Lake Geneva restoration project wins Grow for Birds Plant Grant from SOS, White Pelican Farm, Bird City Wisconsin

MADISON – A City of Lake Geneva project turning a small part of an overgrown, invasive species-choked golf course into a public garden blooming with native plants and wildlife has been awarded a Grow for Birds Plant Grant to jumpstart the transformation.

The plant grant from White Pelican Farm in Wyocena, SOS Save Our Songbirds and Lake Michigan Bird Observatory’s Bird City Wisconsin Program, will provide a minimum of $500 in native plants in 2026 from the nursery.

“Habitat loss is the biggest reason our birds are disappearing from North America, so we’re really excited this project will significantly improve habitat for birds on a very visible site,” says Lisa Gaumnitz, who coordinates the Wisconsin-focused SOS Save Our Songbirds campaign that facilitated the grant.

Hillmoor was a 200-acre golf course located along Highway 50 that closed in 2007 and became overgrown and neglected. The city acquired it in 2023 and recently opened it to the public as a nature area.

The Lake Geneva Avian Committee, Parks Department and Friends of Hillmoor submitted the winning project application for the restoration project on a small part of the property. Work is scheduled to get underway this fall to remove invasive trees and plants like buckthorn, honeysuckle and reed canary grass from the project area and to prepare for planting next spring. Two native pollinator beds are to be planted along the bank of a small stream that flows under Highway 50 to the White River, which flows into Geneva Lake.

The plants will come from White Pelican Farm in Wyocena, a family owned native plant nursery started by retired natural resources manager Erin Crain-Sullivan and now operated with sons Jack and Riley.

White Pelican Farm donates one native plant to a small number of conservation groups for every native plant sold; SOS is on their list of recipient organizations and is directing their donated plants to seed the Grow for Birds Plant Grant.

“Our family greatly enjoys being a part of these local efforts to support Wisconsin’s wildlife” says Crain-Sullivan, who has a master’s degree in ecological restoration and started the native nursery to help more people plant with wildlife in mind. “It’s often these smaller local initiatives that get the wider public involved in conservation.”           

A native garden restoration and story walk project in Two Rivers won the first plant grant given by White Pelican Farm, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and Bird City Wisconsin in 2023.    

Kelsey Bell, the Bird City Wisconsin program director, says Lake Geneva's project won for its approach enhancing bird habitat and water quality, thoughtful planning, and emphasis on accessibility.

“One aspect of the project that really stood out was their emphasis on access for all and their plans for educational signage,” she says.  “The signage will help residents of all backgrounds learn about native plants, wildlife, and the benefits of restoring habitat in their own community. Well-rounded projects like these are exactly what Bird City Wisconsin is about!

Bird City Wisconsin is a program of the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. More than 80 communities have been recognized as meeting requirements for protecting birds and habitat and educating residents on the same.