Dane County Parks & Open Space Plan

media release: Dane County Parks is requesting input from county residents to update a plan that helps determine how Dane County manages its outdoor resources, including what recreation activities are important to them and what may make residents more likely to visit a park or participate in an outdoor activity.

“Now more than ever, we realize parks are essential for Dane County residents’ well-being,” County Executive Joe Parisi said. “The number of people using Dane County Parks is estimated at nearly five million. This plan is an essential roadmap to help us understand how we can continue to sustainably provide public access while balancing cultural and natural resource protection.”

The Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan is a countywide comprehensive outdoor recreation and natural resource plan that must be updated every five years to maintain eligibility for State Stewardship grant funds. Updates to the plan include identifying recreational needs and significant natural, cultural, and historical resources in the county to be considered for protection. The planning process will seek input from Dane County residents that will help guide future park and trail development projects over the next five years.

“The update to the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan has been a collaborative effort including input from many partners, local units of government and park users for more than 50 years," said Dane County Park Commission Chair Tom Thoresen. “The Dane County Park Commission would like to extend their gratitude and thanks to everyone who has helped us with this planning process in years past and encourage everyone to participate in the update for 2025-2030.”

Dane County Parks will facilitate two public information meetings to kick off the planning process to update the Dane County Parks and Open Space Plan and explain how residents and stakeholders can participate. Both meetings have virtual and in-person participation options.

The first meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 3 at the Lussier Family Heritage Center in William G Lunney Lake Farm County Park, 3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison, 53711. To participate virtually, use this registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ApnHtTBTS0eJvxiO_ltTLw

The second meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 15 at the Village of Windsor Municipal Building, 4084 Muller Road, DeForest, 53532. To participate virtually, use this registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rDVr8Z4hTNCA0vRRSheZCQ

As an added outreach effort, Dane County Parks has prepared a survey to further explore the overall public awareness of the park system and any improvements that could be made. The survey only takes about five minutes to complete. The survey is available in both English or Spanish and will be open until May 1. More information about the plan, and links to the survey in both languages, are available online https://www.danecountyparks.com/openspaceplan