September 2015 Meeting: Visit to the Ridgeway Pine Relict

We had a wonderful September meeting roaming the pine barrens of the Ridgeway Pine Relict. Thank you to the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and the Malcolm Stack Foundation for sharing this local gem.

Pine relicts are pine forest communities that are remnants that date back to the last glacier retreat-some 10,000 years ago. These relicts were part of what was once a pine dominated landscape in a cool southern WI climate. As time passed the climate gradually warmed and prairie and oak savannas replaced nearly all the pine forests in Southern Wisconsin. All that remains are relicts found in very steep draws among rocky cliffs in the Driftless Areas of SW Wisconsin. The Ridgeway pines are only one of two large pine relicts in Southern Wisconsin. The plant community in a pine relict consists of at least 75% northern and not more than 25% southern plant species.

David Clutter, Executive Director of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, helped make arrangements with the Malcolm Stack Foundation to visit this site. David has dedicated his career to protecting and stewarding biological diversity, water resources and agricultural lands in Illinois and Wisconsin. David has a Master's of Science in Environment and Resources from UW-Madison with an emphasis on collaborative conservation planning and policy implementation. David gave us some background information on the pine relict and then led a walk.