Redwing blackbirds enjoy the habitat around the Arboretum's ponds.
Seed Collection Workshop
Free Class at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
Saturday, October 24 from 10-12:00
Educational seminars at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum continue this fall with a class on seed collecting. The class will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 10-12:00. The class is free and open to the public. Participants should meet at the picnic shelter near the east parking lot at UW Fond du Lac.
The class will include a discussion on seeds, including when and how to collect your favorite native flowers and grasses. Participants will walk through the prairie and learn how to identify plants in the seed stage, collect seed, and then clean it in the shelter. Some of the seed will be broadcasted in bare areas in the prairie; some will be available to take home. Students should bring work gloves, scissors and paper bags of all sizes.
For questions, please call Connie Ramthun, Education Coordinator for the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum, at (920) 533-8939. Connie has been working with native plant seed production since the mid-1980s and has lots of knowledge to share.
Other classes during the past summer included Landscaping with Native Plants, Invasive Species, a Prairie Hike, Wildflower ID class, and Fall Wildflower Walk. These classes were made available with the help of We Energies, through the Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation.
The Arboretum hopes to continue offering classes in 2010 starting in January. Check their website, www.fdl.uwc.edu/arboretum for additional information.
Welcome to the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
At one time, most of Fond du Lac County was covered by prairie -- native grasslands that were home to bison, prairie chickens, bobolinks and other wildlife. At the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum on the UW-Fond du Lac campus, a group of volunteers has reestablished the native plants that once grew on this site. The project began in 1991, with the goal of representing the original plant communities of Wisconsin in a small arboretum. At present, volunteers have planted 37 acres of native prairie grasses and wildflowers, developed two wildlife ponds and planted 176 native trees and shrubs. Most of the wildflower seeds were collected from some of the last remaining original prairie sites in Fond du Lac County. To educate local residents, there’s an interpretive trail, as well as six benches, two picnic tables and a kiosk for recreation. The Formal Arboretum is an innovative attempt to depict the native plants and plant communities of Wisconsin in a design representing the “Tension Zone” of our state. This is the area of overlap of northern and southern Wisconsin plant communities, which occurs in the Fond du Lac area. It consists of savannah, lowland forests and northern mixed forests, plus their associated wildflowers. The Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum is named for Bradley Gottfried, former dean of UW-Fond du Lac, and a major force behind the project’s initiation and development. Dean Gottfried's vision and persistence have resulted in the restoration of a portion of native prairie for county residents to enjoy.
Support the Arboretum by dedicating a bench to someone special. For $145, we’ll install a handsome new “Leopold” bench at the Arboretum and affix a small plaque with a dedication message of your choice. Benches for Sale (PDF file)
For more information send inquiries to Erika Jensen at erikajen@sbcglobal.net.
Arobretum website: The Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
Click here for a larger image of the Gottfried Arboretum at UW-Fond du Lac.