Workshop Links: Exploring Your Land's Past and Future

Acquiring a piece of land is an exciting step. New landowners are hungry for the stories their land might tell them. Sometimes a neighbor can help translate what your land has to say. Sometimes an ecologist can help.

But an interested landowner can also have the satisfaction of tracking down quite a bit of information themselves right from their own computer. The information you gather can help you understand your property and how it functions in your local neighborhood or bioregion. It also helps you prepare for a site visit with a land stewardship professional by clarifying your goals and interests for a management plan.

This workshop will provide you with an introduction to some of the resources available on the Internet regarding the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and your land in particular.

Maps
Internet maps and photos MapQuest. Use "Aerial Image" button to get hi-res photo. WI DNR Surface Water Data Viewer. click on ZOOM IN, then click on map. NRCS soil maps Web Soil Survey	Finding your spot Explanation of Township and Range system in Wisconsin. Other on-line map sources Wisconsin State Cartographers Office Google Maps. Photo resolution often low in rural areas. Mirosoft TerraServer Imagery Other air photo sources UW Robinson Map Library Older air photos for scanning. DNR State cartographer's office USGS
History
Pre-settlement Ecology Article on driftless area ecological history by Bob Wernerehl. Original surveyor notes for Wisconsin See also the "Original Vegetation" layer in the WI DNR Surface Water Data Viewer listed above.	Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center (MVAC) at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Early cultures in Wisconsin Rock art sites in Wisconsin
Plant Information
Native plants Stevens Point Herbarium Wisconsin State Herbarium (WISFLORA) Wild Ones bird plant list Center for Plant Conservation (Missouri Bot. Garden) Photos of Missouri Plants USDA Plant Database Native Plant Information Network Plants of Concern (rare plants)	Invasive plants Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin Wisconsin DNR invasive plants page Wisconsin Natural Communities Ecological Communities & Horticultural Collections (UW Arboretum) Natural Communities of Wisconsin (DNR) Environmental Education in Wisconsin WI DNR fact sheets on communities and species
On-line restoration information
Prairie and Wetland restoration UW Library resource list	DNR publications
Where to get help
Land Management MRPHA Toolbox DNR seed and assistance sources (some entries may be out of date) Land Trusts Driftless Area Land Conservancy Natural History Land Trust Gathering Waters Conservancy	Non-Profit Organizations Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area The Prairie Enthusiasts Wisconsin Family Forests Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association IATP Community Forestry Resource Center Sustainable Woods Network Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes Upper Sugar River Watershed Association

Last Updated: May 21, 2008
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