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  • Planning for a Safe and Sustainable AmFam Championship

    Teeing Up for Success: Madison Prepares for the 2025 AmFam ChampionshipFor many Wisconsinites, the name Steve Stricker represents more than just a professional golfer – he's a local who, along with American Family Insurance, brought the PGA TOUR…

    Category: Events

  • Prescribed Burns: Reducing Wildfire Risks & Protecting Habitats

    Prescribed burns are safe, cost-effective, and ecologically appropriate for maintaining populations of native species and their habitat.  Burns are conducted by trained and experienced staff, contractors, and volunteers under a permit from the…

    Category: Conservation

  • Madison Parks Paid Parking Pilot Program Proposal

    UPDATE: At the January 14, 2025, Madison Common Council meeting, the pilot was rescinded by a Substitute Budget Amendment for 2025 and passed unanimously.

    Category: Policies

  • Take a Hike in Madison Parks

    Autumn's arrival earlier this week has us excited for cool days and park trails blanketed with colorful crisp leaves. If you're in the mood for a break in nature, check out these suggested locations to explore this fall.  Tenney Park1650…

    Category: Recreation & Activities

  • Holistic Approach: Spongy Moth in Madison Parks

    While the current anticipated outbreak of spongy moth is alarming to witness and does cause stress to many trees, long-term management of this species and our urban forest requires a broad focus.

    Category: Conservation

  • Potential Updates to Dogs in Parks

    For decades, dogs were unwelcome in Madison's parks. In 1973, an adopted ordinance essentially prohibited dogs in any public park, school grounds and City spaces. Recognizing this regulation was outdated and frustrating for park visitors, in 2015,…

    Category: Policies

  • Check Out Disc Golf

    Local disc golf courses reopened this spring and a new opportunity began for locals interested in checking out the sport! Thanks to the coordination of the Madison park rangers, anyone with a valid Madison Public Library card can now check out a…

    Category: Recreation & Activities

  • Upcoming Dogs in Parks Status Review

    Several years ago, Madison Parks revamped its mostly dog-prohibitive ordinances with more dog-friendly ones - allowing licensed, permitted, and leashed dogs in most parks. Since then, we have created an online form to submit requests for a change -…

    Category: Policies

  • Yahara Hills Golf Course: 36 Holes Open for Play

    When Madison Common Council approved the Yahara Hills Neighborhood Development Plan Amendment and Land Sale & Use Agreements with Dane County for portions of Yahara Hills Golf Course on May 10, 2022, the future of golf at the course became a…

    Category: Recreation & Activities

  • Goose Management: Numerous Diverse Methods in Action

    Have you noticed large numbers of Canada Geese at Vilas Park lately? What about Tenney Park, Cherokee Park or Yahara Hills Golf Course? The overabundance of these waterfowl is a common complaint received by park users and a problem left for many…

    Category: Conservation, Policies

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