Take a trip through the Mequon Nature Preserve

At the main entrance to Mequon Nature Preserve, wind spins a turbine and sunlight reaches a solar panel array, helping to power an education center. A short trail to the right opens up to a children’s play area, and a winding trail to the left leads to an observation tower. A view from the top of the tower reveals 444 acres of restored ecosystems, home to prairies for pollinators, hardwood forests for birds, wetlands for amphibians and countless other ecological relationships.

Nonprofit organization Mequon Nature Preserve (MNP) has transformed this former agriculture land into a sanctuary for land restoration and community engagement. 

Founded in 2000, MNP formed as a partnership between the City of Mequon, Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The preserve acquires land through partnerships and from property owners willing to sell, with assistance from grants or donations. MNP’s mission includes habitat restoration, environmental education, research and monitoring, agricultural heritage and recreation. 

The preserve has expanded considerably this year, thanks to collaboration with Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the City of Mequon. An addition of 66 acres just across Wauwatosa Road brings MNP to a total of 510 acres. 

It began partnering with MMSD in 2006 through the Greenseams program, a flood management project aimed at reducing future flooding in the Milwaukee Metro area. The program works with organizations like MNP to restore and protect key lands that contain water-absorbent soils. 

“The result is a program that works with nature to minimize adverse flooding impacts,” said Greenseams Program Manager Stephen McCarthy. 

“MNP has full time staff and expertise in managing, enhancing, and promoting natural corridors such as the 66 acres just given to the City,” said Dave Grusznski from MMSD’s Conservation Fund. 

Executive Director Kristin Gies appreciated MNP before it even became a nature preserve. She had studied a parcel of land with a college professor, learning about the various ecosystems of Wisconsin while attending Concordia University.

“It’s really the most premier, hardwood mesic forest in Wisconsin in my opinion,” said Gies. 

Mesic habitats contain a moderate, or well balanced supply of moisture. Such forests and prairies like those at MNP can store water and provide moisture to higher elevations during drought. Wetlands like marshes and swamps are also crucial for absorbing water, as well as purifying polluted water.

Less than a year after graduating with her degree in botany, Gies applied for her dream job on the land that motivated her zeal to save the planet. 

“That’s the land that inspired me, so I thought it would be great to make it a career,” said Gies. “I threw in my application, and I was blessed to get it.”

Two watersheds occupy the preserve: the Menomonee River to the west, and the Milwaukee River to the east. Once a maple and basswood forest with wetlands, the land became primarily agricultural when 19th century farmers cleared natural habitats and installed drain tiles for growing crops. These terracotta or cement tiles buried in the soil release sediments and excess nutrients that degrade water quality, water that eventually reaches Lake Michigan as it flows from the headwaters of Trinity Creek on the southeast corner of the preserve.   

According to Director of Restoration and Operations Cory Gritzmacher, breaking up drain tile, as well as analyzing soil conditions, sometimes reveals a former wetland. After scraping excess sediment upward, a wetland can quickly restore itself. MNP has restored over 30 acres of an estimated 60 acres of wetlands on the property. 

Gritzmacher began his involvement with MNP in 2008. He initially volunteered to work on invasive species removal through the Wisconsin Arborist Association, and continued helping Gies with various restoration projects. Gritzmacher’s employment at the preserve blossomed from a phone call with Gies – their children attend the same school, and a casual conversation about work led to his full-time position. 

“My position has definitely grown in a positive way,” said Gritzmacher.

According to Gritzmacher, the preserve’s first step for restoring the new 66 acres will involve invasive species control. Eventually, they may implement a public trail looping through the property. 

Ever since the preserve’s early days, volunteers have played a major role in transforming the land into ecosystems flourishing with life. 

“Back then it was 438 acres and one person,” said Gies. “I hardly made a dent pulling garlic mustard when I was alone and the forests were covered. Now, thanks to volunteers and many hands, we don’t really even have garlic mustard in our forests. It takes a team maybe a few hours every year to get it under control.” 

“Being a small non-profit, volunteers are sometimes the lifeblood of the organization,” said Gritzmacher. 

Volunteers (or at MNP, “Restoration Rangers”) consist of groups like college students seeking a semester service project, or individual hikers and community members, some of whom have been involved with the preserve for more than 10 years. 

Volunteers often participate in seed collecting and seeding, tree planting, trail mulching and invasive species removal. They also assist at events or welcome visitors at the front desk of the education center. 

“Any of our volunteer activities right now are mainly outside, which helps because we can easily social distance,” said Gritzmacher. “In a lot of our restoration, you’re usually six feet away from each other anyways.”  

