July 18, 2007

Leopold Memorial Reserve neighbor recognized for conservation efforts

The Aldo Leopold Foundation is fortunate to have some very good neighbors. One of them is Phill Pines, who owns 2,300 acres of land directly across the Wisconsin River from the historic Leopold Shack. Over time, Pines has protected the farm and forest land from development and turned his land into a high quality nature preserve that serves as roosting habitat for thousands of cranes and geese during their fall migration.

Phill and Joan Pines' property lies directly across the river from the beach behind Aldo Leopold's shack. Their continued conservation efforts are critcal to protecting the viewshed from this historic site.

Pines said he even spotted three whooping cranes among last fall's flock. Recently re-introduced into Wisconsin, the whooping crane is one of North America’s most vulnerable endangered species. "It's quite a thrill to see something like that on your own land," Pines said.

Pines has been actively engaged in conducting restoration projects on his property to return the land to earlier conditions, using historic aerial photographs and survey records to get an idea of what the land was like. He has embarked on a variety of prairie and wetland restoration projects, seeking out the assistance of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Farming and Conservation Together, and Wisconsin Wetlands Association, among others.

Most recently, Pines' property was nominated to be included as part of an Important Bird Area (IBA), along with the Leopold Memorial Reserve and adjacent Pine Island State Wildlife Area. Since the mid-1980s, IBAs have been used to promote preservation and management of bird habitat worldwide. The fallow, restored and cropped grasslands on the Pines property contained a large number of grassland birds, including Northern Bobwhite and many sparrows. The floodplain forest also harbored many bird species and several old growth white pines. As management and restoration continues on this tract, the number of plant and animal species in the grassland, meadow, and floodplain forest will undoubtedly increase and diversify further.

Pines' land stewardship work is a critical part sandhill crane conservation in the area, and serves as a model for other private landowners. He recently received accolades for his efforts locally in the Portage Daily Register and was featured on Madison’s WKOW TV.

Read the article in the Portage Daily Register: click here.