25th Anniversary Spring Social Speeches

DRIFTLESS AREA LAND CONSERVANCY

25TH ANNIVERSARY

MAY 1, 2025

SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN

Special Places

Speech by Mark Cupp

Good afternoon, everyone. Inspiring remarks indeed from Jordy and Jen! The Driftless Area Land Conservancy has accomplished great things in such a relatively short time and the credit goes to the vision displayed by the founders, initial board members, early staff and sound decision making as DALC was built through the years into the vibrant, energetic, dynamic, forceful organization it is today.  Strong leadership from the Board of Directors, from the Executive Director, and a high-quality staff at each and every position! Also, strong support from volunteers, landowners, donors, conservation partners and the community at-large; all who recognize a smooth-running steam engine rolling down the tracks and making progress on task after task with incredible results.  

All affiliated with the Driftless Area Land Conservancy should be proud, incredibly proud, of the accomplishments we have heard Jordy and Jen tick off in their remarks or that you have read about in the DALC newsletters.  THIS IS RARE.  NOT EVERY ORGANIZATION HAS THIS LEVEL OF SUCCESS AND ON TOP OF THAT IS ABLE TO SUSTAIN SUCCESS AND CONTINUE TO GROW.  Look around.  Hundreds of people have gathered today to celebrate DALC’s 25th anniversary.  Hundreds of people!  Last week, Governor Evers was here to learn more about DALC’s work, recent initiatives and those on the immediate horizon.  25 years are in the books and the best is yet to come.  I can feel it in my bones.

And so, I offer my sincere gratitude to the DALC founders for their vision and the current and former board members for their continuing commitment to a vision for conservation in the Driftless. I offer my sincere gratitude to Jen and her team and all former DALC staff members for their commitment to the organization, their energy, their sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears in making DALC a great success.  To the landowners, donors, partners, supporters of DALC for the past 25 years, my thanks as well.  This success rests on your shoulders as well.

Today, we gather at place called Wintergreen atop a bluff in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, a 92 mile riparian corridor and 100,000 acre property of both public and private lands extending from Prairie du Sac to Prairie du Chien.  Thank you to Terry and Suzanne Shifflet for allowing us to utilize the facility to celebrate the DALC anniversary.  Even more importantly, thank you to Terry and Suzanne for their incredible patience in working to fulfill their vision for the property since they first acquired Wintergreen a few years ago, namely, to ensure it would be a place to be enjoyed by the public and not necessarily a playground for the affluent.  

While other attempts to acquire the property were unsuccessful, Jen and the DALC Board were able to engage in serious deliberations internally and then in honest and thoughtful negotiations with the Shifflets regarding potential acquisition of the Wintergreen parcel.  At this hour on this first day of May in 2025, I am optimistic that this special place will be acquired by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and will become a destination within the Riverway on many, many levels for many, many purposes!  Thank you again Terry and Suzanne for working with DALC to allow this dream to come to a hopeful conclusion.

The Wintergreen acquisition is one of the top three, if not the #1 priority acquisition, remaining in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway.  There are plethora reasons for such a lofty designation.  Aesthetics, native plant communities, fauna, wetlands, a mile of undeveloped shoreline, trails, and an edifice with potential that is limitless.  However, we need to ensure that the dream is realized.  We need to push to finish line.  We need to raise the necessary dollars to achieve the goal.  We need to support re-authorization of Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund.  We need to speak to legislators and local officials, our friends and our neighbors about the importance of this acquisition.  We need to support DALC financially, with our own networking ability, spreading the word, asking people of monetary means to support the cause, volunteering in whatever way you are able, to keep the momentum going.  We can do this together.  Anything is possible when we work together and this task is achievable.  With the leadership of Jen Filipiak and the DALC Board and with the help and of Terry and Suzanne Shifflet, I know we are on the right track and the steam engine of success will keep humming along.

There is a lot of negative noise in the world these days.  Frankly, I have to tune it out and focus on other things.  Things that I can change.  Things in my sphere of influence.  Things in my backyard, such as the Riverway or the family farm.  Places where I can make a difference or places where I can go to find refuge.  In a recent moment of reflection, I thought of a favorite passage from Wendell Berry.  Many of you know

"The Peace of Wild Things"  

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beautiy on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of the wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free

This is why we need places to go to restore our soul, to calm our psyche. To hear a bird song or see a Pasque flower in bloom.  A place such as Wintergreen…or Big Rock…or Erickson Prairie…or the Driftless Trail

This is why we bond together and fight for the things in which we believe: to leave the world a better place for the next generation and the generation after that.  

