Have you ever wondered what your land looked like way back when? Before the settlers came and the land was still virgin? The Surly surveyor will be on hand January 28th at the 21st annual Toward Harmony with Nature conference to help you find out. Rob Nurre also known as the Surly Surveyor will help us look at the presettlement landscape through the eyes of David Giddings, Deputy Surveyor, US General Land Office, 1839. Historic land records provide numerous clues to the natural landscape and vegetation that once dominated the Fox Valley area.
The Surly Surveyor presentation revolves around the work of one of the intrepid surveyors who traversed the Wisconsin pre-settlement landscape to make a Public Land Survey, and describes the landscapes encountered along the way. Those records and maps of the Public Land Survey provide a glimpse of Wisconsin’s landscape just prior to the extensive changes brought on by European settlement.
Rob Nurre has long been fascinated by the interaction between natural and cultural landscapes. He’ll show us how historic land records can provide reference points from which we can assess landscape changes that have occurred in the past two centuries. His character, the Surly Surveyor, is based on the work of the General Land Office surveyors from the early 1800s.
Later in the day, Rob will conduct a second session that will focus on how to access and interpret the Historic Land Records as a part of our planning for gardens and restoration projects using native plants communities.
So plan now to attend the 21st annual Toward Harmony with Nature native landscaping conference hosted by the Wild Ones Fox Valley to be held on January 28, 2017 at the Oshkosh Convention Center and listen to what Rob will tell us about the Fox Valley’s early landscape. For more details and to register, go to www.towardharmonywithnature.org
