August 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

August 12, 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Pam, Ann, Karen, Barb A, Lily, Will, Ron, Alex


Ann started the meeting.

Minutes: With a motion by Barb A and seconded by Ron the July 2026 minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

Heartwood Tree delivered a small load of wood chips to EHG.

Jolene was able to get us a financial report for the last fiscal year. We are not too far off the budget. The report does not have a lot of detail, although we know that portapotty costs have risen. Lily looked into it, and we are required to have the ADA units in the gardens, so those costs can't be reduced. Lily will send a budget report to the discussion list.

Ric offered to make some repairs to the EH shed. Some of the siding is coming off and the chipboard underneath is exposed. With a motion by Karen seconded by Barb A, a budget of $150 was approved for the project.

The plastic casing on one of the weed whackers broke. With a motion by Karen seconded by Barb A, a budget of $50 was approved to repair it.

The gardeners of EH 101 are having problems with the fruit trees next to the plot. The pear tree drops diseased fruit in their plot. The plum tree was previously cut down and resprouted from the stump. Both trees shade the plot. With a motion by Barb A seconded by Karen, the committee agreed to remove these trees. Lily will place a work order with Physical Plant to have the trees cut down. They are too large for garden staff to manage.

The gardener of 101 suggested that Honeyberries might be a nice communal fruit planting in the gardens. They are low-maintenance and hardy down to zone 2. Will has planted some. Lily will look into this and report back.

Carol, who installed and is maintaining the pollinator garden at UHG, is wondering about extending the garden to include plot F4N. F4N is not assigned, and is under the black walnuts. The committee approved this plan.


Other topics

Will brought up recent issues with turkeys. The population has grown a lot. Lily heard that Eagle's Wing has also had issues with them since they roost in the trees above the playground.

Ron suggested we consider a change to the fence policy and require that gardeners put weed barrier under fences. Options were discussed. Lily pointed out that people often overlook borders and fences, and it is a common problem.

Lily said work on the EH leaf pile has been coming along. It's a lot of work, but smaller piles are now appearing. Lily has requested that Shorewood leave multiple small piles rather than one large one this fall. She has not heard back yet.


Garden Worker Report

Pam reports that the push mower at EHG is still broken. Housing Grounds has picked it up for repair. Nanci and Lily have used the riding mower but it can't reach all areas. We should try to find a second mower for EHG as backup.


Meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

July 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

July 8, 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Will, Alan, Yohan, Ann, Barb A, Lily, Pam and Jolene.


Barb motioned to approve the June minutes, Ann seconded. Approved


Registrar’s report

A few new gardeners have received plots. The parasitic wasps that eat Mexican Bean Beetle larva were released at UH and EH gardens. Lily said she has been working with peoples’ farm to remove hemlock. The leaf pile needs to be moved into 8x8x8 foot cubes to comply with DNR rules. Lily will be looking for workday volunteers.


Gardener Worker’s report

Pam said she has been working on the leaf pile and mowing,


Other topics

Lily left the meeting.

Jolene has been uncomfortable with her lack of gardening expertise so found it’s possible to reclassify the registrar to Administrative Assistant 2 – “lead worker”. This gives Lily the ability to directly supervise workers. Clearer communication! There’ll be a small increase in hours with the new position. The committee agreed this was a good idea.


Meeting adjourned

June 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

June 10, 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Jolene, Alex, Ann, Will, Ric, Pam, Sathya, Timothy, Lily, Karen, Ron, Barb A


Alex started the meeting.

Minutes: With a motion by Barb A and seconded by Ann the May 2026 minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

A few vacant plots at both garden sites but more applications coming in.

There is a request to hold a straw bale gardening demonstration from a student group called the Edible Landscapes Committee. They would hold this by the shed, and the straw bales would be organic. They have been asked to apply for a permit with the Preserve. The committee agreed to allow this provided they get the permit.

There is a request from a researcher studying pollinators to take photos in the gardens. She will stay on the paths, and has a Preserve permit. The committee approved.

Mexican Bean Beetles have been confirmed at UH Gardens. We have been ordering the Parasitic Wasps from the NJ dept of Agriculture. The cost will be around $200. With a motion by Karen seconded by Ron, the committee approved the purchase of wasps. If Bean Beetles are seen in the Gardens they should be reported to Lily.

There is no budget update because there are still no financial reports available from Business Services.

The People’s Farm will have a workday on June 20th and gardeners will be able to sign up. Lily suggested they remove hemlock before the general workday since it is very poisonous, and there is a risk of a phototoxic rash from the sap. Lily will tell people to wear protective clothing.

We could consider moving some leaf mulch into smaller piles that comply with the DNR regulation requirement after July 1 so that we can keep mulch available.


Garden Worker Report

Pam has been mowing a lot. She and Nanci have held some workdays.

 
Other topics

Zach was able to get some wood chips delivered by a friend.

 
4 cans to replace the dumpster at EHG might not be adequate. Could we have access to a larger can on the other side of the road?

