At our annual member meeting on January 11, Elliott Funmaker and the Wisconsin Dells Singers and Dance Troupe shared their Ho-Chunk traditions, handmade regalia, songs, and dances. The Yahara River watershed and DeJope/Four Lakes (Madison) region are a small part of Ho-Chunk ancestral lands.

We kearned that the dancers made the regalia they were wearing, which included intricate beadwork, a jingle dress with hundreds of hanging "jingles" made from chewing tobacco tins, and golden eagle feathers. (Native Americans may legally possess eagle feathers.)

At the close of the presentation, the troupe invited all to join in a traditional dance of friendship and provided time for attendees to ask questions, share thoughts, and engage in one-on-one discussions with the dancers.



Preceding the presentation, director Sheila Leary reviewed 2019 and provided a look ahead to the future, and Lesleigh Luttrell gave the Treasurer's report.

President Jan Axelson thanked retiring directors Janet Battista, Jim Krause, and Anita Weir. Jan also shared memories of long-time Friends members and volunteers Dick Walker and Robert Schmidt, both of whom passed in 2019.

Our members elected directors to serve in 2020-2021: Jan Axelson, Mary Binkley, Sheila Leary, Jim Mand, and Paul Noeldner. Continuing directors in the middle of their two-year terms are Timothy Baker, Russ Hefty, Lesleigh Luttrell, and Mary Manering.

After the member meeting and presentation, the directors met to elect officers for the coming year: President Jan Axelson, Vice President Timothy Baker, Co-secretaries Mary Binkley and Mary Manering, and Treasurer Lesleigh Luttrell.

For donating door prizes, we thank Mary Binkley, Loren Hatleberg, Sheila Leary, Lesleigh Luttrell, Tom Murn, and Paul Noeldner.

Big thanks to our many volunteers who helped make January 25th's candlelight walk a success. Making 450 luminaria, setting them out, lighting them, and picking them all up after the event is no small task. 

The unexpectedly large turnout for this year's event led to serious traffic jams on the entrance road. We thank everyone for their patience with the delays. For future events of this size, we will have a traffic management plan.

The candlelight event is just one of many activities throughout the year that depend on volunteers. To stay informed about upcoming volunteer events, including many events that don't make it into the newsletter due to time constraints, visit Cherokeemarsh.org and sign up to receive email announcements. 

We are happy to announce that Madison Parks has released updated and improved trail maps for Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park's North and South Units. The maps include trails constructed on recent additions to the park and also show viewpoints, Native American mounds, and other points of interest. 
 

Cherokee Marsh - North Unit, located at the north end of North Sherman Avenue, has 3.6 miles of trails. The new Woodpecker Trail passes through restored prairie and open oak woods on 46 acres acquired by the City of Madison in 2008 and 2009. 


 

Cherokee Marsh - South Unit, with a main entrance at the corner of Wheeler Road and School Road, also has 3.6 miles of trails. The addition of 73 acres on the east end of the park in 2010 allowed for expanding an existing trail loop and adding a new loop to the east.
 

You can view the maps at the Friends of Cherokee Marsh’s website at cherokeemarsh.org/visit. The Friends also provide printed maps at the North Unit’s kiosk. By the time you read this, an updated large map may be posted on the kiosk.

Cherokee Marsh - North Unit map

Cherokee Marsh - South Unit map

A version of this story appeared in the Northside News. 

 

Thanks to thank all who have renewed their memberships for 2020 or recently joined. If you haven't renewed or would like to become a member, please visit Cherokeemarsh.org to renew or join online or download a form to mail.

Lesleigh Luttrell

 

On the income side, thanks to generous members and donors the Friends received more than $5600 in regular contributions in 2019. Additional donations for environmental education and the Cherokee Marsh Conservation Fund brought in more than $3000. We again received a retirement fund distribution from a long-time supporter.

We are grateful to family and friends who sent in more than $1600 in donations in 2019 in memory of loved ones. A couple of fundraisers (thanks to hosts Ale Asylum and Benvenuto’s) added to the total. 

 

We sent $1200 to the Madison Metropolitan School District for support of hands-on environmental education. Our expenses included supplies and other support for events, including our first Sunday walks at the marsh, first evening Moth Walk, our annual meeting, and having a table at the Wisconsin Wetlands Conference. We renewed our memberships in the Clean Lakes Alliance, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and Groundswell Conservancy.

We added donations to the Cherokee Marsh Conservation Fund. Monies received for the fund late in the year, more than $2000, have now been sent to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to add to the fund. We are waiting for the official end of year amount in the fund, but a recent report put the balance at over $38,000. Every year distributions from the fund support restoration efforts in the Cherokee Marsh State Natural Area.

Tues, Feb 4, 1 - 3 pm

Help cut invasive honeysuckle and buckthorn to open the understory in the woods.

 

Dress appropriately for the weather and working on uneven ground. Wear closed-toe shoes or boots and gloves. We'll have loppers to use.

 

 

Directions: From the intersection of N. Sherman Ave and Northport Dr, take Northport Dr north for about 1.6 miles and turn left onto Knutson Dr. Continue for about 0.5 mile. Park on the street. The approximate address for navigating is 32 Knutson Dr

 

If you are planning to attend, it's helpful to let us know by contacting janaxelson@gmail.com. This helps in our planning, and we can let you know of any changes or cancellations. 

 

Questions? Contact janaxelson@gmail.com or 608 215 0426 
 

 

Volunteer work day with Dane County Parks

Please arrive by 8:50 am as we would like to be ready to start 9 am sharp.

Chainsaw Safety Training Certification is required if using a chainsaw during this project. Volunteers are also needed to gather and stack brush.

Dress for the weather. Bring drinking water.

Please be sure to sign up in advance as it helps in planning for the project: cancellations due to weather or other details we need to share.

Sign up

Any questions please feel free to contact:

Rhea: (608)-224-3601
Lars: (608)- 286-9497

Yahara Heights County Park: Caton Lane entrance.  From central Madison, going north on Hwy 113, turn RIGHT (east) on River Road, then RIGHT (south) on Riverview Road to “T” intersection with Caton Lane, Directly in front across Caton Lane is a metal gate into the park. The address for navigating is Caton Ln, Waunakee, WI 53597. map
 

F-35s, PFAS, Truax and you: a forum

Board meetings