Increasing visitors to Holden Park in Pepin County, WI

Pepin County staff are interested in increasing the number of visitors to Holden and Silver Birch Parks. The parks were acquired in the 1970’s and have not been heavily developed. Existing challenges include difficult terrain, high numbers of invasive species, and a lack of a cohesive vision for the parks. Recommendations in this report are based on literature review, publicly available data sources, site visits, and knowledge gained through courses and activities around planning, health, and restoration ecology.The report is organized around restoration, recreation, and placemaking strategies. Preliminary assessment indicates that the county can implement multiple options for increasing visitors including: initiatingamaster planning process to prioritizeand implement future improvements to the parksand create a clearvision for the park’s future; improvements to wayfinding; and accessibility of online informationand other resources. The park is in a great setting and could offer a variety of activities depending on how County staff, with input from the public, choose to develop the park.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141