When it comes to locating invasive plants or native animal species, scent may be the most effective detector. Luckily, MNP has a staff member with a strong sense of smell, and she’s specially trained for conservation work: the first on-staff conservation dog in Wisconsin, Tilia. 

“I get to be called Mom,” said Gies. “I get to snuggle with her, but I do zero of the actual work, and so she’s often bored with me. She is really Cory’s co-worker.”

Gies and Grtizmacher share Tilia’s custody. She works with Gritzmacher at the preserve during the day, and goes home as Gies’s family dog after work. Tilia has been training for conservation work since she was a puppy, learning how to detect certain scents – similar to a dog training for narcotic detection. Now, she can locate invasive plants like wild parsnip or garlic mustard which need removal, or find native species like salamanders that MNP works to reintroduce into woodlands. 

MNP models Tilia’s training off of programs from Working Dogs for Conservation, a Montana-based organization that specializes in training dogs for ecological monitoring and biosecurity. 

“It’s [conservation dogs] been around a long time, but it’s something that’s been really underutilized,” said Grtizmacher. “Her [Tilia’s] proficiency and ability to find things relatively quickly, sometimes with up to 100% accuracy, you can’t match that with any human counterpart.” 

Not only do Grtizmacher and Tilia work together, they started at MNP during the very same week. Gies found herself too busy running the preserve as director, and Gritzmacher joked that he was “the last one holding the leash” when it was time to partner Tilia with a handler. 

“It was meant to be,” said Gies.

Tilia has recently become a part of the virtual Kids Craft Corner, a series of videos for nature-themed crafts in lieu of in-person activities at the education center. Gies loves to read, and posts “storytime” videos of her reciting children’s books with Tilia that correspond with the craft themes.  

The pandemic gave MNP an opportunity to get more involved with social media and videos in general, especially to continue offering educational resources while the education center remains closed. 

“It started to snowball when a professor from Concordia University emailed us,” said Grtizmacher. “They said hey, since my class is all virtual, can you guys put together a video for me about all of your five ecosystems?”

With the help of tech-savvy preserve employees like Education and Research Ecologist Jamie Schiesel, MNP now has a Youtube channel, featuring anything from a profile of their observation tower to “Birding 101.” 

Covid-19 restrictions may have limited collective gathering at the preserve last year, but MNP did witness increased recreational trail usage. Grtizmacher said the foot traffic packed down the grass so much that staff didn’t need to mow the trails as often. 

“It did provide a great refuge for a lot of people during this time,” said Gritzmacher. 

MNP has gradually returned to in-person events with health precautions in mind. They started with a trick-or-treat along the trails last Halloween, followed recently by a winter-themed family festival and a maple tree tapping event with limited participants. 

Plans for the upcoming spring months include volunteer workdays and staff-led educational hikes. 

Jim Angresano discovered MNP when he and his wife moved from Idaho. In 2014, he started volunteering.

“It’s really a pleasure when you’re retired and you want to do something meaningful,” said Angresano. “And I always learn something when I go there.” 

Angresano also picked up a hobby for wildlife photography. When Gritzmacher learned of this, they agreed MNP was an ideal place to base a photography club. 

“I love everybody there, and it’s a convenient location,” said Angresano. “I’ve worked in many places, but I’ve never been anywhere like the preserve where everybody who works there likes each other. They’re really wonderful to be around.” 

The photography club enjoys capturing the variety of plant and animal species at the preserve. One of their favorite subjects is birds – they hope to see owl or sandhill crane chicks come springtime. Club meetings have moved to Zoom during the pandemic, but the club hopes to resume bi-weekly outings in April. 

Angresano values the preserve’s contributions to Mequon communities. It’s even inspired him to bring wildlife restoration to his own home. 

“It’s corrupted me,” he joked. “I’m now planting pollinator gardens all over our yard.”

Angresano also participates in the nature-themed book club at the preserve. Other clubs include the Bee Club and the Bluebird Club. 

MNP enjoyed another “first in Wisconsin” moment in addition to having a conservation dog on-staff: they are the first nature center in Wisconsin to offer a free app with an interactive trail map. For example, when a hiker reaches Harvey’s Woods, they can tap the app’s corresponding icon to learn about the area’s history, soil quality, tree species and animal habitat potential.

Gies hopes to add more elements to the app in the future, including an augmented reality that will show the progress of restoration over time. 

“We listen to the land,” said Gies. “We really watch and listen to what it wants to be, when it can be freed again from drain tile. It’s really adaptive restoration. It’s an ever evolving process.”

“The preserve is open all the time,” said Angresano. “Anybody from anywhere can come and enjoy it. It’s really a gem.”