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GTTD, BECWA Partner in Black Earth Creek Interpretive Sign Project![]()
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Black Earth Creek Watershed Association (BECWA) will host a community gathering Saturday, June 26, to launch their new interpretive signs located along the creek in Cross Plains, Black Earth, and Mazomanie. The signs explain why the stream is an exceptional natural resource, the major challenges that it faces, and protection efforts.![]()
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The sign series, developed with support from Wisconsin Department of Natural Re-sources (WDNR) and University of Wisconsin Extension, covers a range of topics in-cluding elements of a healthy stream ecosystem and the value of a nationally known wild brown trout stream next to a large population center.![]()
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The launch event will celebrate the creek and mark completion of the sign project on Saturday, June 26, from 10AM to 2PM behind The Shoe Box, 1314 Canal St., in Black Earth. Local organizations active in restoring and protecting Black Earth Creek will be on hand to provide information about those efforts and how to get involved. The event is free and open to the public.![]()
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Project partners also include Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited, Dane County, Village of Cross Plains, Capital Area Regional Planning Commission, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, The Shoe Box, Wolf Run Association, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Gateway to The Driftless, Groundswell Conservancy, and the Wisconsin River Alliance.![]()
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For more information, contact Andy Morton at 608-345-5898 or andymorto1@yahoo.com, or go to becwa.org.![]()
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(Pictured with new interpretive sign at Zander Community Nature Park in Cross Plains are Dain Ziegler, Public Facilities; Jay Lengfeld, Village President; Jim Hess, Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited; Jerry Gray, Public Works Director; Andy Morton, BECWA; Mindy Habecker, UW-Extension; Mike Axon, Parks Director; Chris Long, Gateway to The Driftless, and Amy Lord, Ice Age Trail Alliance.)
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GTTD Joins Call for Trail Bridge Funding
Gateway to The Driftless (GTTD) has joined with local governments and other community partners to request the Dane County 2022 budget include a cost share toward construction of the proposed Wisconsin River Recreation Bridge.
The proposed bridge at Sauk City would connect the future Walking Iron Trail in Dane County to the Great Sauk State Trail in Sauk County, at an estimated cost of $8M. In a June 1 joint letter to Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, GTTD and the villages of Cross Plains, Black Earth, and Mazomanie urge construction of the bridge as being vital to the economic recovery and long-term growth of northwest Dane County after the pandemic.
"As our Northwest Dane County communities seek a clear path to economic recovery and a vibrant future, we see the proposed bridge as key to realizing our shared vision of a 60-mile world-class, multi-use recreational trail connecting our communities and the two counties. This trail system would be a major enhancement to our region’s quality of life and spur community growth and responsible long-term economic development." the joint letter says.
A recently completed economic impact study by UW-Extension of the proposed bike-pedestrian-snowmobile regional trail found that by connecting Madison, Devil’s Lake State Park, the Black Earth Creek recreational corridor, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, Wolf Run Trail, Ice Age Trail, and other major state trails, the envisioned trail would be expected to be the busiest trail in the state.