The Greenway Arboretum
ParkWatch of Fond du Lac is a local organization which has built hiking trails and done restoration within the 14.5 acres of land on the south side of the city along the east branch of the Fond du Lac River. Many people enjoy this area, which is called The Greenway Arboretum. It is located directly to the west of the Pick n Save parking lot on S. Pioneer. The short hiking trails are popular due to access within the city and their location right off the Fond du Lac Loop.
The Greenway Arboretum was in existence long before the current volunteers became involved. The area was wild and overgrown. Members of the Fond du Lac County Audubon Society surveyed the natural beauty and wildness of the area and saw the junk that was strewn around the prairie area. The group visited city staff who then sent the zoning officer out for inspection. The owner at that time cleaned up metal pipes and pieces, and clay soil was brought in to cover the landfill area. This brought with it an invasive weed, teasel.
ParkWatch continues to coordinate volunteer efforts to eradicate invasive weeds and buckthorn.
Lallier Park
ParkWatch of Fond du Lac has received the approval of the UW Agriculture and Recreation Committee for two grants totally more than $3,800 to restore shoreline along DeNeveu Creek in Lallier Park (corner of National Avenue and 4th Street in Fond du Lac) and to start the restoration of a Maple-Basswood Woods in a former landfill, now a part of The Greenway Arboretum along the east bank of the East Branch of the Fond du Lac River.
The Lallier Park project is an opportunity to restore natural habitat with native plants and enhance the beauty of Lallier Park. Plantings could include native grasses like little bluestem, prairie dropseed, butterflyweed, wild indigo, purple coneflower, bottle gentian, rough blazingstar, foxglove beardtongue, early goldenrod, spiderwort, culver’s root and many more.