So, despite some of the shenanigans at the federal level, remember the words of the famous philosopher from the film The Big Lebowski, “This aggression will not stand, Man.”  Keep fighting the good fight.  Keep fighting for that which is right.  Thank you all for being here today.  Peace.

A Driftless Story: 25 Years in the Making

Speech by Jordy Jordahl

Wow—what a day to be in the Driftless!

The views are stunning and we’re surrounded by good people. It’s hard to be the first one here to speak, but with a crowd like this, it’s also a real honor.

First things first—let’s take a moment to appreciate what’s made this gathering possible. The sponsors, the volunteers, the staff—so many people have put in the hard work to make today a celebration worth remembering. Let’s give them a round of applause!

And just look at this setting. A heartfelt thank you to the Shifflets for welcoming us to this incredible place. Another round of applause, please!

My name is Jordy Jordahl, and I’ve been part of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy since the very beginning. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since we first started putting this organization together.

I want to tell you all that when we started this organization back in 2000, I don’t think any of us expected to be here today with almost 400 people celebrating that our land trust has protected almost 10,000 acres, owns 7 preserves, is actively working to build a 50-mile walking path, and is now working to protect this gem on the bluff over the Lower Wisconsin River!  I had some high hopes but wow!

I had a PowerPoint all ready with 75 slides—lots of bullet points, fuzzy photos, the works. But Jen and Angie wisely suggested I keep it short, snappy, and full of thank-yous. So, no slideshow—but plenty of gratitude.

Because yes, this work is about the land—but even more so, it’s about the people.

In the late 90s, there were many land trusts that had formed and were doing great things all over the state but nothing yet in the Driftless. There were a lot of families out here who wanted to protect their lands forever and wanted a local land trust.  Several of us had contacted Gathering Waters Conservancy. We all made a connection and agreed to get together at my family’s farm in Rockbridge in Richland County on June 19, 2000. We had big dreams and the sense that we were on the edge of something meaningful.  I am sure we had the coffee on. 

So we started talking.

We met at UW-Richland Center, in libraries, in town halls—from Mineral Point to Spring Green. Jen recently shared with me a stack of handwritten and typed meeting notes from those early days. Some names jumped right out; others had faded a bit in memory. But together, that group laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

With 25 years of history, this will be the only time I name names! Some of those folks are with us here today. If you hear your name, please raise your hand:

• Doug Booth

• Tim Freeman

• David Kopitzke

• Carroll Schaal

• Mark Mittelstadt

• Brenda Gasch-Mittelstadt

And though some of our earliest champions have passed—Charles Steudel, Gene Roark, Brad Glass, and my dad, Bud Jordahl—we carry their vision with us still.

Let’s give this founding group a big round of applause.

Soon after, we found invaluable support from the Gathering Waters Conservancy. Vicki Elkin and Karen Bassler helped us take those first steps and shape ourselves into a true land trust. Our friends at The Nature Conservancy, my employer at the time, and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy were right there with us too, offering guidance, partnership, and encouragement. Conservation has always been a team effort.

Now, in those early meetings, we quickly pivoted from blue skies and pretty sunsets to the black-and-white realities of building an organization: bylaws, IRS paperwork, board minutes. We had to decide on a name—and there were some contenders:

• Uplands Land Conservancy

• Southwest Wisconsin Land Trust

• Coulee Land Trust

• Hidden Valleys Land Trust

But the name that stuck—the name that fit—was Driftless Area Land Conservancy. It just felt right.

Then David Kopitzke came to a meeting with a drawing of an open-grown bur oak tree for us to use as our logo. We had a vision, a name, and a logo so we printed some letterhead and started raising money.

And we grew—thanks to people. Volunteers, landowners, community members. Meetings in libraries, phone calls, emails—it was a grassroots effort in every sense of the word.

Our history is laid out in DALC’s Spring Newsletter - check it out!  There are more facts and dates than I can remember, but the key over and over has been the folks working together.

Like all the folks who have served on the DALC board over the years. If that’s you, please raise your hand. You’ve been ambassadors for the land, the organization, and our mission. From policy meetings to fundraising calls, you’ve done the hard work.

