Hillside Prairie Sanctuary Open House
“A Celebration of Bobolinks”
Registration is closed, but you’re welcome to join us at Hillside for the day! You can explore independently, and join any events that still have openings when you arrive. Our staff are no longer monitoring email and will be on-site, so unable to respond to inquiries.
Hillside Prairie Sanctuary is our newest sanctuary and we are excited for you to explore it! During this open house event, we will have staff on site from 7am-5pm to welcome you, make suggestions for where to hike, and answer your questions.
Where to Start Your Outing
The headquarters for the event is at 1813 Hillside Road, Cambridge WI (map here). At this location, there is a parking lot and we will have staff at a welcome table, ready to greet you, give you a map and other handouts for the site, and answer questions. This headquarters area will have an ADA accessible porta-potty and limited drinking water.
We will have our outdoor electric-powered wheelchair at this site for folks interested in borrowing it.
The headquarters location is where the following events will begin:
8am Bobolink walk
10:30, 1:30, 3:00, and 4:00 wagon rides
1:30 and 3:00pm, walking history presentations
3pm bird walk
Jean's Prairie
In addition to the headquarters location, we will host a number of events at the northern portion of the sanctuary, called Jean's Garden Prairie. This area was restored and planted in 2016. This prairie is located across the street from the East Koshkonong Church located at 454 E Church Rd, Cambridge (the church will be open to visitors from 2-4:30, in case you want to pop in and check it out). There are mowed trails here. Parking is available on the shoulder of the road. There will also be an ADA-accessible porta potty here.
Jean's Prairie is where the following events will start from:
10am nature walk
10:30am art on the prairie
2-4:45pm land management and restoration information and demonstrations
3pm iNaturalist activity
Dugout
Peg Sullivan, Co-President of the Cambridge Historic School Museum, and David Gunnulson. Peg and David will be at the dugout from 2:15-4:45pm to share stories. You can walk or ride the wagon to the dugout.
Weather & What to Wear
The forecast for Sunday looks beautiful with sun and the high at 79 degrees. Dress for the weather, and keep in mind you'll be in a natural area where pokey plants and biting insects reside so dress appropriately. We are solidly in tick season, so come prepared for those pesky buggers! Bring water and snacks if you wish.
Bobolink by Kelly Colgan Azar
12 spotted skimmer dragonfly by Arlene Koziol
Jean’s Prairie by Mark Martin/SoWBA
East Koshkonong church near Jean’s Prairie by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA
Schedule of Events:
7am-5pm, independent hiking and birdwatching. No limit or registration required.
FULL: 8-10am, Bobolink walk with Carolyn Byers. Limit: 20 people - FULL
10am-12pm, nature walk with Jessie Seiders. Limit: 20 people
10:30-11:30am, art on the prairie with Carolyn Byers. Limit: 15 people
10:30 (FULL), 1:30, 3:00, and 4:00 (FULL) wagon ride for a tour of the 280 acre grassland at Hillside Prairie Sanctuary with Mark Martin. Limit: 20 people per wagon ride
1:30 (FULL) and 3:00pm, walking history presentation about the land use over time beginning with the Ho-Chunk Nation, land seizure and treaty, Norwegian settlers, and Gunnulson family with Rob Nurre. Limit: 20 people
2:00-4:30pm, visitor access to the East Koshkonong Church, which Gunnel Olson (David’s great grandfather) helped design and build. This church is across the street from Jean’s Prairie on the north side of the sanctuary. No limit or registration required
2:15-4:45pm, history of the dugout conversations, with Peg Sullivan, Co-President of the Cambridge Historic School Museum, and David Gunnulson. Peg and David will be at the dugout to share stories. People can walk or ride the wagon to the dugout from Sprouting Acres. No limit or registration required
2:00-4:45pm, prairie restoration and land management with Emma Raasch, Goose Pond Sanctuary’s land steward. No limit or registration required
3:00-4:30pm, using iNaturalist to document species at Hillside Prairie with Jim Otto, volunteer community scientist. Limit: 6 people
3:00-4:30pm, bird walk (FULL) to enjoy the summer birds of Hillside Prairie with Cayla Matte, Goose Pond Sanctuary staff. Limit: 20 people
PLUS: From 5:00-7:00 we are also hosting a member appreciation event for Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance members at Sprouting Acres Pizza Farm, adjacent to Hillside Prairie Sanctuary. Members are welcome to register to attend using this link!
ACCESSIBILITY:
An outdoor, electric-powered wheelchair will be on site and available for you to use on a first-come, first-served basis.
Wagon tours are designed to allow you access to the prairie while seated on bench-style seats in a large, covered metal wagon pulled by a truck. There is space and a ramp for a wheelchair on this wagon.
Porta-potties will be available on site during the event.
The parking lot is small but level. We anticipate having the lot be graveled before the event, but otherwise will be mowed grass. Space will be reserved in the parking lot for one handicap vehicle.
Cover photo: Bobolink by Kaitlin Svabek
