There are active beavers at the two ponds along Wheeler Road in the South Unit of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park.The City of Madison is working with an environmental contractor to protect the drainage culverts in the ponds without harming the beavers.Parks conservation staff will also consider how best to protect valuable trees.

Paul Quinlan, conservation resources supervisor at Madison Parks, has (with his colleagues and input from the Friends) completed a comprehensive Habitat Management Plan for the North Unit of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park.

As I walk in the fog across Cherokee Marsh, I can’t help thinking about time and changing seasons and the mysteriousness of life and, ultimately, death.

Over the two evenings of the August bat walks, the Echometer sensors gave plenty of indications of the presence of bats, even if we can't absolutely rely on the exact IDs. The sensors suggested the possible presence of six of Wisconsin's eight species: Little Brown, Big Brown, Hoary, Silver-haired, Tricolored, and Eastern Red.

Scout Cynthia has been working steadily since February on her Eagle Scout project, with sponsorship and guidance from the Friends of Cherokee Marsh. She has now completed her project of planting a native plant pollinator garden, with the help of many Scout volunteers.

There’s a fire here, too. One of life. One that continues regardless of temperature or the level of particulate matter wafting through the air.

If you’ve paddled or viewed the shoreline of the upper Yahara at Cherokee Marsh this summer, you have noticed large numbers of aquatic plants growing on, above, and under the water’s surface.

Wildflower, Butterfly, Bat, & Bird Walks  We're pleased to offer some new events!

The Upper Sugar River Watershed Association (USRWA) is sponsoring a project to map and manage the non-native phragmites population in Cherokee Marsh. The participating partners in the project are the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association, Dane County Department of Land and Water Resources, City of Madison, Friends of Cherokee Marsh, Wisconsin DNR, and some private landowners along the Upper Yahara River.

Madison Parks maintenance staff discovered the problem but needed to bring in a septic system contractor to clear the pipes and pump out the septic tank. Restrooms have now re-opened.

Enter stage right, the muskrat, a resident of Cherokee Marsh. The muskrat, the not-often-thought-about rodent. O muskrat! O you, the poor man’s beaver! Ondatra zibethicus is its scientific name, and it is found almost everywhere in Canada and the United States. Yet, how often do we think about it? How often are muskrats championed?

Cherokee Marsh is not yet a dazzle of blossoms, but it is on its way. Bellworts are ringing their yellow bells. Mayapples hide their blossoms beneath green umbrellas. Shooting stars glitter in the thickets. Daisies dance. These are wild geranium days.

60 third-graders from Sandburg Elementary School visited the Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, North Unit for activities.

Results of the Spring 2025 Snake Survey at the North Unit of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park

UPDATES: American Family Insurance golf championship & Cherokee Marsh North Unit

Sometimes I can be done with work early enough to glimpse the last gleams of daybreak at the marsh. Glorious days, those.

The PGA Tour Champions American Family Insurance Championship will take place June 6–8, 2025, at the TPC Wisconsin golf course.

The marsh in rainy weather has a different feel. The soft susurrus of the rain over trees and fields, ponds and riverbanks, pulls me in.

American White Pelicans in the "Cherokee Lake" area of the Yahara River

The trained and certified staff of both Madison Parks and Dane County Parks are busy when conditions are optimal for prescribed burns.