Malcolm Stack Foundation

09/30/2024

Thank you, Aline Smithson, for the writeup. I’m honored!

On Saturday, September 7th, 2024, Anne M. Connor opened the outdoor photo exhibition and installation, Raised by the Land, of photographs made on land that surrounds her life. She is interested in ideas of HOME and the work answered questions :What does home mean to you? What connects us to place? S...

04/25/2024

The Malcolm Stack Foundation has been working with Gene Kroupa and the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW) to place and monitor bluebird boxes on our property. We put three boxes up in March and now have three nests and 11 eggs. Just the outcome we had hoped for! Babies on the way soon.

10/30/2023

A few more photos from the Promega retreat. Such a good group!

09/22/2023

The Foundation was delighted to host a retreat for Promega today. There’s something relaxing and yet inspiring about spending a day in nature. Following meetings at the Foundation building, attendees were treated to a forestbathing session with Kate Bast, owner of Shinrin-Yoku Madison. Bast led attendees through the valley trails, which include ground-fed streams, towering rock outcroppings and of course, trees. Lots of trees! The Foundation is home to a wide variety of oaks, silver maples, shagbark hickory, walnut and (so) many other species, including part of the Ridgeway pine relict, which is made up of ashes-old red and white pine. The rain held off just long enough for everyone to finish their hike and tea ceremony. It was a truly special day!

08/10/2023

More guided hikes at the MSF this week with naturalists and an archaeologist from Denver. Thanks, Kari Acker and Dinny Binger, for bringing your interesting and interested friends to the Driftless! Their curiosity and energy were contagious. ❤️ Lunch at the Grumpy Troll was wonderful too!

08/07/2023

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting professors Evan Larson and Chris Underwood from UW-Platteville’s Environmental Science and Society department. The guided tour, coordinated by CLA Assistant Dean Carrie Van Hallgren, took us through an oak savanna, pine relicts, ancient rock outcroppings and (very) hilly trails throughout the property. Professors Evans and Underwood perform tree ring and fire studies. We discussed both the land and opportunities for student projects and internships on MSF property. It was wonderfully fulfilling to discuss how we might help students as they help the environment. .wi

07/16/2023

We hosted a great field trip for the Natural Resource Foundation yesterday. Nearly 20 hikers and nature enthusiasts investigated prairies, savannas and rock outcroppings over 2-1/2 hours. Brad from Adaptive Restoration led the group and educated us all!

07/13/2023

Thanks to the Ridgeway Volunteer Library for organizing a cyanotype photography outing this week. It was fun to see the kids making photos and enjoying the great outdoors!


04/30/2023

Oaks are a keystone species in the Midwest, providing food and habitat for countless plants and animals. They also have a lot of very interesting characteristics! For example, did you know that oaks have flowers? In fact, they have two sets! Oaks are monecious, which means they have both male and female flowers located separately on the tree. In this picture, taken earlier this week, look towards the bottom to spot the stringy catkins, which are the male flowers. The female flowers are small and grow among the new leaves. Once pollinated, these will become the acorns!

There are so many fascinating things happening in our native landscapes this time of year. What have you spotted out in the Driftless this spring??

04/30/2023

On Friday, we joined forces with Adaptive Restoration to host a burn on the oak savanna we started restoring 5-6 years ago. It’s been a laborious but rewarding process. We spent yesterday planting red and bur oak saplings that we received from the Argosy Foundation and will spread seed when it warms up next week.

04/24/2023

A few months ago, I got an email about the Argosy foundation, a group that is helping distribute red, white and burr oak and shagbark hickory saplings with the goal of getting 1 million trees into the ground. Today, Drago and I got a start on the trees I picked up in Milwaukee. There are miles to go before we sleep!

04/20/2023

My brain is full and happy following yesterday’s land monitoring session with the Driftless Area Land Conservancy’s Stephanie Judge. We spent hours in the field identifying invasives, beneficial plants, reviewing forest management plans and more. Feeling grateful for this resource.