Goose Pond Sanctuary

Prairie Lane and Kiosk

Prairie Lane is a dead-end road that runs along the south edge of the pond. It's a great first-stop on your visit because it is where you'll find our welcome kiosk and Wingspan pavilion, plus benches and a spotting scope for enjoying the expansive view of Goose Pond.

Parking is available along the shoulder of Prairie Lane. The Goose Pond Land Steward lives at the Prairie Lane residence at the end of Prairie Lane.

Wingspan Pavilion

The Wingspan pavilion was constructed in 2017 and dedicated to honor land managers Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin who have worked for over four decades to restore the land to native, flourishing prairie.

Wingspan was the brainchild of longtime Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance member and supporter John Kaiser who wanted to honor a place that has brought peace, contentment, and spectacular memories to five generations of the Kaiser family.

Find the Wingspan pavilion along Prairie Lane and enjoy the artfully designed structure, wooden seating, metal sun-shades, and bird-inspired art. This ADA-friendly is a structure for everyone to enjoy as they take in the scenery and fresh air of Goose Pond Sanctuary.

Bicentennial Prairie

Access Bicentennial Prairie by parking along Prairie Lane. The mowed grass trails for this prairie begin at the back of the kiosk.

This prairie was planted in 1976 to honor Goose Pond volunteers. Enjoy stunning views of the prairie, the pond, and the surrounding wetland.

Bicentennial Prairie has .18 miles of mowed trails on gently rolling terrain.

Land Steward's Residence

The house at the end of Prairie Lane is where Goose Pond's resident land steward lives. The land steward supports conservation projects at Goose Pond Sanctuary and helps maintain the property and its many trails.

You may access the prairie trail system via the trail south of the driveway and west into the prairie. The house and yard are owned by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance but are closed to public access.

The Causeway

Goose Pond Road separates the larger west pond owned and protected by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, from the smaller east pond owned by two neighbors. There is a gravel pull-off along the east edge of the road where you can stop to enjoy the views of the ponds and its wildlife.

Watch waterfowl as they forage and migrating shorebirds as they seek out invertebrates on the pond's muddy edge. Don't forget to check the lone maple and sky overhead for raptors that frequent the pond.

Land Manager's Residence at W7503 Kampen Road

The resident land managers maintain ongoing conservation projects and land care at Goose Pond Sanctuary. This is sometimes a meeting place for events or field trips, thanks to its central location in the sanctuary and ample parking space. The house and yard are owned by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, but are closed to public access.

Mark Martin and Susan Foote-Martin are Goose Pond's resident managers, a responsibility they took on in 1979.

Peter Fissel Pollinator Garden

In June 2020, volunteers, summer interns, and staff planted and mulched a 1,600 square foot demonstration pollinator garden with 1,624 plants that are known to benefit pollinators and monarch butterflies. Overall, six species of prairie grasses and 39 species of flowering plants were planted. 

The garden was named for Peter Fissel, a long-time Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance member and volunteer who was passionately interested in butterflies, birds, and in making the world a better place.

Wetland Scrapes

Wetland scrapes are isolated, shallow depressions that fill with water during part of the year, especially in spring. They are a constructed wetland that requires heavy machinery like bulldozers and backhoes to install, but once created, the scrapes provide diverse habitat for breeding waterfowl, marsh birds, shorebirds, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates.

In 2018, a series of seven wetland scrapes were constructed at Goose Pond. These scattered scrapes are of varying shape and size, designed to allow microhabitats to form and increase plant and wildlife diversity.

Goose Pond itself is already a healthy, restored wetland, but the addition of these scrapes has created even more area for wildlife to shelter and feed.

Browne Prairie

Find parking for Browne Prairie in a grass parking lot on the south side of Kampen Road. Trails for this 66-acre prairie begin from the parking area and provide excellent views of Goose Pond's surrounding landscape as well as the wetland scrapes that were constructed in 2018.

The Browne family helped fund this prairie, named in honor of Vera and Marshall Browne, to honor their parent's legacy. This prairie was purchased in 2005 and restored in 2007.

Browne Prairie and Jill’s Prairie provide 4.2 miles of mowed hiking trails on gently rolling terrain and is the premier hiking trail system at Goose Pond Sanctuary.

Jill's Prairie

Jill's Prairie, south of Browne Prairie, is 67 acres and includes prairie restorations and farmed wetlands that are either cropped or in wetland habitat depending rainfall amounts.  

Jill’s Prairie was named for Jill Martin. Jill and Jerry provided funds to acquire the parcel. The best access is from the Browne Prairie parking lot.

Wood Family Prairie

The Wood Family prairie is across the road from the Browne Prairie parking lot on Kampen Road. The 60-acre restored prairie is named for the Wood family that has been involved with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and Goose Pond Sanctuary for decades.

This prairie contains a large population of prairie dock and compass plants that are host plants for the state-endangered Silphium borer moth.

The Wood Family Prairie has 1.3 miles of mowed hiking paths on gently rolling terrain.

Lapinski-Kitze Prairie

Find parking for Lapinski-Kitze Prairie off of Goose Pond Road—look for a beautiful crane sculpture at the grass parking lot.

This 116-acre tract includes over 90 acres of prairie restoration and provides grassland habitat for birds, butterflies and bees. Eight species of bumblebee have been documented including the federally-endangered rusty patched bumble bee. The best time to search for bumble bees is when bergamot is in peak flower around the first of August.

Friends Elsie Lapinski and Lois Kitze Smithies joined together to help fund the purchase, which was dedicated in 2006.

Lapinski-Kitze Prairie has 2.0 miles of mowed trails on flat terrain.

Ankenbrandt Prairie

Ankenbrandt Prairie is located on the north side of Kampen Road about .4 miles east of Goose Pond Road. To access this 80-acre prairie, pull off the Kampen Road shoulder just onto the access lane on the southwest corner of the parcel. The tract contains over 70 acres of restored mesic prairie habitat with a ephemeral wetland on the southside. This open grassland is an ideal place for prairie associated wildlife.

Ankenbrandt Prairie has 1.4 miles of mowed hiking paths on gently rolling terrain.

Hopkins Road Prairie

Find parking for Hopkins Prairie off Hopkins Road. Enjoy a trail that loops through this 40-acre prairie. Take note of the wetland on its northern edge, where you may find puddle ducks including mallards, blue-winged teal, and shorebirds all enjoying the wetland pond. Look along the outside trail for nest boxes that provide cavities for many pairs of tree swallows and an occasional pair of eastern bluebirds. There is also a American kestrel nest box in the southwest corner of the tract.

Hopkins Road Prairie has 1.7 miles of mowed hiking trails on flat terrain.