September 26, 2024 7:50 AM

Autumn's arrival earlier this week has us excited for cool days and park trails blanketed with colorful crisp leaves. If you're in the mood for a break in nature, check out these suggested locations to explore this fall. Tenney Park, 1650 Sherman Ave. is a favorite place for observing birds … [read more]

February 8, 2024 9:57 AM

Madison Parks is updating its Park and Open Space Plan (POSP) and seeking input from area residents. The purpose of the POSP is to guide and inform public park policies and park facility decisions in the city of Madison. Parks staff is working with a consultant planning team led by MSA … [read more]

August 31, 2023 1:31 PM

As we close out the summer, as the new Parks Alive Coordinator, I am pleased to report the successful conclusion to Parks Alive 2023. Building stronger neighborhoods across Madison through Parks Alive was a continued interdepartmental effort in collaboration with local nonprofits, organizations … [read more]

December 1, 2022 7:48 AM

Door Creek Park sits in a small valley on Madison's far eastside. Trails run through the valley bottom, over hills and through the woods. In early 2022, several Madison Nordic Ski Club members walked areas of Door Creek Park with Conservation Resource Supervisor, Paul Quinlan. This onsite-walking … [read more]

November 10, 2020 3:32 PM

Take a walk in nature this fall! As we continue to follow safety guidelines from Public Health Madison & Dane County, and are unable to promote guided Bird & Nature Outings, our volunteer nature experts created these suggestions for self-guided walks. Explore beyond these tips, check out … [read more]

July 1, 2020 3:56 PM

Celebrate National Park & Recreation Month by exploring Madison Parks with a self-guided nature walk on any day in July. Tenney Park, 1330 Sherman Avenue Butterflies and Their Host Plants Take a beautiful nature walk at Tenney Park to enjoy looking at the native Wisconsin flowers, … [read more]

May 8, 2020 10:15 AM

Beginning Birding with Nancy Frozen What's so fun about birding? Nancy Frozen, Master Naturalist and Bird & Nature Outing guide shared her thoughts. Nancy says, "Birding is fun and challenging to look for those flighty, skittish birds and remember shape, size, color, beak, songs, and … [read more]

April 2, 2020 11:20 AM

In a perfect world, Madison Parks volunteer nature experts would provide guided walks each weekend as part of the on-going, year-round Bird & Nature Outing series. Today, we must learn to adapt to these unique times, in order to stay safe and still enjoy nature. We encourage you to … [read more]

March 24, 2020 4:48 PM

While staying at home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the safest, Public Health Madison & Dane County believes that our parks, trails, and open spaces are essential resources for health and wellness. Even with Wisconsin's Safer at Home order as of March 25, 2020, we recognize … [read more]

January 3, 2020 1:27 PM

2019 is in the books, and with it a lot of fond memories made in Madison Parks. Millions of visits across the system with people enjoying themselves, nature, and each other. I thought I would borrow from a fellow native Hoosier and make a top ten list. There are certainly more than 10 laudable … [read more]

June 9, 2017 3:12 PM

How should Madison Parks grow? What should we improve? How do we prepare for future generations of parks enthusiast? These are the questions we have been asking as part of the engagement process for the 2018-2022 Park and Open Space Plan which will guide the future of our park system. As part … [read more]

May 23, 2017 8:29 AM

On Monday, May 15, conservation parks staff hosted students from John Muir Elementary School at Owen Conservation Park for a pond exploration day. About 175 students from 11 classes, spanning 1st through 5th grades, made the two-block journey from the school to the ponds at the south end of the … [read more]

August 19, 2016 9:39 AM

The City of Madison Parks Division and Public Health of Madison and Dane County had the privilege of working with several Wanda Fullmore interns this summer. Six of the PHMDC interns focused their work on learning about how kids in Madison connect with nature by surveying youth around the City. … [read more]