Programs: Tall pines conservancy (tpc) applied and was accepted to the regional conservation protection program to purchase development rights on 250 acres of working lands through the agriculture land easement program. Tpc also received a donation of a conservation easement on a 9-acre shoreline property located adjacent to upper nashotah lake. We continue to work on the mason creek watershed management plan together with the north lake management district, sewrpc, wdnr, the clean water association, the town of merton and carroll university. In 2014/15, we embarked on an ambitious project with the city of oconomowoc called oconomowoc watershed protection program. This program assists landowners within the watershed in implementing sustainable land management practices in order to reduce phosphorus levels in our rivers, lakes and streams. Through a producer led grant from datcp, farmers for lake country was formed to work in the watershed, and the group conducted its second field technology days highlighting best practices. This group successfully aerial seeded 800 acres in cover crops. In addition, tpc worked with the clean water association to conduct the second annual healthy lakes conference. We continue to work diligently with both the towns of oconomowoc and ashippun on the agricultural enterprise area, encouraging landowners to sign farmland preservation agreements, furthering the creation of a purchase of development rights program; and encouraging the town of ashippun to adopt farmland preservation zoning. We conducted another ag resource day at the oconomowoc community center with over 50 landowners in attendance. Tpc partnered with many outstanding non-profit organizations and governmental partners in 2017 to work together to meet mutual goals in land preservation activities, including the mid-kettle partners, ozaukee washington land trust, the rock river coalition, greener oconomowoc, the nature conservancy, waukesha county green team, pro-health westwood, and carroll university.
the ninth annual tpc "ride to the barns" a cycling event that highlighted local farms and local food was very well received and attracted approximately 500 cyclists. We also partnered with the holy hill ski club on a winter carnival in february, and worked with greener oconomowoc for our fourth earth day gathering at a local eatery that featured a speaker on healthy eating. We continue to sponsor the chamber's winter and summer farmers markets in oconomowoc. The market attracts over 400 patrons per week in the winter months, where we were featured one month with a presentation. We also hosted tables of tpc information at the clean water festival event and the green team's sustainability fair, the summer farmers market in waukesha, the uw waukesha environmental fair, and at the woodlands conference. Tall pines continues to partner with farm to school lake country, and we conducted presentations for various garden clubs and community groups. In addition, we started a program with engleburg school to educate urban youth on farmland protection that brought 50+ students and parents out to our protected farms.
our outreach strategies included working with landowners in the towns of oconomowoc, ashippun, merton, delafield and erin. We continued our monitoring program with volunteers, and conducted invasive species removal work days. We have partnered with the town of merton to develop a conservation plan at the oconomowoc river conservancy and are working on implementing this plan for that property.