Meeting great landowners, talking about conservation, and looking at maps is the fun stuff.  Thank you also to your work on budgets, administrative policies, documentation, and yes, fundraising!

Next, I want to thank all the landowners who have entrusted the protection of their land to DALC with conservation easements or opened their land to the Driftless Trail. These are the families who bring the land to a land trust.  After our first donated conservation easement in 2003, we have now protected 57 properties. If you’re one of those families, raise your hand. Thank you for your commitment to this place.

A major turning point came in 2012, when we acquired our first preserve—the Erickson Conservation Area. It marked a new chapter. No longer were we just protecting land—we were more fully serving our mission of connecting people to the land and each other, like we are here in this room.  Today, we have seven preserves where the public can hike, birdwatch, hunt, and simply be in nature.

Caring for land means managing it, too, and I want to call out the folks who have helped manage DALC preserves. Burning prairies, planting native species, monitoring habitats, pulling invasives—it’s not glamorous, but it’s vital. If you’ve ever volunteered at one of our preserves or in the office, raise your hand. Let’s give you a round of applause.

And now, to our staff—current and former. You’ve carried the vision, the paperwork, the fieldwork, and the endless details. Thank you. Thank you for the seen and unseen work that has built this organization from the roots up.

It takes a community to protect a landscape like the Driftless.

Last week, we stood here with Governor Evers.  We brought together leaders from 16 partner groups active in the neighborhood. The message was clear: to protect places like Wintergreen and other iconic Wisconsin landscapes, we have to keep working together.

Right now, the DALC team is working to protect another 1,500 acres and raise $6 million to safeguard this land above the Lower Wisconsin River. It’s a big goal—but look around. We are many, and we are committed.

As I wrap up, I want to ask everyone here who is a part of this community protecting the Driftless, to raise your hand.

It’s a trick question!  EVERYONE HERE is a part of the success of Driftless Area Land Conservancy.  Let’s give ourselves, this incredible community, a round of applause!

When we started in 2000, it was 10 or 15 of us in a room with a shared hope. And great things have come from that. 

Now imagine what we can do together in the next 25 years. If the 400 people here can each find a way to help our land trust continue to grow.  Like bringing a friend unfamiliar with our work on Driftless Trail hike, joining a work party on a preserve, volunteering, continuing to financially support DALC….

Imagine the great things we will do in the next 25 years because the story isn’t over. In fact, it’s just getting good.

The Power of a Small Group: 25 Years of Community Conservation in the Driftless

Speech by Jennifer Filipiak - Executive Director - Driftless Area Land Conservancy

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

That famous quote from Margaret Mead has become something of a guiding star for the Driftless Area Land Conservancy. And as we celebrated 25 years of protecting this extraordinary landscape, it felt only right to take a moment to thank a few of the committed people who helped make this anniversary possible—starting with our intrepid event planning committee: Angie, and the indispensable volunteer power of Darla Patterson, Anne Connor, and Cookie Tikalsky. Honestly, when we started planning, we were thinking big—like, maybe 200 people. But nearly  400 showed up! That says something.

I'm Jen Filipiak, and I’m honored (and humbled) to serve as the Executive Director of DALC.  Successful nonprofits tend to follow a typical growth cycle - there is the idea phase where a group of passionate and committed individuals come together with an idea to solve a problem.  Here in southwest Wisconsin, there were landowners who wanted to protect their land, but no active land trust to work with.  Then there is the start-up phase - founders form a board, formalize a mission, initiate projects, and learn how to do the work they know needs doing.  And then there is the growth phase, which can last a while!  A first staff person is hired, and a staff team builds.  Community support and funding builds.  The organization learns what it is best at, and becomes more strategic.  This stage can be likened to the “awkward teenage years”, and I’m proud to be at the helm during this time. We have a lot going on, we’re trying new things, we’re spreading our wings!  But there is a method to the madness. There’s strategy. There’s learning. There’s planning. And there’s always reflection. But through it all, there’s been one constant: you. Our community.

For 25 years, our mission has been to protect the health and beauty of the Driftless Area—not only with science and stewardship, but by listening to our community and rising to meet your hopes and dreams for this place we all love.

Let me tell you about one of those moments. In the early 2010s, the community of Argyle came to us with a request: could we save a beloved piece of land known as the Erickson property? The family had welcomed neighbors to hike, explore, and enjoy the land for decades—but now it was going up for sale. They wanted to see it remain a community space, protected and undeveloped.

