Lakeshore Nature Preserve comes to life online

A digital trove brimming with cutting-edge maps, evocative photos, ecological information and the rich history of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve has been assembled on a Web site that debuted today.

“One of the primary goals of the site is to get people to view the Preserve with new eyes, so they can experience it more deeply and enjoy it more richly,” says William Cronon, chair of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Committee.

Donors Eleanor and Peter Blitzer, of Fort Myers, Fla., underwrote the project, which uses technology to assemble in one place a vast amount of information regarding the 300-acre Preserve that stretches along more than four miles of shoreline where the campus meets Lake Mendota.

The site contains more than 325 Web pages illustrated by more than 2,400 photographs, video clips and maps. More than 300 information windows in the interactive map link back to the Web site.

“The preserve is a magnificent piece of the Madison and campus landscape, and we see the Web site as a way to increase public awareness of this spectacular natural asset,” says Cronon, a professor of history, geography and environmental studies.

One of the most innovative features of the site is an interactive map that was four months in the making. A team of graduate students, supervised by geography professor Mark Harrower, created the sophisticated, yet easy to use, map.

“I’m not aware of another natural area in the nation that has a map that is as rich and informative as this one,” Cronon says.

In addition to helping visitors find their way, the map allows for users to view a wide variety of different layers showing vegetation, hydrology, soils, topography, surviving and vanished historical sites and aerial photos. It also provides visitors with text and photos describing sites in the preserve.

One feature of the map allows viewers to animate historical aerial photos that reveal in time-lapse fashion how the area has changed since the first aerial photos were taken of the area in 1927.

The way-finding section of the map also offers users a feature called, “Have You Seen These?” which provides information on little known sites in the preserve.

Among them are foundations for a summertime tent colony near Frautschi Point that was used from 1912 to 1962 by graduate students; various American Indian mound sites; the Mason’s Stone Pile, where masons who helped build the university stored leftover stone for potential future use; and the brick walkway of a home once owned by Edward and Alice Young, which burned in 1935.

Other portions of the site show how to plan a visit to the preserve, how to notice and appreciate seasonal changes there, and how to recognize and enjoy the plants, insects, birds and mammals that are found in the area.

And the site is also rich in history, providing the original survey map and detailed human and natural histories of sites in the preserve and the cultural history of the area.

“We hope that the site encourages a culture of stewardship and help people experience this incredible place,” Cronon adds.