Preserving a Valuable Community Asset

"A park is not just a piece of land, it is a vibrant part of the community; it is a source of pride and a place for people to reconnect with the natural beauty around us." ~Bill Lunney

Judie Pfeifer and Bill Lunney of the Foundation for Dane County Parks.

The Foundation for Dane County Parks is dedicated to improving the quality of life throughout Dane County by sustaining a park system that will improve residents’ physical and mental health, conserve land, and preserve environmentally sensitive areas. That’s a mission that Bill Lunney and Judie Pfeifer embrace fully.

Now retired, the couple spends a large part of their time sharing their passion for parks and working to support and grow the Foundation. Bill, who served as the Chair of the Dane County Parks Commission for more than 30 years, is President of the Foundation’s Board, and Judie serves as the Board Secretary. Both are volunteers.

They believe parks are a vital part of a healthy community. “A park is not just a piece of land,” Bill shared. “It’s a vibrant part of the community; it’s a source of pride and a place for people to reconnect with the natural beauty around us.”

Preserving the parks and making it easy for more people to access them is what the Foundation for Dane County Parks, and Bill and Judie, are dedicated to.

Bridging the Gap

Dane County historically has been generous in supporting the County’s parks. But as with any type of government budget, the level of generosity can change depending on the priorities of each administration. And some much desired projects can fall outside even a generous County budget. That’s where the Foundation for Dane County Parks steps in.

As a public charity designed to support the parks, the Foundation works with the County not to replace money for parks in the County’s budget, but to help provide support for projects that fall outside that budget.

“There are critical needs that we can help spearhead and make available to the community as a whole,” Bill explained. “We work very closely with Dane County Parks to provide for areas that their budget constraints make it impossible to do otherwise.”

Increasing Access for Everyone

Making the parks accessible to more people has become a driving force behind much of the Foundation’s work. “As our Foundation has evolved, accessibility has become even more significant to us,” Bill shared. “Not just for people with physical and emotional challenges, but for populations that often are disconnected from access to nature. Reaching out to those populations is essential as the county grows and changes.”

The installation of accessible piers, a project MCF supported with a grant in 2019, is one part of that effort. Through the Accessible Piers Project, improvements have been made at Babcock County Park and Salmo Pond. A new pier at Fish Camp County Park is in the works, which also will have a kayak lift to make boating accessible.

“We’re helping to spearhead fundraising for the piers, and the County Parks Department is spearheading design,” Bill explained.

The Foundation also is supporting efforts to increase access to the parks for people who may feel disconnected with nature or uncomfortable in the parks. Recent projects have included:

• Partnering with SSM Health and Dean Health Plan on a “Healthy Parks, Healthy You” initiative to offer seasonal health-related activities to encourage families to become familiar with the parks.
• Co-sponsoring a family-oriented COVID-19 vaccination event.
• Engaging youth from Centro Hispano in the Junior Naturalist program.

Funded by a grant from the Foundation’s endowment held at MCF, the Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area hosted Ho-Chunk Nation youth for a week-long program at William G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park.

“The education program included signage showing the Ho-Chunk names and traditional uses of plants like the common milkweed,” Judie, who also serves as the Treasurer of the Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area group, explained. “The kids had no idea how their ancestors used these plants. And they were so excited to make that connection.”

And connecting people to the parks and nature is what the Foundation for Dane County Parks is all about.

You can learn more about the Foundation for Dane County Parks here.