By Beth Sluys
Friends of Hartmeyer Natural Area

As a shoveler duck tipped up and browsed the bottom of the pond for something to eat, the local sandhill crane family, with this year’s colt, flew overhead loudly calling out to one another. All the while, members of the Friends of Hartmeyer Natural Area were picking up trash on a beautiful autumn day. 

Ancient oaks, Bur Oaks we think, were measured around the base to sort out their possible age, which some speculate is over 250 years old. If only they could speak and share their stories with us. The changes they have experienced, the history of place: from an indigenous village to farmland and a baseball field to a returning post-industrial urban wetland. So many people have lived here, passed through here, and call this place a natural marvel for Madison’s Northside.

As the dust settles from the Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan process, the Friends of Hartmeyer are dedicated to this special place that provides respite to wildlife and area residents. The group continues to look to the future of this small, 16-acre parcel of urban wetland, home to migratory birds, including sandhill cranes. 

This is private property but visitors can wander up Roth Street to enjoy the scenes at the Hartmeyer Natural Area until it becomes a place where the public can gather and enjoy.

During the pandemic, the Friends of Hartmeyer meet via WebEx at 6 pm on the third Thursday of every month. Contact Paul Noeldner at paul_noeldner@hotmail.com to register to attend our next meeting. Please “like” the Friends of Hartmeyer on our Facebook page at facebook.com/Hartmeyer Natural Area.