Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area
Along the east branch of the Kickapoo River in Vernon County sit two spectacular MVC properties: Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area and the adjacent, newly-acquired Kings Point Farm Tract.
Mississippi Valley Conservancy permanently protected Tunnelville Cliffs in May 2005. The DNR designated the site as a State Natural Area in 2006. Among the many noteworthy features of Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area are east facing Cambrian sandstone cliffs with seepages at the base, the Kickapoo River and an associated wetland, a small goat prairie, wooded ridges and a hilltop with a fantastic overlook of the valley. This is a great property to visit any time of the year with wildflowers and sand hill cranes in the spring, the lush greenness of summer, changing colors of fall, and icicles on the cliffs to see in the winter.
In December 2009, the Babson family, former owners of the Chicago-based Surge milking machine business that was part of the modernization of dairy farming, donated to Mississippi Valley Conservancy 1,118 acres on the Kickapoo River north of Viola in Vernon County. The site includes springs, creeks, over 9,000 feet of frontage on the Kickapoo River, forests, cliffs, prairie, sedge meadow, and open grasslands. It hosts populations of the state threatened Henslow's sparrow and the state threatened cherrystone drop snail.
It's an astonishing gift that gives further protection to important ecological features and wildlife as well as increasing public access to this spectacular part of the Wisconsin landscape. The Babsons' donation, appraised at $2.5 million, is the largest gift of land received by the MVC since it was started in 1997. MVC's president George Kerckhove said, "I think I can speak for all the people of Wisconsin in expressing our gratitude to the Babsons for their splendid gift," Kerckhove said.
Jean Babson said her late husband, James Babson, who served as president of Babson Brothers Company, bought farms in the area some 35 years ago and consolidated them into a grazing operation with as many as 1,000 head of beef cattle. She has happy memories of the family and friends gathering at the cabin they built on a ridge high above the Kickapoo in 1971. The family will keep the cabin and some of the surrounding property. MVC will help them place a conservation easement on the property they retain. Jean Babson and her husband lived in the Chicago area where the company was headquartered. "James Babson had vision, had a love of the land. The whole place meant a lot to (him)...not just the cattle, but being here. It’s such a beloved part of the country that meant so much to me and (my husband), and it’s nice to know its going to be in good hands.”
In the spring of 2010, MVC conducted its largest-ever prescribed burn on the property to restore some of the rare native habitat, including oak savanna.
The Kings Point Tract is open for public access, including hiking, hunting, trapping, fishing, snowshoeing and bird watching. A guided snowshoe hike for the public occurred on the land in February 2010.
Click here for a printable map of the Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area.