Arboretum Neighborhood Association

ARBORETUM NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING SUMMARY

Wednesday, October 4, 2023  7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Arboretum Visitor Center

ANA President Leslie Ladd welcomed everyone and introduced the ANA Board members present: Marty Barrett, Vice-President, Alison Stawicki, Secretary, Nancy Gores, Treasurer, and Board Members-at-Large Sharon Johnson and Tyler Byrnes.  Board members serve a term of two years and ANA elections will be held next spring at our Annual Meeting.

PRESENTATION FROM CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE

Caitlin McAleavey shared with us the mission and programming of local non profit Clean Lakes Alliance.  Their website, which can be found HERE, is a wealth of information and honestly the better source for a summary of the scope of their work than what I could type in an email.  A primary takeaway from Caitlin’s talk is that we can all do our part to make a difference in how much phosphorus is entering our stormwater that drains directly into our lakes causing the problematic algae blooms we all know too well.  Their website has compiled a useful TOP 10 list of small simple actions an individual can take.  An important seasonal item to highlight is raking autumn fallen leaves out of the streets and away from storm drains.  The urban areas make up roughly 1/3 of the source of the problematic phosphorus entering our lakes and autumn leaves account for FIFTY percent of that overall third.  Rather than raking leaves from your lawns towards the street it has been found to be beneficial to leave them lay and mulch them with your lawn mowers.  More details about autumn leaf concerns and best management suggestions can be found here.  A second seasonal item she emphasized is the benefit of planting native plants in your gardens.  Fall is still a great time to add on to your gardens!  Native plants typically develop much deeper root structures that stabilize the soil and enhance filtration and absorption of stormwater before it reaches the lakes.  Several residents were curious about go-to sources of information for recommended native plants and useful garden designs.  The Clean Lakes Alliance website links to many useful sources via the TOP 10 list of actions and our very own UW Arboretum has a useful plant list and knowledgeable staff as well.

The Clean Lakes Alliance has many hands-on volunteer opportunities which can be found here.  We have them to thank for the recent clearing around the edges of the lagoon in Harvey Schmidt Park via a volunteer work day event they organized in coordination with the UW Arboretum in late summer.

PRESENTATION FROM PROJECT HOME

Wyolanda Singleton and Vicky Kutz joined us next to teach us about the Project Home program.  Project Home offers affordable options for minor and major home repairs via grants, low interest forgivable loans, and through their own competitively priced service providers.  Qualifying for their low cost or free options is based on your income and the assessed value of your home.  Determining if and what you may qualify for might sound overwhelming but both Wyolanda and Vicky work extremely hard to know the intricacies of funding options and presented as very welcoming and unintimidating.  In short, the program’s goal is to help you continue to live in your home as long as possible and to not let a needed home repair be the source of the financial hardship that may compromise your ability to keep your home.  So please reach out to them if you are wondering if their program may be able to assist you or your neighbor and they will walk you through the process!Of particular interest to this neighborhood is the existence of a grant Project Home was given for use specifically by Town of Madison homeowners as part of making the annexation into the City a smooth transition.  Depending on income and home value qualifiers, a homeowner may be eligible for up to $5000 worth of necessary minor home repairs that ensure the “health, safety, and accessibility” of your home (fixing steps, doors, broken windows, installing railings, ramps, etc) completely free of charge.  This grant expires at the end of 2024 so this is a limited time opportunity for our neighborhood.  I have attached to this email the general cover letter discussing this option given to potential applicants.  Further application materials can be found on the Project Home website along with a great deal of details.  I was also left with several paper copies of their applications that I can gladly pass along.  Give Vicky (Intake Assistant) a call to start the intake process and get questions answered at 608-246-3737 ext. 2201

Q & A WITH DISTRICT 13 ALDERPERSON TAG EVERSOur City Council representative shared a brief update on current agendas he is actively addressing as well as answered questions from residents.  Thoughtful conversation was had about the 2024 City Budgets recently released by the Mayor these past few weeks.  Tag shared information about the Lake Wingra Heritage working group which strives to preserve the largely undeveloped lands surrounding the lake including our portion of along Arboretum Drive.  Tag reminded everyone that they can follow his blog to stay current on issues he is working on (there is also a link to this on our neighborhood association website under Local Resouces).  He can always be reached with any local concerns via his email at district13@cityofmadison.com.  He is the voice for this neighborhood at the City legislative level.

