OSPC

MISSION

Wildlife

The mission of the Open Space & Parks Commission is focused on conservation-oriented efforts for open space rather than developing parks and recreation areas for several reasons:

There is no budget appropriated for development or maintenance of Town-owned trails or parks.
City of Verona and Dane County parks and recreation areas are readily available to Town residents. See Recreation Opportunities on this web site.
The results of the 2001 Land Use Survey indicated that a significant percentage of the respondents were interested in preserving the rural character of Verona.
Development pressure is having a visible impact on the Town's remaining natural resources.

VERONA UPPER SUGAR RIVER VALLEY PARTNERSHIP

Suger River Valley

The primary focus of the OSPC's conservation effort to date is the Verona Upper Sugar River Valley, in partnership with the Natural Heritage Land Trust, Upper Sugar River Watershed Association, and Capitol Water Trails. This partnership exists to leverage the work of each organization to achieve common goals, such as the preservation of the unique natural resources along the Upper Sugar River.

SITE CONSERVATION PLANNING

Stewart's Woods along Verona bypass

To clarify mutual goals, the Natural Heritage Land Trust sponsored a series of conservation workshops to explore actions that could be taken to protect the Upper Sugar River watershed. Participants included representatives from Dane County, UW-Extension, UW-Madison, The Nature Conservancy, the WI DNR, and other conservation professionals, in addition to those in the partnership; in total, more than 25 people attended multiple sessions to contribute to the workshop report. They identified four primary targets for attention:

Native/Natural Habitat
Cultural Identify/Landscape
Water Quality/Quantity
Recreational/Educational Opportunities

The participants then identified strategies and actions for implementing an Upper Sugar River Watershed Site Conservation Plan to address these targets.

CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Sunset on the farm

The report identified several objectives, including reducing the impact of development, decreasing problematic land use, and identifying sources of funding. Development will continue to occur in the Town, and we will continue to face land use challenges as this area grows. The OSPC strategy is to continue to serve as "the voice" for our remaining natural resources by advising the Plan Commission regarding the impact of land use decisions on those resources.

The OSPC believes that the best conservation strategy for the Verona Upper Sugar River Valley at this time is to promote voluntary conservation easements [see What is a Conservation Easement? in FAQs). The Natural Heritage Land Trust is interested in working with landowners in the Verona Upper Sugar River Valley who might be interested in a conservation easement. (For more detailed information on conservation easements and how they work, please refer to our Conservation Handout, or go to: www.lta.org/conserve/faq.shtml#ce_head.)

Landowners in certain portions of the Verona Sugar River Valley who place conservation easements on their lands may be eligible to receive significant compensation for restricting development and protecting conservation values on their lands.

The OSPC is currently working on a plan for landowner outreach, including educational materials that may also be presented in a public educational forum on the topic of Conservation in the Verona Upper Sugar River Valley. If you are interested in participating or attending, please contact Bruce Allison, OSPC Chair.

Conservation Efforts

Conservation
Efforts