NOW What are They Building?!

by Marcia Hartwig

Another house going in? parking lot? or maybe a Kwik Trip? No! It’s a CP9!

A what?

Just north of Mount Vernon on Highway 92, you’ll see some excavation on the east side of the road across from Donald Park. Ron and Sharon Royston are installing a couple of wildlife ponds, a.k.a. CP9s, through the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which provides funds to landowners for habitat enhancement projects. "CP9" is the federal conservation practice name for small ponds, or scrapes, that create wildlife habitat. Roystons got the idea when they saw that their neighbors had installed two similar ponds on their farm.

As farming declines and ownership of land changes hands, interest is increasing in restoring these areas to support wildlife and native plants. Roystons had areas on their property that were too wet to plant crops or use for other purposes. They worked with the Dane County Land Conservation Department and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to plan, design and oversee the implementation of this project.

Often, project sites had tile installed to help drain the cropland. First, these tiles, if they exist, are broken so water will no longer drain. Then, earth-moving equipment is used to create a 5,000-square-foot to one-acre (depending on the site) shallow depression. The scrapes are only about two to three feet at the deepest spot and merely inches on the edges. The shallow edges encourage the establishment and growth of native wetland grasses.

The displaced soil on Roystons’ was spread just above the scrapes where Ron and Sharon will be planting native prairie seeds. After seeding, mulch will be spread to help deter erosion (when we finally do get some precipitation) until the plants are established. Even with the dry weather, water has already begun to collect in one of Roystons’ scrapes. The neighbor’s scrapes have been holding water since their completion last summer. Many critters are probably finding the scrapes very useful about now!

Not all wet areas are suitable for this type of restoration project. Only certain sites with the proper soil types and hydrology will support a pond like this. Also, to be eligible for the cost share, there are program requirements concerning crop history and ownership.

So if you drive down Highway 92, keep an eye out at the intersection of Messerschmidt Road–you’ll see construction of a conservation practice that can filter and collect sediment from runoff (preventing clogging of rivers and lakes downstream); provide habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife; and create ecological diversity, not to mention a beautiful landscape.

Contact the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association at:
207 East Main Street • PO Box 314 • Mount Horeb, WI 53572
Phone: (608) 437-7707 • Email: execdr@usrwa.org

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This page last updated August 25, 2003