Early History

Brodie and I discovered Prairie Moraine Dog Park in September of 2019 and immediately fell in love.  I saw the notice of the upcoming workday posted at the park entrance and showed up.  Above is the October 2, 2019 group photo of volunteers that day.  I was invited to the next meeting of Prairie Moraine Friends later that month and joined.  They were officially incorporated as a nonprofit in November of 2019. 

I was an internet and Facebook user, so I quickly joined the Prairie Moraine Friends Facebook group too, thinking that it was the same group of park lovers and Dane County Parks supporters.  I was surprised to find that this was not the case.  In fact, most of the posts were criticisms of the volunteer group and their efforts in the park.  I tried to understand what the issues were, but they didn't make sense to me.  One person in particular (Anissa Fellenz) found fault with everything the volunteers were doing, and there seemed to be "hot buttons" associated with everything to do with the park. Mowing seemed to be an issue, though none had been done where we working so I couldn't understand why.  And some ash piles left when the volunteers burned brush piles were a real hot spot (pun intended).  Evidently DCP had said that prescribed burns were only conducted once a year, but the volunteers had burned more than that already.  I responded and explained the difference between prescribed burns, that *are* conducted once a year, and burning brush piles, which is done whenever you have brush piles and the conditions are right (like snow cover to prevent wild fires).

Time seemed to have no meaning either.  Ashes were left when the brush piles were burnt.  Anissa posted a complaint about them immediately, even though the ash piles were thoroughly cold and well marked with yellow CAUTION tape.  Soon she made *another* post complaining that the piles were STILL THERE, though it couldn't have more than a few days. I had explained that the ashes would be quite a task for the volunteers to try and move by shovel and wheelbarrow, and that DCP had the equipment to move them easily when they had the chance, so why couldn't they sit there for a while?  No answer. In another few days, a week at the most, she made yet ANOTHER post, complaining that the ash piles had been there for WEEKS. Huh? I remember responding, saying that I didn't understand what the problem was. 

I also noticed that new members came in with the same impression I had had, that this would be a place to share pictures and our love of the dog park with other park users and lovers.  But anything that was said that was positive was met with a barrage of comments about all the horrible things being done in the park, and volunteers were slammed mercilessly. Being a volunteer myself, and having a very good impression of those who had welcomed me into the volunteer group, I felt bombarded and got frustrated at trying to explain, correct misinformation, and defend against incomprehensible attacks.  So I left the Facebook group.

I have experience as a web designer and content creator, so one of the first things I volunteered to do as part of the newly incorporated Prairie Moraine Friends group was to create a website.  I enjoyed doing it, and researched and learned a lot about the history of the park while doing so.  It also meant that I followed everything the group was involved in with great interest and with an eye to being able to share it online with other members and park goers.  It gave us an online presence that allowed people to more easily apply for membership, ask questions, and even make donations.

I worked many hours in the dog park to prepare the site for the Pollinator Garden, to plant the flowers, and to keep them watered during the dry times until the plants were well established (with lots of help, of course!).  We attracted quite a bit of interest, along with questions, and even interest in donating to help with the project.  I loved talking to people about our work in the garden and elsewhere in the park, but when I tried to direct them to our new website, the result was disappointing.

As I pointed out before, I was confused myself when I looked for the Prairie Moraine Friends group online.  The Facebook group of that name had been created in September of 2017, and the associated Facebook page in May of 2018.  When people I talked to in the park wanted to find out more about our volunteer group and to support our work in the park, what Google would pop up was the established Prairie Moraine Friends Facebook page and group; *not* the new website for our nonprofit park Friends group of volunteers.  Worse yet, these people who loved the park and the work being done in the park would read the public Facebook page with the same name as the volunteer group, or worse, would join the Facebook group, and find to their shock and surprise that they had somehow passed through a portal and landed on Earth Two.

Well, you can certainly see (above) why people might be misled into thinking that this Facebook page and group represented the same group of park lovers and Dane County Parks supporters that were volunteering and doing the work in the dog park that they had seen and liked and wanted to find out more about.  It would be very confusing to find that they had somehow passed through a portal into Earth Two, where everything positive they had to say about the dog park and the volunteers was greeted with derision and complaints.

And of course it was very frustrating for me, referring them to Prairie Moraine Friends, Inc at prairiemorainefriends.org and having them land instead in Hatersville on Earth Two.

I investigated into how this situation had come about.

Evidently, Once Upon A Time there was just Earth One, and one group of Prairie Moraine Friends.  Like all park Friends groups, they had formed in order to better support Dane County Parks in maintenance and development of the park they loved, and maybe make some friends as well among others who shared their interests and good intentions.

But something happened.  Some members of the group were unhappy when they found that supporting Dane County Parks involved supporting restoration work in the dog park, which involves cutting of brush and some trees in addition to clearing the park of invasive plants.  They decided that they did not want any part of *that.*  So far, no problem.  BUT, the volunteer admin of the original Prairie Moraine Friends Facebook group (and page) was one of two people who objected strenuously to the restoration work, and she did NOT see any reason why she should turn over the administration of the group and page to the organizer of the volunteer group and those who chose to continue to support Dane County Parks.  She also did not see why she should be expected to change the name of "her" group. The fact that newcomers would expect to find Park Friends in the Prairie Moraine Friends Facebook group evidently did not seem like a good enough reason to her.

This is when she decided that when she came up to the PMF group organizer in the dog park, at a time when he was operating a brush cutter -- in harness -- and he turned toward her, that he was "attacking" her with a power tool.  And thus resulted the rules that were instituted about putting up barriers or cones on work days, and assigning someone to help direct park users and their dogs away from where the work was being done.

Of course, that did not solve the problem. Why?  Because people who want to avoid a work area use their eyes and ears and steer clear, while those who want to go *to* a work area in order to harass volunteers and otherwise interfere with the work being done, are not so easily kept away.

(posted July 27, 2024)