The Friends of Pheasant Branch is a non-profit organization whose mission is “To restore, preserve and promote the value of conservancy lands and other habitats in the Pheasant Branch watershed for today and tomorrow.

Pheasant Branch Conservancy is located in Middleton on the north shore of Lake Mendota. Its springs pump thousands of gallons of fresh water into Lake Mendota every minute. The area was a camping site for Native Americans passing through as well as for French Canadian voyageurs. Dane County owns the northern portion of the Conservancy.

The Friends have been volunteering with Dane County Parks since 1996. Primarily they have been involved with habitat restoration, particularly on the large distinct hill that is a hallmark of the site. Brush cutting and piling, seed scattering, burdock control, and controlled burns have kept them busy. They have helped the Park Department redirect traffic away from environmentally sensitive areas on the hill. Volunteers planned, funded and completed construction of a beautiful observation deck at the top of the hill as well as a protective observation deck that provides easy, safe access for viewing the springs.

In recent years the Friends have been planting prairies, keeping the hill clear of buckthorn and honeysuckle and collecting prairie seeds. Volunteers are always welcome at their work parties, which are usually held on a Saturday morning.

Middleton High School students who volunteered at the Conservancy received the Youth Stewardship Award from the Natural Heritage Land Trust (formerly the Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation) in 1997. In 1999 the Friends were recognized by the Yahara Lakes Association for their leadership role on the North Fork Pheasant Branch Watershed Committee, along with the Middleton City Council and the Bruce Company. In 2001 they received an Orchid Award for their work in protecting the Pheasant Branch Watershed.

The Friends received a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lake Protection Grant in 1998 for hydrology studies in the Pheasant Branch watershed. In 2002 the Department of Natural Resources awarded the Friends a second $10,000 River Protection Grant. The Friends will use the money to leverage additional funding for programs that promote low-impact development in the Pheasant Branch Watershed, and for more restoration and education projects, land purchases, and scientific studies in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Also in 2002 the Friends and the Dane County Parks Department joined with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association to launch an ambitious project at the north end of the Conservancy. The project will combine water quality treatment with prairie and wetland restoration. A group of restoration ecology students from the UW-Madison will help design a mechanism to monitor and gather data on effects of the restoration.

The Friends of Pheasant Branch sponsor a public lecture series on issues relating to the environment and the watershed. They are usually held at the Middleton Community Bank at 3207 West Beltline Highway. Information about the lectures, volunteering and other Friends activities is available through their office at 1830 Parmenter St. in Middleton (608-826-3641; fax 608-836-5928.) Please address mail to Friends of Pheasant Branch, PO Box 628242, Middleton, WI 53562 or office@pheasantbranch.org.