recreation Land Enough? County has 16 Townships 4 Villages 6 Cities Total county land area (acres):371,930 Surface Waters16,8324.5% Woodlands24,0096.5% Existing Recreational Uses % The most populous counties and urban areas surround Jefferson The most populous counties and urban areas surround Jefferson County. Wisconsin Department of Administration 2003.

Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Land Legacy Initiative Report- Draft areas were identified within 16 Ecological Landscapes. Jefferson County lies within the Southeast Glacial Plain and had five areas identified

Jefferson County Land Legacy Areas Upper Rock River Waterloo Drumlins Jefferson Marsh Lake Koshkonong A variety of terrain and land cover types, abundant lakes and streams can accommodate a broad range of water based recreation activities. To determine the value of these areas, buffering and linking to existing public lands was a determining factor that would create considerable amount of recreational opportunities with the least disturbance to natural areas

County Park Site Feasibility Study These areas were selected by Jefferson County as potential park acquisition because they contained important natural features and were large areas of 40 acres in size. These areas all contained water and forested land that has the potential to offer a variety of recreational opportunities.

Relative Scoring of Areas Recreational Opportunities: 1. A variety of activities that could accommodate the recreational needs of the public 2. Water features suitable for fishing, swimming, paddling and boating 3. Forested areas to provide hiking, bicycling and camping Accessibility to Residents : 1. Area’s proximity to urban areas 2. Area's accessibility to roads 3. Area’s ability to connect to existing public areas Scenic Value: 1. Maximize the visible and desirable landscape within the park area

Road Accessibility Two of the four strongest growth areas in Wisconsin are adjacent to Jefferson County, Dane County to the immediate west and Waukesha County to the immediate east (Wisconsin Department of Administration Population trends in Wisconsin: ) Over half of the state’s population lives within 50 miles of the areas bounded by Milwaukee, Madison, Found du Lac and Janesville.

Methods

Conceptualization Where are the most productive areas in Jefferson County for creating parkland? Where are the most productive areas in Jefferson County for creating parkland? Areas with high recreation potentialAreas with high recreation potential Areas with high connectivity potentialAreas with high connectivity potential Areas with high landscape potentialAreas with high landscape potential

Site Selection 12 sites selected throughout Jefferson County 12 sites selected throughout Jefferson County 4 sites included in Wisconsin DNR’s Land Legacy Initiative Report4 sites included in Wisconsin DNR’s Land Legacy Initiative Report 8 sites selected by Jefferson County Park Site Feasibility Study8 sites selected by Jefferson County Park Site Feasibility Study 1000 acre buffer used to sample region 1000 acre buffer used to sample region

1 : 200,000

Recreation Potential Water Recreation Water Recreation Area of open water and length of shorelineArea of open water and length of shoreline Forest Recreation Forest Recreation Area of forests greater than 10 contiguous acresArea of forests greater than 10 contiguous acres

1 : 200,000

Connectivity Potential Areas that fit into existing park structure Areas that fit into existing park structure Higher score given from 0-3 miles from an existing state or county parklandHigher score given from 0-3 miles from an existing state or county parkland Areas that are accessible to populous Areas that are accessible to populous Higher score given from 0-3 miles from city or villageHigher score given from 0-3 miles from city or village Higher score given based on road hierarchyHigher score given based on road hierarchy Interstate –> U.S. Highway –> State Road Interstate –> U.S. Highway –> State Road

1 : 200,000

Landscape Potential Area of desirable landscape (forest / water) Area of desirable landscape (forest / water) 9 evenly viewpoints evenly spaced around site to determine visible area9 evenly viewpoints evenly spaced around site to determine visible area Non-desirable landscape eliminated from total visible areaNon-desirable landscape eliminated from total visible area

1 : 200,000

Results

NAMERECREATIONACCESSLANDSCAPETOTAL WEIGTED TOTAL Waterloo Drumlins7.05%71.43%15.76%46.29%47.95% Upper Rock River21.27%28.57%4.90%26.89%31.61% Jefferson Marsh1.16%28.57%3.09%16.12%16.89% Bark / Scuppernong Rivers46.20%28.57%16.14%44.66%52.99% Pipersville Drumlins35.23%14.29%3.81%26.20%33.50% Hope Lake25.18%57.14%6.81%43.79%50.01% Red Cedar Lake86.08%42.86%6.84%66.70%85.16% Holzhueter Farm9.15%85.71%20.84%56.84%58.70% Lake Koshkonong71.69%14.29%89.85%86.37%89.14% Cushman Pond100.00%14.29%10.33%61.21%81.12% Oakland Highlands60.71%42.86%100.00% North Shore Drumlins10.83%100.00%13.40%61.03%64.78% WEIGHTED SCORE = RECREATION + (0.75 * ACCESS) + (0.5 * LANDSCAPE)

Selected Sites Oakland Highlands - A large wooded area on the moraine with spectacular views, oak hickory woods, remnant prairie, and a blue heron rookery Oakland Highlands - A large wooded area on the moraine with spectacular views, oak hickory woods, remnant prairie, and a blue heron rookery Lake Koshkonong – The largest lake in Jefferson Co. Many Native American sites and mounds are found surrounding the lake as well as extensive wetlands Lake Koshkonong – The largest lake in Jefferson Co. Many Native American sites and mounds are found surrounding the lake as well as extensive wetlands Red Cedar Lake – One of the most pristine lakes in SE Wisconsin with several rare plant communities Red Cedar Lake – One of the most pristine lakes in SE Wisconsin with several rare plant communities Cushman Pond – Drumlins meet a millpond on the Bark River. This site has spectacular views, several pioneer sites and conoeing Cushman Pond – Drumlins meet a millpond on the Bark River. This site has spectacular views, several pioneer sites and conoeing

Prime Agricultural Land Prime Agricultural Land Waterloo Drumlin Potential Site Only.2 acres of Prime agricultural farmland would be removed from production

Improvements Use defined park boundaries instead of arbitrary buffer areas Take into account conservation value of parklands Wildlife habitat protection Groundwater recharge Preserve unique biomes Use land value to propose an acquisition schedule Geological features