When is the comment period for the new road? No timeline for the road has been set yet. However, it will be decided soon. Jolene: The road is tied to the building of the new visitor center, so make comments soon.

 
There is a new oak tree along the existing road.

 
PP says they will take fewer trips in than they have been.


Meeting adjourned at 7:32 pm

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

May 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

May 12, 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Jolene, Deborah, Alex, Alan, Will, Yohan, Ric, Pam, Lily, Karen, Ron, Rhonda, Gayle, Barb A, Brad, Kelly, Missy, Therese, Lori, James, Peter, Amy.


Alex started the meeting.

Minutes With a motion by Ron and seconded by Barb A the April 2026 minutes were approved.

Access road update from Rhonda: The new service road to the PP storage area is a part of the Frautschi Center project. Map shared. The existing driveway will shift south. There is a problem with the plan for the dumpster that will need to be addressed. The access will be difficult as it is. The storm water management will be improved, and the culverts will be improved. The road for vehicles will be 14 feet wide with pull-offs for trucks to pass. The access will be secure. A stop sign will be added to the top of the hill on Lake Mendota drive.
Concerns are discussed about the safety of crossing Lake Mendota dr. Gardeners would like a change to the curvy pedestrian entrance on the map that will take gardeners in behind the dumpster and porta-potty. This will be reevaluated. There is also concern about adequate access to the leaf and weed piles by trucks. Rhonda will ask Shorewood about this. They need to get a front-end loader in there and maneuver.

 
The timeline for the project is uncertain. Some trees will need to be removed. The Garden footprint will not change, and no lights will be added.

 
Questions: Why is the road right next to the garden path? They are trying to keep the disturbed area to a minimum. Jolene: Could a natural fence be installed? Rhonda: The fence could be slightly above the ground to allow animals to go under. Concern that children can climb chain link fences. Was a tree survey done? Yes, in the area that the road is planned for.

Registrar Update

$1500 was donated in assistance funds and half has been given out. More than half of the recipients were apartments residents. Vacancies: one large plot at EH and four at UH. Nine small plots at each site. We will probably see a few cancellations in the spring as usual. More applications are coming in.

Do we want to contribute volunteer time to help the People's Farm control their thistles? Yes, we can work together to help them. It is in our interests to reduce these weeds also. Volunteers can be given workday credit.

How can we organize the juries to be consistent? This is often a difficult problem. We probably need more groups and more follow-ups. Looking for specific problem weeds is a good idea. People on the jury need to be available once a month. Will: What if we scheduled juries like workdays instead? Set the dates biweekly for Saturday mornings. Also, we should give the juries resources and information about weeds. Everyone likes this plan. The juries will be set up like workdays for every other Saturday morning. There will be two teams at EH and one at UH.

A gardener expressed concern about mouse/vole traps catching toads since they will want to go in the PVC pipes. We could add a requirement that the pipes be raised off the ground. Agreed.

Do we want to consider getting wood chip deliveries that could contain black walnut? Juglone breaks down after 6 months in chips. Yes, if this allows us to get chips we should accept them. We could potentially put a sign at the pile.

The Eagle Scout that make the Leopold benches delivered them. There are two in the tree island at EH and two by the fruit trees at UH.

Some gardeners are not aware of the new mouse and vole trapping option. Lily will send this out again.

Garden Worker Report

Pam: Just getting started on the season. We've had a few good workdays.

 
Other topics

-Jolene: Thanks for the help for Eagle's Wing. They are really pleased with the Peace Garden and they send their thanks.

 
-Thanks for the mowing!

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

April 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

April 8 , 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Alex, Ann, Yohan, Ric, Pam, Lily and Karen.


Alex started the meeting.

Minutes With a motion by Lily and seconded by Pam the March 2026 minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

There are 10 full plots and 24 half plots open in the gardens. 26 new gardeners have been assigned plots since last month's meeting. Half of all the openings at at UH, which is proportionaly a lot. Many of these are in the shadier A row.

The Seed Fair will be this Saturday from 9-11.

A gardener would like to plant mountain mint in his plot for pollinators. The committee approved this request. Mountain mint is not considered invasive.

Bucky's is adding a $31.50 fuel surcharge every month. This will continue until the priced of gas goes down. They did not tell us about this ahead of time, but we do not really have an alternative.

We should learn more soon about the Physical Plant storage area access road project. The GOC will attend a meeting with the surveyors on April 20th to hear the results of their inital assessment. There will also be a time later this summer for public comments on the environmental impact of the whole visitor center project. The Committee's main concern is safety, both during the construction of the road and after, when it is used by trucks.

A gardener that put down sod in a couple of plots has been asked to remove it. He has asked for the grass to be grandfathered in. Discussion ensued. The consensus of the Committee is that sod is not in keeping with the intentions of the gardens, and is not a cover crop. The definition of cover crops was made more explicit in the 2026 rules, and the gardener agreed to these when renewing.

Ron could not attend, but made a suggestion to improve the EH irrigation update plan. Rather than adding another line to the 300s row for redundancy, the line that goes from the 500s past the People's Farm would be extended up the North side of the hill. This would feed the existing lines from both ends, providing a backup if one line fails, and better water pressure when both are working. Also no lines would ever cross.

