Our Purpose
12-acre expansion area
An additional 12-acre parcel at the southwest end of the park has been purchased to be added to the off-leash area. Work has been done to clear dead trees and fence the property.
This area is a pinery immediately adjacent to the dog park. When completed and opened for use, a new trail will wind through mature colonies of white pines, red pines, and jack pines.
The expansion is expected to be completed in Fall 2025 if all goes well.
Tow behind water tank
We have been using a 200-gallon tow behind tank to water 80 newly planted trees and pressure wash the fixed benches in the park. It will also be used during the prescribed burn season. You will likely see it in action over the Summer season.
We acquired this important piece of equipment with thanks to a private donor’s gift and an award from the Foundation for Dane County Parks grant program.
Prairie restoration
The Prairie Moraine Friends is a volunteer group that assists with the management and maintenance of the park. All work done is in accordance with the Master Plan for Prairie Moraine County Park and under the direction of Dane County Parks.
The activités include; planting oak trees and shrubs, removal of non-native invasive vegetation, collecting and sowing seeds from native plants, and more.
More information about the park and related projects is available on the Dane County Parks website for Prairie Moraine.
Bluebird monitoring
Twenty bluebird nesting boxes were added to the park in 2022 with thanks to the generous gift from the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW). We continue to maintain and monitor the boxes.
Pollinator garden
The garden is located near the entrance of the dog park, in a triangular section formed by a convergence of several trails. Measuring roughly 50 feet on each side, the site surrounds an oak tree and includes over 30 species of native Wisconsin wildflowers.
Special care was taken to ensure that something will always be blooming in the garden, from early Spring til late Fall. Plants were selected with an eye to attracting and supporting a full range of native pollinators including butterflies, birds, and bees.
A grant through the Dane County Environmental Council funded over 200 live plants, a bilingual interpretive sign and its mounting frame, and plant identification signage.
See something you like? Planning your own pollinator garden? Agrecol, the vendor used by UW-Extension for this project, sells native Wisconsin plants to private individuals.
Karcher-Pohl Memorial Gift
Rey’s Place
On behalf of all park users, the Prairie Moraine Friends group would like to thank the Karcher-Pohl family, Matthew Karcher and Megan Pohl, for their unique gift to Prairie Moraine County Park that memorializes Matthew's dog, Rey and one of his favorite places, beneath this tree. The area is affectionately known as “Rey’s Place.”
The open-grown oak, estimated to be more than 200 years old, sits at the top of a natural amphitheater immediately to the southeast of the tree. The donation includes installing a dolomite limestone block seating area on the east side of the tree which serves as a place for park users to sit and enjoy the tree’s viewshed. The view includes the Johnstown Moraine, a glacial melt water outwash ravine..