An effort to make the Effigy Mounds Preserve in Whitewater more visitor friendly is getting some help from the city and local volunteers, and it could get help from the state, as well.
Much of the preserve has been inaccessible for six years or more because of overgrown grass, felled branches and wind storms pulling tree roots out of the ground near the mounds.
After a park board member made a plea during a public event at the library this month and hosted a tour of the grounds, the city’s parks and recreation board discussed a plan of action earlier this month. The board worked with residents and with their help came up with several ideas, including volunteer work, city efforts and applying for a grant.
One of the most immediate solutions, a volunteer work event, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 and/or Sunday, Dec. 11, at the park. The work will be headed up by Kori Orbele, a historical researcher and member of the city’s Parks and Recreation board. Volunteers will clear invasives and debris.
To address the more significant overgrowth, the city will soon resume brush mowing around the mounds with an earmarked one-time fund of $25,000.
The city will also hold a controlled burn in March or April 2023, said Orbele.
The board also plans to apply for a Vibrant Spaces grant from Wisconsin Economic Development. That grant, of up to $25,000, would require matching privately raised funds and would be earmarked for the preserve and could be used for interpretive signage or other improvements.
There had been some talk of using it for maintenance, but Orbele was concerned landscaping would not be likely to win a grant.
Public support
At the city’s parks and recreation meeting Nov. 16, about 10 people attended to show their support for preserving the mounds.
“This is a cultural treasure,” said Jaime Weigel. “It is our duty to do what we can do to preserve it.”
Peggy Van Scotter, recent resident of Whitewater, was present for the agenda meeting to show her frustration to the board members.
“I would like to see a solution to all of this. This city really needs to take this initiative forward,” she said.
Looking ahead
The city set up an ad hoc group to discuss applying for the Vibrant Spaces grant and the future of the preserve.
Orbele said parks and recreation director Eric Boettcher told her he is scheduling the first meeting sometime next week.
Orbele told the board she thinks there should be visible amenities to draw people from the street to visit the preserve or even viewing platforms for people to get a better look at the mounds.
Those ideas might give the preserve a higher chance to win the grant money, she said.
The group plans to come up with a 5-year plan for the mounds and will also discuss how it would raise private funds for the matching grant.
For information, find the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve page on Facebook or email Oberle at k.oberle@sbcglobal.net.
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Volunteers plan to clear brush and debris from the Effigy Mounds Preserve in Whitewater on the weekend of Dec. 10-11. Kori Orbele, Parks and Recreation board member, said she encourages anyone available to attend.
The event will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and/or Sunday, Dec. 11. Volunteers will clear the Panther mound, one of the 13 mounds at the Preserve, of fallen branches and litter. They also plan to clip off invasive plants and woody stems using lopping shears and hand-held pruning shears, said Oberle.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own hand-held tools, work gloves and water. No power tools of any sort are allowed.
For information, visit the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve on Facebook or email Oberle at k.oberle@sbcglobal.net.
