The Last REFUGIA: Wild Seeds Takeover the Riparian Buffer in North Central Wisconsin

Abstract

Begin with the discussion of Survivalism within a more unpredictable future biosphere; this thesis explores a new agency for the collaborative land stewardship and collective policy-making of the Fox-Wolf watershed riparian zones. In this region, riparian zones are recognized as the last “refugia” for wild seeds and wildlife. Due to the ambiguous regulation, the entire riparian zones became fragmented by the extreme expansion of pasture-crop-based agricultural production.

By retracing the Indigenous Menominee practice of land stewardship and existing agricultural practices in North Central Wisconsin, this project reimagines how landscape architecture would act as a medium for public decision-making and co-knowledge. Six typologies of collaborative stewardship of the riparian zones emerge based on the existing condition and ownership of riparian areas, advocating for a community-driven policy-making process of the riparian zones’ stewardship.