By Beth Sluys
Northside News
When the railroad right-of-way along Woodward Drive was cleared as part of the American Transmission Company’s (ATC) åç project for their transmission line poles, the area was left looking weary and disrupted. The site needed attention according to Northside neighbors, including Kathy Kelly and Sally Bowers, who have wanted to do something with the nearby right-of-way for many years.
When presented with the concept of clearing up the debris and planting native plants along this parcel of land, Kelly and Bowers jumped in with rakes and shovels. I am part of a group of community volunteers working on the project. The Fourth Lake Alliance is providing coordination, and the Northside Planning Council is a partner.
We contacted the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) in 2024 and requested that we create a way for the community to improve that area by volunteering to clear the debris, remove invasive species, inventory native plants already thriving there, and replant native plants. A series of conversations with WSOR, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, ATC and MP Systems concluded with an agreement to have the area seeded with prairie seed rather than non-native grass seed. Community members are working within the railroad right-of-way with safety-related oversight and communications with WSOR personnel.
We are working in collaboration with the City of Madison about managing the invasive plants within their right-of-way that runs parallel to the Harmony Prairie. We want to manage the reed canary grass until two major projects are completed along Woodward Drive: the installation of a bike path (2026-2028) and an MG&E underground power line project (2025-2026). Upon completion, we will work toward also planting this area with native prairie plantings.
Thanks go out to The Prairie Enthusiasts, volunteers from Holy Wisdom prairie, Two Ferns native plant nursery, Wild Warner and Madison Friends of Urban Nature for their support. We have met Madison police on horseback, dog walkers, people “whooping” in appreciation as they glide past on their bikes, and people hopping out of their cars to find out what we are doing. We were even visited by a local bag piper, Ellis Waller, who serenaded us while we worked in the rain. We hosted Alders Carmella Glenn and Julia Matthews, who visited and added some native plants to the prairie.
“This is about restoring harmony. It is about the relationship of reconciliation between humans and plant and animal life. We can already see improvements within this little piece of land. Birds, wildlife and pollinators are finding their way back to this area as it becomes an improved habitat,” said Bowers.
Thanks for all the thumbs up, waves, whoops, cheers and music. We are hard at work, but it hardly seems like work at all due to the kindness of neighbors. Please join our summer field days (Mondays, 9–11:30 am).
To donate native prairie seeds/plants or funds to purchase them, or to volunteer, send an email to fourthlakealliance@gmail.com or check out the Fourth Lake Alliance Facebook page for work days, events and updates.
