Dane County Parks

Only a few more spots open for our Tuesday and Saturday Lil' Explorer Adventure sessions starting next week! Don't Wait!
https://www.lussierheritagecenter.com/lil-explorers

Our Lussier Family Heritage Center education staff had a great time hosting a fishing fieldtrip for Catholic Charities of Madison! Interested in our field trips? Learn more at: https://www.lussierheritagecenter.com/Field-Trips

🎃Mark your calendars for our annual Halloween Luminary Hike! This year we are partnering with the Ice Age Trail Alliance and Verona Public Library to provide a FREE hike at Badger Prairie County Park! 🎃

Full Moon & Halloween Luminary Hike will be October 26th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. S'mores and warm beverages included! Learn more about this event's activities and let us know you're coming: https://www.facebook.com/events/1065593089281437

Want to volunteer? Check out our volunteer opportunities for this event here: https://bttr.im/j26ns

Join us for a free film screening + bonus activities, free pizza provided by the Foundation for Dane County Parks and Smores!

Our staff in the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department had a great time working with the Climate Champions Homeschool Explorer III series at our Lussier Family Heritage Center education facility last week! The group learned about how soil scientist Michelle and agronomist Kim work with soil to understand the impacts of climate change in Dane County.

Our next Explorer Series session starts November 30th. Learn more about this cool program and register at: https://www.lussierheritagecenter.com/Explorer-Series

It's Burn Season!

Dane County Parks staff and volunteers conduct prescribed burns on over 1200 acres of county-owned land every year to help combat brush, manage invasive species, and maintain healthy native habitats. Natural habitats rely upon regular and reoccurring fire to remain diverse, resilient, and capable of providing an array of ecological functions that we depend on.

We are not able to do social media posts before every burn so if you see a fire on our property and you see signs and staff on site, please avoid the area and do not call the fire department as it is a controlled burn in progress and they have already been notified it is occurring.

Check out our online story map to learn more about fire and other tools staff and volunteers use to manage our landscapes:
https://www.danecountyparks.com/natural-areas-program

📷 John Kalson

We are looking forward to our FREE fall-themed Memory Cafe on Monday! We've decided to add apple pressing to our line up of activities. Join us from 9:30-11:00 am at the Lussier Family Heritage Center (3101 Lake Farm Road). We will also take a walk along our paved trail to collect some fall leaves so bring a jacket.

Our memory café offers a relaxed space for social interaction, support, and fun for people with memory loss and their caregivers and features nature-based activities.

Learn more and sign up on our event calendar (link in bio)

Our fall Lake Management Newsletter is packed full of information about our lakes! Want to know how many tons of aquatic plants were removed? Get updates on our boat launch reconstruction projects? Learn about two emerging invasive species to be on the lookout for? Find all that and more here:
https://conta.cc/46VWZIY

We send out this newsletter at the start and end of the summer season, as well as when there are important announcements to share. Don't miss out on important lake updates. Sign up at: https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/about/news-and-information/Newsletters

Join our education team!

We are still recruiting additional Education Staff for the school year! Ideal candidates can work 15 - 20 hours a week, including Monday mornings, during the school year and option to be full time hours in the summer months.

Apply now to engage all in the outdoor education programs at Dane County Parks.
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/countyofdane?keywords=lte&page=2

Looking for a quick way to stay connected? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for a first look at upcoming programs and volunteer opportunities! 🌟

Forget long blocks of text. Our newsletter uses a quick-view slideshow format so you can dive deeper into things you want to know more about and skip the rest.

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱!

☕ Nature-based Memory Cafe
🎬 Film screening
🕯️ Full Moon Halloween Luminary
🚲 Schools Out Days
♻️ Lil' Explorers with a real recycling truck.. and so much more!!

Check it out and see what our October calendar has to offer!

October 2026 Newsletter Check out this Presentation designed by Dane County Parks.