Southwestern Wisconsin has been recognized for many years as one of the best grassland conservation opportunities in the Upper Midwest. The area stands out for its distinct combination of resources:
 

• significant populations of grassland birds, which are experiencing alarming declines across Wisconsin and range wide;
   

• many scattered remnants of the area's original prairie and savanna habitat that once covered the region;
   

• concentrations of rare grassland plants and animals, and spring-fed streams, all set within an expansive rural farming region of open fields, croplands, oak groves, and pastures.

The steep topography and thin soils that characterize the region are favorable for grass-based agriculture and fields enrolled in federal agricultural conservation programs. ​