Projects
Get Involved and Have Fun! Join Us!
Volunteering is a great way to get some "outdoor" exercise, develop new friendships, learn new skills, ensure students are connected to "the land," preserve our agricultural heritage, and help the community develop a new unique park.
Community Garden Project
Anderson Park Friends, Inc. (APF) is partnering with Dane County Parks (DCP) and Rooted to create a “large-size” garden opportunity for interested individuals, churches, nonprofits, and/or businesses. People or interested organizations can contact us now to be considered for one of the 2025 plots. Certain limitations will apply. Deadline is April 25, 2024. Call Nicholas Leete for more information at 608-236-3478
Oregon Area Food Pantry Garden
Most of us have a dose of “cabin fever”. Too much snow and indoor activities. Paging through seed catalogues can help alleviate this “closed-in” feeling. What do APF volunteers do? We read those same catalogues.
Our APF garden leadership team has been doing just that-reading seed catalogues. We are organizing our strategies for the 2023 Food Pantry Garden. This includes ordering and purchasing seeds as well as starting seedlings at the Oregon High School greenhouse.
Our goal for 2025 is 4,700 pounds of fresh produce and increasing the variety of produce for local pantries. In 2024 we grew over 18 varieties with a "2-growing season strategy." New techniques to be used in 2025 include: 1) compost program, 2) cover crop approach to soil fertility and weed control, and 3) a micro-irrigation system for 1/8 acre.
Click here for the Food Pantry Garden flyer.
The garden will support the pantries in Oregon, Belleville, and Verona.
Donations are needed to meet our goal of $2,000. Go to the APF Membership Page. Select the other category and indicate a donation with your credit card.
Join us by going to https://www.andersonparkfriends.org/volunteer.
Volunteer opportunities within projects include:
- Planning and restoring the Arthur Sholts Memorial Woods
- Creating and maintaining 10 acres of prairie: planting native plants and harvesting prairie seeds
- Creating and maintaining a 40-acre dog park and prairie. Dog Park Map for more information.
- Creating and maintaining a food pantry garden
- Creating and maintaining trails-hiking, equestrian riding, snowshoeing,
- Suport family walks in the park with our fairy doors and over 60 rock art pieces placed along hiking trails
- Planning and developing market garden farm plots for the Anderson Farm Center
- Planning and coordinating education programs for K-12, community college, and university students
- Building signs, kiosks, and a park shelter
- Creating bird habitat and maintaining a 23-house bluebird trail
- Maintaining bat and kestrel bird houses.
Volunteers are covered by insurance after registering via a "signed" volunteer waiver form. People under the age of 18 need the consent of a parent. Please print and fill out either the individual waiver form or the group waiver form and bring it to our next event. Also, please review a summary of the waiver guidelines.
Other activities include quarterly newsletter, web site maintenance, fundraising, community outreach, event planning (i.e. Global Youth Service Day, Arbor Day, Earth Day, etc.) and more! All event held in accordance with Dane County Parks guidelines.
Check out our calendar for a listing of events.
Become an APF Volunteer
Overview
The organization organizes the volunteer events into three categories: 1) Conservation Work, 2) Educational for K-12 students, and 3) Recreational. Join Us!
Recreational and Educational Events
These events take place throughout the year. Many of them are featured on our FaceBook page. Click here for a summary of 2025 events.
Conservation Events
The schedules of the small group (3-7 people) activities are separate from our second Saturday of the month events. The individual volunteer group members set schedules. They plan days and times to meet according to their own schedules and are usually held on Monday – Saturday. The registration for Saturday events is separate and done via our calendar web page.
Join Us! The work event opportunities available to you include:
Forests: APF is restoring over 60 acres of forests by removing invasive species and planting understory bushes and trees. Work in the Sholts Memorial Forest continues and work is completed as appropriate for the weather.
West Woods
Our vision for this 45 acre forest is to develop an oak woodland that transitions to an oak savanah on the eastern section. Access to this park land is managed by Anderson Park Friends.
Work began on this 17-year project in November 2023. A major portion of the initial phase was completed in 2024. Work will be ongoing in 2025. Chain saw users need to be certified by Dane County Parks before working with this type of equipment. The wearing of safety equipment is also required. Contact: Jay Bonnell at: [email protected].
Invasive Species (non-woody): APF is continuing our restoration effort by removing non-woody invasive species like Japanese hedge parsley, Ragweed, and Garlic Mustard. Contact: Sue Faust at: [email protected].
Native Plants & Prairies: APF’s organic approach supports 16 native plant gardens in the park. A prairie plant "starter garden" (raised bed, no bending over) was added in 2023. Contact: Sue Eagle at: [email protected] or Sue Faust at: [email protected]. This is a fun group and welcomes everyone for one two-hour episode or as a continuing participant.
Fall Prairie Seed Collections: Our prairie seed collections activities start in late August and go through October of each year. All seeds collected go to the Dane County Seed Cooperative. The seeds for the new Dane County prairies in 2025 will come from the cooperative. APF is planning to establish a new 10-acre prairie by January 2026. Join us now. Contact: Roe Parker at [email protected] .
Food Pantry Garden: APF’s Anderson Farm Center supports a large food pantry garden and 22 community gardens (1/4 acre each) for Hmong families. The pantry garden grows a wide assortment of vegetables and fruits. Seasonal activities are from April to November. Contact: Barbara Hill at: [email protected].
Citizen Research: APF maintains a bluebird trail and a trail camera for the WI Department of Natural Resources. Volunteers plan projects, collect data, take photographs. Contact: Sue Eagle at: [email protected].
Additional Volunteer Opportunities
Community Outreach: Volunteer authors write short articles directing newsletter readers to state and national resources on topics like birds, bees, wildlife, and butterflies. Photographers are needed to record APF projects, volunteer accomplishments, and the beauty of the park. Photos are used in newsletters, Facebook posts, and press releases to local media. Contact: Roe Parker at [email protected].