PRESENTATION FROM MADISON PARKS

Sarah Grimalkin joined us again to give us an update about current progress in the rehabilitation of our neighborhood parks.  A reminder that the neighborhood association website has a page here dedicated to all the updates regarding our parks as this is a continuously and frequently evolving neighborhood issue.  The primary update Sarah shared were the results of the recent soil bore testing and wetland delineation mapping in Harvey Schmidt Park.  The soil bore testing yielded results that instruct just how much fill and overfill will be required to create the walking paths, pedestrian bridge, and mowed playing field planned as part of the Master Plan for development.  I have attached a copy of this report to this email.  Not surprisingly the majority of Harvey Schmidt Park qualified as a “wetland” meaning that certain permits will now be required and specific mitigation efforts mandated to create as minimal disruption to the environment as possible.  In short it slows the redevelopment process down by creating more steps to complete but for good environmental reasons.  To learn more about wetland delineation in general follow this link.  The next steps are to pursue this permitting process and explore what options it leads to as well as begin to gather preliminary bids regarding some of the initial work planned now that some funding sources have become available.  The overall maintenance of trees and grounds will continue as it has been this past year.  The old sunken park benches in Harvey Schmidt Park will be removed and replaced during the winter once the ground is frozen and heavier equipment can safely come in to lift them out.  There will be many more public input meetings to come in 2024 once the permits are obtained, bids determined, and funds released.  These public input meetings will allow us to start getting specific about exactly “what” is to be brought into both Harvey Schmidt and Fraust Parks and changed.  This is a long process overall and the Parks department looks forward to ongoing neighborhood input as things move forward.

UPDATES FROM THE UW ARBORETUM

Mike Hansen, Land Care Manager for the UW Arboretum, was unable to join us this evening but was very helpful in typing up a brief update on projects in the Arb.  As taken from his write up:

Harvey Schmidt Park Summer Updates        

• The Arboretum crew mowed the grass on a semi-regular basis this summer. We’ve discussed mowing it more frequently next summer.        

• David Stevens, curator of the horticultural collections, along with the help of volunteer service groups, removed invasive plant species along the lagoon shoreline in the northwest section of the park. Invasives included oriental bittersweet, buckthorn, honeysuckle, and burdock.        

• David’s future plans are to accentuate the unique tree collection currently in the northwest section of the park by adding new, unique tree specimens to the open areas while maintaining the grass understory. The first tree to be added will be a cucumber tree magnolia this fall. Over the winter, we will also be adding laser-engraved labels (of the same type being used in the Arboretum’s Longenecker Gardens) to current trees to make them easily identifiable for visitors without detracting from the scenic beauty of the park.        

• We noticed the old dump site on the west end of the site was cleaned up and new grass seed planted. We assume the City did this? Going forward we’re not sure how the area will be used, but if we end up having surplus mulch, we could envision starting a pile there again that residents could use.        

• Signage and Arboretum rules for the park (e.g. fishing, pets, picnics, etc.) are still being discussed internally.

Jumping Worms        

• Arboretum ecologist and jumping worm expert, Brad Herrick, provided these resources for those interested in learning more about jumping worms:  Link to the Wisconsin DNR’s jumping worm page and a Homeowner fact sheet from the Jumping Worm Outreach, Research, and Management (JWORM) working group (PDF included at end of this document)

Spongy Moths        

• Arboretum land care manager, Michael Hansen, said they’re still discussing what their spongy moth management approach will be. Any approach, short of aerial spraying, will be limited in terms of having a large-scale landscape impact. So whatever approach is taken will have to be targeted toward specific trees or areas. Options include but are not limited to: attempting to spray egg masses on select trees, installing burlap on select trees, some combination of the two, or do nothing and let nature take its course. Our oaks are facing many other stressors currently, too (e.g. drought, two lined chestnut borer, oak wilt, etc.) so targeting spongy moths may only be partially effective at protecting the trees.        

• For more information about spongy moths:            

Wisconsin DNR’s spongy moth page           

UW Extension’s spongy moth page

GENERAL ANA BUSINESS 

ANA president Leslie Ladd updated the group about a few general neighborhood items:

The Lake Forest Water Co op is looking for an additional board member.  Please reach out to Co-op president Gary Davis with interest (gdavis@wisc.edu).

The balance in the ANA checking account is currently $1249.66.  Our primary expenses as of late have been related to the First Friday Socials this summer.  A reminder that the ANA remains a “dues free” organization but donations are always welcome and appreciated.  Donations can be mailed or dropped off at Treasurer Nancy Gores house (2034 Frazer Pl) who can also provide a tax-deductible verification of your donation upon request.  Nancy’s contact information can be found here along with all other board members.

A second reminder that the ANA is hoping to pursue the Neighborhood Association grants made available each year from the City.  Our proposal idea is the design and installation of several interpretive signs detailing the unique history of this area and interesting environmental details.  An email was sent out last month with the subject of “New Neighborhood Idea” with more details.  We would like to have a committee of volunteers come together to further develop this proposal.  Applications for the grants are due by mid February.

We are hoping to see you all at our Neighborhood Pumpkin Carving day at Fraust Park on Sunday October 15th from 2:30-4:30.  Bring your own pumpkin to carve (I will have a few on hand) and make yourself a hot chocolate at the provided hot chocolate bar!

One last reminder about where to look up the schedule for your fall leaves collections should you choose to rake them to the “curb.”  The collection dates can be found here.  Brush collection has ended for 2023 and can now be taken to City Streets drop off sites instead.  An alternative idea to the drop off sites is that the Dane County Wildlife Center will also take brush and leaves and use it for “enrichment” in the care of their rehabbing wildlife.  Who knew?!

Be well! Alison Stawicki, ANA Secretary