Happy Spring! I love this time of year. The Friends of Blue Mound State Park welcome you to enjoy the beauty of Blue Mound State Park.The ground has begun to thaw and the sun is staying out for a few more extra hours. It’s a welcome relief from the dark days of late Winter to this beautiful early Spring weather. The ephemerals will soon be in bloom, the trees will flaunt their green glorious leaves, the migratory birds will return for the season. Like the birds, the Friends are returning to the park for a full slate of activities! From our many volunteer opportunities in our prairies and our trails to the Blue Mound Trail Run, Horribly Hilly Hundreds, Shakespeare in the Park, to Music on the Mound and much, much more. I hope that many of you will be able to join us and attend these events. Please follow us on social media or visit our website often for continued updates and information. The park is truly a magical place.
See you in the park!
Sharon Baldwin
Board Member
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendars! There are a lot of exciting events happening in Blue Mound State Park. Click on the event below or visit the “Events” tab to get more details about each upcoming event. Contact [email protected] with questions.
- April 13 – Bike Trail Work Day, hosted by CORP
- April 20 – Friends of Blue Mound State Park Member Meeting
- April 20 – Building the Driftless Trail presentation by Barb Barzen
- June 1 – Blue Mound State Park Trail Run
- June 15 – Horribly Hilly Hundreds One-Day Challenge Ride
- June 23 – Shakespeare in the Park
- July & August – Music on the Mound
YOU’RE INVITED
Annual Member Meeting
Join us on Saturday, April 20 from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm at the Blue Mound State Park Friends Shelter for our annual member’s meeting.
Following the meeting will be a potluck. No RSVP is required, just bring a dish to share! Please contact [email protected] with questions.
Driftless Trail Presentation
After the annual member’s meeting on April 20th, join us from 1:15-2:00 p.m. at the Friends Shelter for a free presentation by Barb Barzen from the Driftless Area Land Conservancy. She will present Building the Driftless Trail: A Corridor of Resilience for People and Nature describing the exciting project and plans for developing it through the northeast quarter of Iowa County over the next 15-20 years. A landowner who hosts a segment of the trail will also describe her experience with the project.
NEWS & UPDATES
Prairie Restoration Project
We want to thank FBMSP volunteers for their recent work removing brush and vegetation from Swain Prairie. This is part of the renewed multi-year prairie restoration project funded by the FBMSP. We are working with Adaptive Restoration to restore Swain and Upper Walnut Prairies. Swain Prairie is a remnant prairie approximately 2.5 acres in size with over 40 native plants and flowers.
Volunteers are needed. Please contact [email protected] if you’re interested in helping with the prairie restoration project.
Bike Trail Updates
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) finalized a new Master Development Plan for Blue Mound State Park in 2018. Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) bike club contributed a plan to redevelop the bike trails. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved the proposed Master Plan at its June 2018 meeting. Part of the proposal included rerouting Holy Schist and Pokerville trail segments so that the trail could be kept open for public use more days each year and be more readily maintained in good condition. CORP and volunteers have been working diligently to make these trail updates a reality.
GET INVOLVED
As the organization becomes more complicated to reflect the changing administrative landscape of nonprofits and volunteer organizations, we continue to seek new board members who can lend their expertise and experience to the work we’re doing. In addition, we have the following specific opportunities that are less of a commitment than joining the board:
- Membership and Volunteer Coordinator – Send welcome letters, manage the membership and volunteer databases, and solicit volunteers for events like the HHH, candlelight ski/hike, and Blue Mounds trail run.
- Communications and Marketing – Write and develop online content for the website and social media, bolster the digital presence and communications of the Friends.
- Horribly Hilly Hundred volunteers – Everything from pre-event and day-of coordination, being a volunteer or the top-dog manager of a rest stop, merchandise sales, food serving, cheer squads, communication management, task runners, and just about anything you can think of an event might need.
- Firewood Splitting – The Friends supply the firewood for use at the park, and using the gas log splitter to split logs offsets the pre-split firewood we need to buy commercially.
- Prairie and Ecological Management – Volunteers to help with prairie restoration and ecological management work throughout the summer months.
- Grant Coordinator – Manage annual FBMSP grant applications for our naturalist funding, in addition to grants for capital projects like new/updated structures or major park initiatives like prairie or woodlands restoration. Help in sourcing grants to expand initiatives or fund new activities for the benefit of the park.
Contact [email protected] with questions.