It was a big ask. At the time, DALC had never owned land before. And as anyone who’s ever owned property knows—it’s a serious responsibility. But we stepped up. And the community stepped up with us. Together, we built a boardwalk, began habitat restoration, and maintained mowed trails. That collaboration continues to this day. Some of our volunteers helping with prairie burns and species monitoring played on that very land as children.

In 2015, a group of farmers and landowners in the Lowery Creek Watershed, just south of Wintergreen, asked us for help. They wanted to organize around a shared vision for their community—a vision of a thriving agricultural and natural landscape that nurtures and sustain rural livelihoods.  That protects a precious trout stream and rich fertile soil.

At the time, DALC had just two staff and was stewarding 20 conservation easements. Resources were tight. But we saw something powerful in that group of neighbors: they weren’t just asking for help—they were offering partnership. And what grew from that partnership has been extraordinary: welcoming new neighbors, hosting Evenings Afield, and laying the groundwork for future trails and conservation easements. Since 2018, nearly 600 people have attended those educational evenings. That’s community building in action.

And possibly one of the biggest asks our community had ever made of us was when the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line was proposed. We knew it threatened conservation easements—but our community asked to play a much bigger role.

We partnered with the Environmental Law & Policy Center to explore alternatives.  We learned that we didn't have to have a massive new transmission line to welcome renewable energy in our region.  The transmission line did go up, but it was rerouted in several places, it doesn’t cross any conservation easements, and—perhaps most importantly— the fight brought transparency to a process that had long operated in the dark. 

And our community stepped up! The rallies we held against the line remain some of our biggest events ever—rivaled only by the celebration we held this week.  Keep in mind our rural landscape!  Our largest town (Platteville) has about 12,000 people. It’s common to see rallies and protests in urban centers, but we organized across a large geography with a unified, strong voice, demanding our seat at the table.

Let me share another quiet but remarkable story: Bloomfield Prairie is owned by Iowa County, and is the largest prairie restoration in the county—over 400 acres of critical habitat for grassland birds. It all began with a small group of volunteers in Dodgeville who proposed that the county apply for funding from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to convert the land from row crops to grassland, making the property open to the community and valuable habitat for wildlife. They dubbed themselves the Iowa County Recreation and Prairie Restoration Group (admittedly better at prairie restoration than coming up with snappy titles!), secured nonprofit status, and transformed 400 acres of the Iowa County Farm into a sanctuary.

When the time came to renew the CRP contract, they needed a partner—and they asked us. In 2017, we stepped in, sharing the responsibility for managing this precious habitat. Today, Bloomfield Prairie stands as a testament to what small, committed groups can do. Bloomfield Prairie is recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a Bird Conservation Area and all 12 species of grassland birds known to occur in southern Wisconsin nest there.  It’s a valuable part of a larger network of prairies and working grasslands of the Southern Driftless, a network recognized as some of the most important grasslands in all of the Upper Mississippi River Basin!

All of this has culminated in one of our biggest endeavors yet: the Driftless Trail. Imagine a 50-mile hiking route that connects Governor Dodge, Blue Mounds, and the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, winding through both public and private lands. In 2021, we opened our first mile. Momentum is growing. Landowners are stepping up to share their land.  Volunteers are building trail. At every step, landowners and neighbors are proving once again that conservation in the Driftless happens one relationship at a time.

Which brings us to Wintergreen, another leap forward for DALC and for our Driftless community. And we’re ready. Because of everything we’ve learned from you over the last 25 years. Because of the trust you’ve placed in us. And because we know that you’re with us.

Just look around! Over 400 people wanted to be here today. The governor visited last week! And allow me especially to recognize Terry and Suzanne, who have graciously let us host this celebration here—even though we don’t even own the property yet!  I’m so grateful to the Shifflets for their vision for this beautiful place, their lifelong dedication to the Lower Wisconsin River, and for their partnership. 

So we ask you, our Driftless community, again.  Stand with us now as we come together as a community to revitalize this incredible place and welcome the public back to this land.  

Because as Robin Wall Kimmerer so beautifully reminds us: the work of conservation is the work of being good ancestors to those who come after us.

Thank you all for being champions of conservation for the last 25 years, and for being good ancestors, together.