Tree & Brush Workday at Walking Iron 

During winter workdays, staff and volunteers work to restore oak savannas, oak woodlands, and other lands by cutting, treating, and removing invasive brush (e.g. honeysuckle, buckthorn) and trees (e.g. black locust, boxelder) that stifle the growth of native vegetation. We start with a group briefing and then break up into a sawyer/hauler pair to work in smaller sections of our restoration sites. We take break as a group around 10:30 to enjoy snacks and each other's company, enjoy the warmth of a brush pile fire (if snow is present) and assess how everyone is doing and if we need to change up tasks. View our Tree & Brush Removal webpage here for more information.

• • Haulers assist sawyers by moving cut items away from the sawyer's work location. We will have a skid steer to do the heavy-lifting, but haulers will need to help pile these items in areas where the machine can access them. Haulers will also be responsible for treating cut stumps with herbicides to prevent re-growth. If you'd rather not work with herbicides you can let us know and we will have someone assist on that side of things. 

Location:

Walking Iron County Park - Beckman Rd. entrance

6064 Beckman Rd., Mazomanie 53560 

• There's a small gravel parking lot off of Beckman Road with a Walking Iron County Park sign. Volunteers can drive through the open gate and down the grassy road leading into the park to meet us in the field near the park's information kiosk, or feel free to park in the gravel lot and walk down.
• We begin promptly at 9am, those arriving late can call Lars, Shane, or Leah to get to directions to our working area.

How to Prepare: 

What to Know:

• All necessary materials are provided for workdays. 
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as hearing and eye protection is provided for those without their own.
• Training is provided. 
• In case of cancellation due to weather, a notification will be made via email and phone to participants who have signed up.

What to Bring: 

• Bring drinking water and a snack. This work can be difficult if you don't fuel correctly! Our staff will provide a water cooler for refilling water bottles and a folding table. You are welcome to bring a snack to share if you'd like.

What to Wear: 

• Participants should be ready to work in winter conditions and should dress for the weather (thick socks, layers, etc.), wear non-synthetic clothing (wool, cotton canvas, etc.) that you don't mind dirtying or getting holes in. If there is snow we will likely be burning brush piles and there will be embers that may catch on your clothing. 

Accessibility:

• Volunteers should be comfortable with walking on uneven terrain and lifting/dragging branches and small logs.
• Our department is committed to providing meaningful access to our programs and resources to all individuals, regardless of primary language or ability. If you need language assistance services or an accessibility modification for this program, please email parksvolunteer@danecounty.gov a minimum of 10 business days before the program to make the request. Please note, it is not possible for all programs to be modified.
• Bathroom availability is limited at these workdays. View the Open Restrooms webpage for more information. If there is no bathroom at a workday site, either use one before the workday or search nearby public locations. 

Questions?

• Lars Higdon, Botanist/Naturalist
• (608) 286-9497 higdon.lars@danecounty.gov
• Shane Otto, Botanist/Naturalist
• (608) 575-0396 otto.shane@danecounty.gov
• Leah Kleiman, Land Restoration Specialist
• (608) 843-1863 kleiman.leah@danecounty.gov