Garden Worker Report

One new garden worker has been hired. Her name is Nanci, and Pam and Lily met with her on Monday for a tour of both gardens. We will only be hiring one garden worker at this time.

With a motion to adjourn by Lily and seconded by Ric, the meeting ended at 7:20

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

March 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

March 11 , 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Alex, Ann, Yohan, Ron, Alan, Barb A, Pam, Jolene, Lily and Karen.

Alex started the meeting.

Minutes With a motion by Lily and seconded by Barb A the February 2026 minutes were approved.

Registrar Update

There are 23 full plots and 39 half plots open in the gardens. There were 460 renewals, which is average, and a little higher than last year. New applications are still low. We have 49 new gardeners so far this season.

Update on assistance fund: 1/3 of all the money given in donations received has been given out in assistance. Assistance was given to everyone that applied and qualified, and the largest category of recipients was UW apartments residents.

The two Kadco carts that we agreed to order have a shipping charge of $160. With a motion by Karen seconded by Barb A, the additional shipping charge was approved.

The Committee approved the guidelines for snap trapping voles and mice that Lily outlined in the pest guide. Ron pointed out that we should specify that mole traps are not the same as snap traps and are not allowed. The registrar and the weed jury will check to make sure that the guidelines are followed.

Garden Worker Report

We are in the process of hiring more garden workers. Jolene says that the two finalists are going through background checks. One candidate has to reply to this by March 17th. Jolene hopes we will know by early April.

Additional topics

Peace Garden at Eagle's Wing Childcare Center: Jolene says that the Peace Garden at the Community Center needs help. Could the gardens help with maintenance and planning for this to run well? Maybe we could have some workdays there. Some of the leaf mulch from EH could be moved there to keep weeds down. Barb A will talk to a master gardener she knows that did a children's garden. Pam manages the school garden at Randall elementary. Alan says that weeding and basic workdays would be enough to help with this. Maybe both parents and gardeners could contribute to the effort. Lily and Pam will meet with them to work out a plan. They struggle with turkeys in the Peace Garden and fences will not keep them out due to the high fir trees.

Irrigation system: Ron reviewed the email Lily sent to him and Pam with details about the work done last summer and the options for the future. Do the 1300s have problems with water pressure? Not in general, only when the system is being used heavily, which can cause pressure problems throughout the garden. The main line parallel to Lake Mendota Drive is metal and above ground. Larger pipe than those in the garden, maybe 2-3 inches. Ron does not think that adding more lines will not change the overall demand for water and therefore is not a concern for heavier usage. It would be best to build in redundancy. A second line could be added along the 300s coming from the west. This would have to split off from the current line after the concrete slab across the gravel road. Longterm, the two lines could feed alternate rows so that the hill is never totally without water if there is a broken pipe. The 1300s line was done without outside help. Volunteers dug the trench and the line was installed by garden staff.

The meeting ended at 7:40

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

February 2026

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

February 11 , 2026 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Alex, Ann, Barb A, Jolene, Sandra, Lily and Karen.

Minutes With a motion by Lily and seconded by Ann the January 2026 minutes were approved.

Ann started the meeting.

Registrar Update

So far this year we have 383 renewals and 32 new applications. The deadline for renewals is February 15th, and the number of renewals so far is average. It seems that gardening interest may be down. The number of new applications is a bit lower than previous years. It is likely not related to the plot fees, since they are lower than the fees at other area community gardens.

Lily will be going to the Garden Expo on Friday and will bring garden applications.

Brad, the new director of the Preserve and the other Preserve staff are fine with gardeners using snap traps in plots to control voles. This committee would need to approve this change. It would be nice to feed the hawks any voles that were trapped. We would probably want some requirements around the use of snap traps. Traps should be out of reach of paths, and inside pvc pipe to protect birds. Traps would need to be checked regularly. Lily will write a proposed list of guidelines for the Committee to approve.

The Eagle scout working on the benches for EH and UH Gardens has checked in with Bryn, the Preserve contact. This Committee will need to choose locations for the benches. Next to the granite benches at EH in the shade might work, but those will probably be moved due to the access road construction. The EH tree island is another option. The best UH option is probably by the apple trees.

Lily is writing weed and pest guides for the gardens. She will share drafts with the group but need more photos. Barb likes the emails sent out in the growing season about current weeds to look out for.

Garden Worker Report

Pam was not able to attend, but had nothing to report due to the time of year.

Additional topics

Jolene has submitted the pay increase for returning garden employees and asked for a March 1st effective date.

 
Jolene is currently recruiting for a new garden worker and also for a full-time person at the Community Center office. Lily suggested that we could put the garden worker job in the apartments newsletter. Jolene said they could try this, but it has not been very effective in the past.

 
Opening day will be April 4th, and carts and tools will be out. The Seed Fair is later due to holidays (April 11th). Sandra will update the website.

Motion by Lily and seconded by Barb A to adjourn which passed.

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee