As a University of Wisconsin-Madison student I have come to know, love and appreciate our environment. As a senior, I have grown to respect and love our ecological habitat that surrounds Madison. From Picnic Point out to the arboretum on the south shore of Lake Wingra, we are extremely lucky to be surrounded with such beauty. The arboretum is home to many unusual species of plants and grasses. It’s known for its immense amount of diversity and the many communities within the large prairie. The arboretum has represented the oldest and largest collection of species in the world for the past 60 years.
However, in the past 10 years, there have been some complications with different invasive species growing in the beautiful prairie. One specific species — reed canary grass — has been the most intrusive of the invaders. Growing in wetlands across the country, reed canary grass is a disruptive species that does not belong in our arboretum. The cause of this species is the extreme amounts of storm water and sewage runoff from the surrounding Madison area housing. This prairie is below the surrounding subdivisions, which results in a buildup of moist and wet areas that have not been able to dry out.
Numerous University of Wisconsin classes have documented drastic reductions of the native wetland plants and grasses as well as soil changes in the arboretum. This is means for much concern within our Madison ecological family and could potentially hurt our world-class arboretum in the long run. Arboretum facilitators have been working to improve the conditions of the prairie by implementing different types of pesticides that will kill off the reed canary grass.
In addition to this, each summer for the past few years they have been burning the prairie to control the spreading of the dangerous species. The result has been a resurgence of lush and rich vegetation that adds to the beauty of the arboretum. However, this past summer, because of the 52 inches of rain that Madison received, they were not able to burn the grass — it was too moist. This caused the reed canary grass to spread more than ever.
Today, we need to take a stand and go to the root of the problems — the surrounding neighborhoods. We need to make sure that they realize the harsh effects of this and what it can do if it continues. The community should want to help preserve this historic place and cherish the past 60 years. To say that our arboretum is the first restored in the world is unique, and we all need to take part in restoring it.
Anna Boettcher
Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
