Pond Court Restoration Awarded C 2000 Grant

Our Pond Court restoration project is finally going to be accomplished!! Even though the Greenspace committee was excited about the beauty and benefits of this project, and the Driftless Area Partnership ranked us very high, and the experts in Department of Natural Resources approved, it took almost four years to get the grant. Don Porter proposed the idea several years earlier, but funding was a problem until Conservation 2000 became a reality. The grant is for $53,307.86. GTA will pay $21,061.98 in monies and $11,450.00 in volunteer labor. An old farm pond, hidden in the trees, near the Owner's Club property will be the centerpiece of this project. The dam will be rebuilt and the pond reshaped to include a wetland. The woods will be improved and a prairie will surround it all. Trail 4 will turn off the roadside to travel through the prairie and trees, around the Pond, and back to the roadside at the Owner's Club lawn. The plans also include a demonstration garden of native plants and interpretive signs. You can get a birds-eye view of the site from the Owner's Club pool deck.

Imagine the opportunities for children and adults right at our backdoor. Everyone loves frogs - they will be there, along with all the other critters. It will be beautiful as well as functional. The original pond was a watering hole for "farm" animals. We want to provide habitat for "wild" animals in the new pond (all the species that live here naturally). Between the pond, wetlands, woods, and prairie we should see hear and learn about many creatures including birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians. Then we have plants - they feed the critters and provide us with lovely flowers. Plants filter pollutants and silt; the overflow from the pond will go through the East Golf course to our lake. In the event of heavy rains, the deep-rooted prairie plants will soak up rainfall and ease some of the downhill rush of water to the lake. It will take two years to get the "work" done and several more years for plants to become established. Watch our progress! Join a work party! We welcome help.