A Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin Grant Made a Difference at the Hillside Prairie Savanna

Article by Jocelyn Milner

The south-facing slope of the Hillside Prairie Savanna was becoming overgrown with brush, shrubs and small trees. Among these small trees was a treasure - a grove of oak saplings growing in an opening beyond the shade of the ancient oaks that dominate this small savanna. 

A WDNR forester assessed the trees and marked the oaks that should be saved with blue paint. In one workday in September 2025, five volunteers arrived to confront a nearly impenetrable mass of trees and brush. Three hours later a stand of beautiful young oaks were standing in the sunshine. By thinning this grove the small oaks have room to grow and spread. 

September 2025 - Before (left) and after (right) the workday

However, the rest of the savanna was still suffering encroachment from black walnut trees, honeysuckle, buckthorn, and other undesirable species. The Alliance needed more help than volunteer efforts to open up this three acre savanna. 

In November 2025 we received the wonderful news that we’d been awarded an NRF grant to hire a commercial mowing crew to remove brush and shrubs from this site within the WDNR-owned Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area. We transferred the funds to the WDNR, who arranged for a commercial work crew to do this work in late September 2026.   

What a difference! After the work it was immediately obvious how much the savanna had been opened up, giving back the view of individual old oaks and the landscape beyond. The crew had cut through the woody undergrowth to reduce the undergrowth and restore the savanna.  

There is still lots of work for the Alliance’s volunteer crews to do, but the immediate and visible impact of the work of this commercial crew gives a boost of energy and enthusiasm to all of us who work as volunteers to maintain the Hillside Prairie and adjacent savanna ecosystem.  

September 23, 2026: Preparing to get to work with dense growth behind the truck obscuring the individual mature trees. 

September 29, 2026: Small trees and shrubs cleared to reveal individual trees and the open savanna. 

Acknowledgements:

We thank the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin for awarding the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance with a C.D. Besadny Conservation Fund grant in November 2025. 

We are grateful to Nancy Frost, WDNR Wildlife Management Southern District Biologist, who arranged for a forester to review the site, provided advice, and arranged for the commercial brush and tree clearing crew from Quercus Land Stewardship Services.  

Photo credits: Jocelyn Milner