Top 15 Natural Monuments around Madison

There are four “extant” (still visible) mound groups you can visit on the main campus, all but one of them located within the boundaries of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Recently these mound groups were surveyed and entered in a special burial sites catalog maintained by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The label associated with each location includes a number used in the state Archaeological Site Inventory (ASI) maintained by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The site surveys establish a 25-foot preservation buffer around the mounds.

Picnic Point Mound Group (DA121) The sixth extant mound is a large hemispherical form visible on your right just before you reach The Narrows (where the main trail dips near the beach).

Unfortunately, during the last 25 years little has been done to maintain the marsh, in spite of the interest of a large number of people and the development of several management plans. It suffers from runoff from nearby construction sites, parking lots, and fertilized playing fields. In addition, the field on the south side of the marsh is used by the plowing crews to store snow (with its accompanying salt and debris) in winter.

Fortunately, in 1969 an environmental studies class chose the marsh as its class project. After collecting a great deal of data and making allies of the local press, they convinced the university administration to rethink its plans and the land was saved as a wildlife refuge and teaching and research area. It is named for the Class of 1918 because this class agreed to reallocate money that they had donated during their 50 year reunion for a Japanese pond to the new project of enhancing the marsh. The 1970s saw dredging the marsh, building the trail around it, and the addition of a series of interpretive signs, which since have been lost due to vandals. There also were several attempts to establish prairie around the edge.

The Class of 1918 Marsh is a tiny remnant of a large wetland that formerly covered all of the area now occupied by playing fields, parking lots, and the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Fifteen thousand years ago when the glaciers receded from this part of Wisconsin, the marsh was connected to Lake Mendota; later a sand bar built up that isolated it from the lake. The university acquired the land in 1910 and began to experiment with draining the marsh to grow crops, a difficult prospect given that the area is lower than the lake. Tiles were laid and a series of pumps installed. The experiment was considered successful, but by 1965 the tiles came loose and the area reverted to wetland. At this point, the campus was expanding and the university administration planned to use the area for playing fields and parking lots. In the interim they used it as a landfill.

Situated at the headwaters of Madison's lakes, Cherokee Marsh serves as a natural sponge, filtering upland runoff and utilizing excess fertilizer to nourish marsh plants, gradually releasing cleaner water to downstream lakes. As Dane County's largest wetland, it attracts thousands of students annually for environmental education. The North Unit features 2.6 miles of trails, a boardwalk, and two observation decks.

Around 2,000 years ago, local inhabitants initiated the burial of their dead in the sacred mounds that scatter across the Point. At one time, Picnic Point boasted seven mounds, but relic hunters destroyed one mound before 1912. Today, the Preserve harbors numerous burial mounds and other ancient archaeological sites, reflecting the rich history and cultural significance of the area.

The Pheasant Branch Conservancy is a 160-acre preserve that is also part of the Pheasant Branch Watershed. There are a bunch of different singletrack and wide, smooth trails on the property passing through a bunch of different ecosystems. The conservancy is known for being a place of nature, education, and exercise.