Developing Environmental Education Programming – Fostering Connections to Watershed Ecology

An Ecological Restoration

Nestled between rolling agricultural fields and the meandering Sugar River in Brodhead Wisconsin lies an environmental diamond in the rough. Welcome to the Three Waters Reserve – a new 57 acre public conservation park located on the former Decatur Lake golf course.

The Southern Wisconsin Land Conservancy (SWLC) ,and other generous philanthropists, have partnered to purchase this ecological gem of a property and are restoring it to its natural splendor. Restoration work has begun on this ecological gem!

Environmental Education Takes Root

The LSRWA has been connecting the people of Green County Wisconsin to its watershed ecology since 2011 with various programs including hands on conservation projects and classes, citizen science activities and open forums that are focused on informing and educating the public on the importance of healthy watershed ecology.

The organization now has a home! The former golf clubhouse, built in 1926, will soon be remodeled into the new “Watershed Science Center”. The Center will house meeting rooms, lab space, interactive exhibits, classrooms and a full kitchen complete with an area for cooking classes and restaurant that features a locally sourced menu prepared by an in house chef.

The Goals

I will be assisting the LSRWA and its president, Susan Lehnhardt, in developing an educational plan for the inaugural season of the Watershed Science Center. The plan will focus on curriculum that demonstrates how ecology, economy and culture interconnect. The Center will be a place of inquiry and discovery that connects the community to nature and each other. We will build on past programming to develop new classes, events and workshops. I will also help draft a plan for integrating school curriculum into the center.

Another goal is to assist in developing partnerships with environmental organizations across the region to utilize the facility and collaborate on events. I will produce a complete programming guide for the 2020-21 season including class listings and registration information and facility rental details.

I met Susan while working on the project for our conservation planning class. She works as a Senior Ecologist at Applied Ecological Services in Brodhead WI. Susan is a visionary and the leader of this watershed ecological literacy movement. I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to be part of the new Reserve. I was pulled in by the beauty of this property and the dedication, enthusiasm and commitment of the people in this community towards making this project a success.

A Recent Visit

I visited the Reserve recently on one the first delightfully warm days of late spring. The place has a buzz to it. The the powerful, mature, oak trees firmly rooted along rolling, verdant hillsides, the soft, gentle breeze that whips across the former greens up onto your face, the whistling wind dancing around the tall tree tops, the humid warm air hanging over the old clubhouse, the happy songs of abundant bird species, the fragrant whifs of wildflowers just starting to bloom. A place well worn by spiked golf shoes and golf carts and softened by time and rains and life itself. A place that captures the history of an era of grandeur and good times now moving back in time to its natural state. So glad to be part of it all.