Wild Reads

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Wild Reads is where we share stories about and from partners, landowners, and friends throughout the conservation community. Let us know if you have a story, book review, poem, or photos to share. We don't promise to publish everything we receive, but we'd love to know what you're reading, writing, and what you think is worth sharing.

Climate Change
Conservancy Stories
The Conservancy's field crew has been busy these last few weeks of June and into early July working to combat an invasive specie that threatens our native prairie remnants and…
Climate Change
Conservancy Stories
Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s land management crew (Freddy Ragan, Jon Baranowski, Ben Halfmann, and Reece Mullen) has been busy as ever caring for our nature preserves as the summer has gotten…
What’s Cooking?
If you’re like me, you have basil bulging from your garden and pots! Here is a great way to use and even preserve the fresh yumminess without breaking the bank…
Conservancy Stories
News Releases
LA CROSSE, WI – MAY 5, 2020 – Each year, hundreds of individuals volunteer time and talent to support the land and water conservation mission of Mississippi Valley Conservancy. The…
Conservancy Stories
What’s Cooking?
It’s garlic mustard season! With all burning cancelled, due to the current health emergency, our habitat restoration efforts are now focused on other seasonal tasks. As land manager Levi Plath…
Conservancy Stories
Hikes
Sightings
Grant Smith shares insights from his visits to Holland Sand Prairie and Borah Creek Prairie. I celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by driving through the Driftless Region to…
Climate Change
Conservancy Stories
News Releases
LA CROSSE, WI – April 20, 2020 – With the signing of a recent agreement to permanently protect 88 acres of land in Monroe County, the total acres now conserved…
SPARTA, WI–April 15, 2020–With the protection of 88 acres of land in Monroe County, Wisc., this month, Mississippi Valley Conservancy now protects more than 21,000 acres in its efforts to…
Conservancy Stories
When Tim Wucherer signed up to be site steward for Angel Bluff, one of the 22 nature preserves owned by the Conservancy, he knew exactly what he was getting into…
Conservancy Stories
Hikes
Sightings
One of the buzz words that we hear often today is mindfulness, or the practice of “being in the moment.” This practice takes a designed effort. For example, every morning…
Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s mission is to conserve native habitats and farmlands in the Driftless Area for the health and well-being of current and future generations. We encourage outdoor recreation and…
At this point, it is agreed upon that a changing climate is a cause for concern; that land restoration and protection is an absolute necessity. But what gets ignored is…
Conservancy Stories
Hikes
Sightings
Reflections on a hike from the Easter Road trailhead (Hass Tract) I hiked the Hass Tract of the La Crosse Blufflands South alone. A friend's wife had died unexpectedly the…
Book Reviews
There are days when loving nature and being human seem like incompatible actions. As an avid hiker, I think a lot about how my enjoyment of the natural world is…
Book Reviews
A paperback book by Gary G. Ruhser and Jean C. Beyer Ruhser Including 99 color photos with accompanying nature writings by the authors. Available now on Amazon for $28.95 if…