By Jan Axelson
Friends of Cherokee Marsh

The Madison Common Council has approved purchasing 31 acres to add to Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park. The parcel is north of Wheeler Road between North Sherman Avenue and Hwy. CV. In recent years, the land has been leased as cropland, with a small woods in the northwest corner. The existing driving range is not part of the purchase.

The land lies just uphill from over 200 acres of city-owned wetlands. The Madison Parks Department reports the goal for the property is to plant the cropland to prairie, restore some of the woodland and create a trail from Wheeler Road, possibly including an observation point over the wetland. Parks staff will hold a neighborhood meeting to gather input before moving forward with restoration plans.

The Friends of Cherokee Marsh have long supported acquiring this parcel. The new prairie will serve as a buffer to keep phosphorus and other pollution out of the wetlands, which drain to the Yahara River and its lakes. The land will also provide food and shelter for ducks and other wildlife that use both wetland and upland habitat. And the parcel will provide a new opportunity for public access and enjoyment of Cherokee Marsh.

The $2.3 million purchase will be funded by Parkland Impact Fees paid by developers of new construction.