Let’s work together to keep are wild and natural places open.
With state after state enacting some type of “Safer at Home” order, the nation’s outside spaces are becoming prime destinations for people who want to get outside, take a breath of fresh air, and feel warm sunshine on their skin.
But in some cases, state and city governments needed to close these restorative places because the trails and parks were too crowded.
Right now, Wisconsin’s state parks and natural areas are open and free to visit if we abide by the “Safer at Home” order Governor Evers signed in March. We can keep our vital green spaces open by practicing some simple guidelines.
- If you or other people in your household are sick, please stay home. That one choice will protect countless people in your community.
- Avoid popular parks, trails, and natural areas. If you’re not sure where to go, call your local land trust and ask about properties near you that are open for hiking and exploration.
- If a park or trail looks crowded, find another place to enjoy.
- Practice social distancing outside. Stay six feet away from any person you do not live with right now.
- Even when you’re outside, please cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. (The latest recommendation is for people to wear masks when they are in public.)
- If you live in a larger city or visit a popular park, share the outside time. Plan to spend 20 minutes or a half hour. This will give others a chance to spend some quality time in the fresh air enjoying nature.
- Remember most park facilities—including playgrounds and restrooms—are closed. Have a talk with your children and explain why they can’t climb the monkey bars or play on the swings.
- Take only pictures and leave only footprints. Please don’t leave tissues, wrappers, or any other material behind.
- And finally, be thankful that you’re well enough to get outside.
We can enjoy Wisconsin’s public places, state natural areas, and nature preserves because dedicated people worked to protect them.
Wisconsin’s land trusts are nonprofit organizations dedicated to the protection, preservation, and restoration of land, water, wildlife, and our natural way of life. Chances are, if you’ve found a hiking trail off the beaten path or visited a small nearby preserve, you can thank one of the nearly 50 land trusts that protect these special places in Wisconsin.
The guidelines above were adapted from recommendations established by a consortium of local agencies that manage parks and preserves in California and were distributed by Peninsula Open Space Trust in an effort to keep California’s parks open.
