As the holiday season is here I am reminded of what wonderful gifts have been bestowed to the Dane County Parks over the years. Our Dane County Park System has enjoyed a legacy of extraordinary private philanthropy from the beginning 80 years ago. With over 15000 acres, our County Parks system would not be the same without the generosity of the many conservation donors. Some donate land, others financial resources and still others their time, expertise and just plain hard work.
Of note, private philanthropy has provided nearly 20% of the public parkland and natural resources that comprise the Dane County park system. Donated by families and communities, that land has been the backbone of some of our most popular parks and wildlife areas including for example Donald Park, McCarthy Park, Festge Park, Anderson Park, Cam Rock Park, Schumacher Farm Park, Lussier Park and Silverwood Park. Another example was the Lussier family's contribution to help build the Heritage Center at Lake Farm Park.
A recent example is the donation of Morton Park and Forest near Mazomanie with its majestic views of the Blue Mounds. The donation by Steve Morton included a wonderful viewing platform and a self-sustaining endowment for the perpetual care and stewardship of this valuable land treasure.
Our communities' generosity is not just in land. Recently the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment has been formed by the Pfeifer-Lunney and Lewis families with a group of conservation minded citizens. In partnership with the Madison Community Foundation and with the support of the County Executive and Board, the Friends have already raised over $450,000 of cash contributions for an endowment to provide for perpetual support for our Parks and volunteer program. That amount is in addition to the numerous donations that annually arrive at the Parks office for memorials and just to do good.
Finally we have over 3000 volunteers who work to support our Parks system augmented by 16 formal Friends groups organized around particular parks. In 2016, they contributed an estimated 60,000 hours of work and planted 5,000 trees. Additionally, they help with many other activities including trail building and upkeep, educational programming, wildlife and water quality monitoring .
So we have many gifts to be thankful for this year and can be encouraged about the future of our Parks and Trails in Dane County. A park is not just a piece of land it is a gift to the community and will be its legacy.
Of note, private philanthropy has provided nearly 20% of the public parkland and natural resources that comprise the Dane County park system. Donated by families and communities, that land has been the backbone of some of our most popular parks and wildlife areas including for example Donald Park, McCarthy Park, Festge Park, Anderson Park, Cam Rock Park, Schumacher Farm Park, Lussier Park and Silverwood Park. Another example was the Lussier family's contribution to help build the Heritage Center at Lake Farm Park.
A recent example is the donation of Morton Park and Forest near Mazomanie with its majestic views of the Blue Mounds. The donation by Steve Morton included a wonderful viewing platform and a self-sustaining endowment for the perpetual care and stewardship of this valuable land treasure.
Our communities' generosity is not just in land. Recently the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment has been formed by the Pfeifer-Lunney and Lewis families with a group of conservation minded citizens. In partnership with the Madison Community Foundation and with the support of the County Executive and Board, the Friends have already raised over $450,000 of cash contributions for an endowment to provide for perpetual support for our Parks and volunteer program. That amount is in addition to the numerous donations that annually arrive at the Parks office for memorials and just to do good.
Finally we have over 3000 volunteers who work to support our Parks system augmented by 16 formal Friends groups organized around particular parks. In 2016, they contributed an estimated 60,000 hours of work and planted 5,000 trees. Additionally, they help with many other activities including trail building and upkeep, educational programming, wildlife and water quality monitoring .
So we have many gifts to be thankful for this year and can be encouraged about the future of our Parks and Trails in Dane County. A park is not just a piece of land it is a gift to the community and will be its legacy.
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