Baraboo Hills

The Baraboo Hills project was the first funded and completed project in Wisconsin's Forest Legacy Program. This project began in 2003 and was completed in 2007. The Baraboo Hills project involved 16 landowners, protected almost 1,000 acres of land and had the support of multiple governmental agencies, national and local conservation groups and the public.

The Baraboo Hills easements are excellent candidates for the Forest Legacy Program. The Baraboo Hills Range is home to 25 known state or federally listed species, and numerous other rare plants and animals. Through the conservation easements these habitats will be protected and provide important linkage to state parks, state natural areas, the Riverland Conservancy Preserve, the Badger Army Plant project and more. This area is designated by The Nature Conservancy as one of the Western Hemisphere' "Last Great Places," and these easements will preserve the qualities important for this designation. The Baraboo Hills project will also help to protect the largest remaining portion of southern upland forest in the Midwest for generations to come.

The Baraboo Hills Range area in south central Wisconsin has immense developmental pressure occurring with the continuous population increase in the area. The expansion of US Highway 12 from Baraboo to Madison has sharply increased the developmental pressures as more Madison residents see the commute as more feasible and attractive. This area has also seen an on-going conversion of natural communities to agricultural lands. The Baraboo Hills conservation easements will ensure these lands remain in their forested state.

The Baraboo Hills project is distinctly different from other Forest Legacy projects in Wisconsin. Unlike the large tracts of land that are purchased in the northern part of the state, Baraboo Hills comprises several smaller purchases. Due to the large number of landowners in the area, it was not only impossible but unfeasible to purchase any large tracts of land. However, given the area's unique geologic and ecologic features, the long history of conservation and cooperation among landowners and conservation groups, and previous financial support towards conservation efforts, adding these parcels to the Legacy Program and to the Baraboo Hills Area has been a major accomplishment.