Arboretum Restoration Work Party

media release: Ecological restoration is the practice of stewarding healthy native plant communities – prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands – to protect and preserve ecosystems and wildlife habitat. The Arboretum deeply appreciates and relies on volunteers to help with this ongoing work.

Weekly drop-in work parties are an essential part of land care efforts. Volunteer restoration work parties take place on most Saturday mornings, mid-February through mid-December.

Work parties are a great way to practice ecological restoration, learn about Arboretum plant communities, and make friends while caring for the natural world. Activities include cutting brush from remnant and restored areas, removing weedy plants, and collecting seed from prairie plants.

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and experience levels. Tools, work gloves, equipment, instruction, and refreshments are provided. Participants are required to wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and whatever other clothes that allow for comfortable work in tall and/or dense vegetation (long-sleeved layers, hat, sunscreen, etc.). Be prepared for physical work, though the pace supports each volunteer’s comfort level. Groups are welcome with advance arrangements.

Work parties are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on most Saturday mornings, mid-February through mid-December. Please see the Arboretum events calendar for scheduled work parties and locations.

The work sites and meeting locations are listed below. Locations change week to week, please check the Arboretum events calendar to see where upcoming work parties will be held. The Visitor Center location is the only site with a restroom.

• Curtis Prairie Area: Meet at the Arboretum Visitor Center.
• Grady Tract: Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Highway and W. Beltline Frontage Road.
• Noe Woods and West Curtis Prairie: Meet at Curtis parking lot on McCaffrey Drive, west of the Visitor Center. (We recommend using the Arboretum’s west entrance, on Seminole Highway.)
• Wingra Woods: Meet at Wingra Springs parking lot at top of hill on Arboretum Drive, northeast of the Visitor Center. (We recommend using the Arboretum’s east entrance, on Mills Street.)
• Wingra Oak Savanna: Meet at Arbor Drive parking lot, off Monroe Street.

See our Getting Here page and the Arboretum trail map for locations and directions. Please note that the gate between Visitor Center parking lots may be closed, preventing east-west through access. We recommend using the Arboretum entrance that allows access to the parking lot, as noted above.

Work parties are canceled for severe weather (snowstorms, thunderstorms, temperatures below 10 degrees F or above 100 degrees F), or if the ground is too muddy or snow-covered to safely work. To check if a work party is canceled due to the weather, call (608) 263-7327 after 8:15 a.m. on Saturday morning for a message.