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Eagle Heights Woods

PictureBloodroot under rock outcrop. Photo Adam Gundlach
Key Features
This magnificent, mature oak forest, with beautiful woodland wildflowers in spring, has survived substantially intact since European settlement began. The spectacular setting with its commanding 150 foot bluff overlooking Lake Mendota has been prized since the time of the ancient Native American mound builders and into the present.

Ecology
Situated on top of dolomite outcrops from the early Ordovician period and a layer of glacial till, most of this woodland is still red and white oak. It is one of the better quality woods on campus and the area is not impacted by any run-off. Because of this and because of differences between the tree composition on its slopes which face all directions, Eagle Heights Woods has long been an important resource for research and study. Community visitors seek relaxation in this quiet area of the Preserve. 

The woodland is multi-layered and the native plant understory is diverse. Several types of viburnum, dogwood and other native shrubs and trees form a rich mid-layer. Wildflowers in the ground layer are especially beautiful in spring, before canopy trees are fully leafed. Currently, parts of the existing tree canopy are in decline, and dense shade from invasive plants is affecting the character and composition of canopy tress and reduces biodiversity in the area.
Many smaller mammals, as well as raccoons and opossums are common. Red foxes and coyotes regularly hunt here and deer occasionally are seen. Cavity nesting birds, including Tufted Titmouse and Wood Duck, make use of the many sizes of holes in dead trees. Migration brings a wide variety of warblers, flycatchers and vireos. 

History
Eagle Heights Woods was a sacred place to the Native Americans, who built a circular and two linear mounds at the top of the ridge about 1000 years ago. The original trails were built about 1887 as carriage trails by George Raymer, a newspaper publisher who ran a substantial farm at Eagle Heights. They subsequently became part of the Park and Pleasure Drive Association trails. The land was owned by the University of Wisconsin from 1911 until 1939 when it was traded to Edward Young, a wealthy lumberman, in exchange for Picnic Point. After Young's death, Tom Brittingham Jr., university benefactor, purchased the land in the 1950s and donated it to the University to keep the area natural.
Above Eagle Heights the bald eagles still screamed, and one never passed that way without one of the family swooping down from the hill and circling round the boat in graceful curves.
   – Mrs. W. F. Allen, quoted in T. Brock,see text
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White Oak in Eagle Heights Woods. Photos G. Kutzbach
"Any tree that fails to grow a tall trunk will be unable to gather much sunlight and will leave few, if any, offspring. Trees therefore grow as tall as their supporting architecture will allow, each individual tree reaching up to secure an unshaded spot in the canopy.
   – David Haskell
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Rotting tree trunk.
".... these fallen trees have now started the next part of their journey through the ecology of this old-growth forest. Fungi, salamanders and thousands of species of invertebrates will thrive in and under the rotting trunks. At least half a tree's contribution to the fabric of life comes after its death., so one measure of the vitality of a forest ecosystem is the density of tree carcasses. You're in a great forest if you cannot pick out a straight-line path through fallen limbs and trunks. A bare forest floor is the  sign of ill health."
    – David Haskill
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Early 1900's view of Eagle Heights from Lake Mendota Drive through the Raymer farm. The ravine that George Raymer donated as a park is just out of sight down the hill. The Eagle Heights woods and effigy mounds are at the highest point in the distance. The road today follows essentially the same contours. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Anonymous, early 1900's, and reproduced in T. Brock Eagle Heights.
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Aerial view of 1937. While Eagle Heights Woods remains intact, most of the rest of the Preserve area shown is converted to farmland (Raymer and Young farms). Notice the location of open grown oaks left in the fields, the treelined contours of the Park and Pleasure Drive separating the farms and winding along Lake Mendota toward Eagle Heights Woods. Source Aerial view of Wisconsin 7/6/ 1937, roll-Exposure: 7:586. Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder, http://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/#
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2014 view of Eagle Heights from the Lake. The bluff rises 150 feet above lake level. The steepest slope is toward the lake. Photo Gisela Kutzbach
For a more detailed historical perspective, see Professor Thomas Brock's chapter on Eagle Heights, in Historic Madison: A Journal of the Four Lake Region, Volume XII (1995, Historic Madison, Inc.)

For an introduction to Native American Mounds in Eagle Heights Woods, see the Friends newsletter of spring 2003:
Ancient Earthworks in Eagle Heights Woods
For a full-sized map of the mounds and more detailed information about Native American Mounds in the Preserve, see Native Americans in the Preserve, Eagle Heights Mound Group (DA130)

For an introduction to the geological history of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, with a focus on Eagle Heights Woods, see the illustrated presentation by David Mickelson on  The Geology of Eagle Heights Woods.

The first inventory of native vascular plants of Eagle Heights Woods was conducted in 1998 by Joshua Sulman. The inventory also included Wally Baumann Woods and the Tent Colony Woods. For detailed information, follow this link:
Native Vascular Plants in Eagle Heights Woods (1998) 

Most recently, in 2013, Preserve Staff has developed a multi-year Management Plan for Eagle Heights Woods with a focus on vegetation management "to accomplish the protection of the Native American Indian burial mounds and promotion of a well-functioning natural community." For a summary of this Management Plan, presented at the Friends' Board meeting June 3, 2014, follow this link:
Eagle Heights Woods Management Plan (2014) - a Presentation for the Friends of the Preserve
In short, the new management plan will: 
  • Protect the Native American mounds by removing invasive vegetation and realigning adjacent trails
  • Remove hazard trees along the trails and over the mounds to protect both visitors and burial sites
  • Enhance views to Lake Mendota
  • Encourage the growth of native trees and wildflowers by removing invasive plants
  • Increase plant diversity and improve wildlife habitat by planting grasses, wildflowers and shrubs
  • Refurbish trails with carefully planned, mulched footpaths
  • Realign steep, eroded trails to reduce washouts and improve footing
  • Provide ongoing monitoring and management of vegetation to promote biological health of the area