{"id":10224,"date":"2023-11-06T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=10224"},"modified":"2023-11-06T09:00:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T15:00:07","slug":"student-led-efforts-reinvigorate-plattevilles-m","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/student-led-efforts-reinvigorate-plattevilles-m\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-led efforts reinvigorate Platteville\u2019s \u2018M\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Members of the UW-Platteville chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers volunteer their time maintaining the “M.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more than eight decades, the iconic \u201cM\u201d on Platte Mound has not only served as a symbolic tribute to the university\u2019s mining history, but also a cherished outdoor space, offering hiking trails and some of the best views in Southwest Wisconsin. Cade Klefstad, a senior construction management and construction safety management major, is leading initiatives to make sure it stays this way well into the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy passion for the \u2018M\u2019 comes from a young age,\u201d said Klefstad, who is originally from Boyceville, Wisconsin. \u201cI have family in Kieler, Wisconsin, and whenever we would drive down to visit them, we would see who could spot the \u2018M\u2019 first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once he enrolled at UW-Platteville, Klefstad \u2013\u00a0an avid outdoorsman \u2013 biked to the \u201cM\u201d regularly and began spending time there. Soon after, he joined UW-Platteville\u2019s chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers \u2013\u00a0the student organization that volunteers its time to maintain the \u201cM.\u201d The group is responsible for weed wacking the \u201cM\u201d every fall; whitewashing the \u201cM\u201d every spring; and setup, cleanup and lighting of the \u201cM\u201d each Homecoming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Klefstad became more involved with the upkeep of the space, he came up with his own ideas for further improvement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, I decided I wanted to bring back more of the natural aspect with native grasses,\u201d said Klefstad. \u201cI was able to partner with the Reclamation Club and get a controlled burn up there for the first time in a couple of decades. This October, we\u2019ll be pushing back the tree line and then in the spring the Reclamation Club will burn and seed it with prairie grasses, so in the future it will\u00a0<\/span>be all native, prairie grasses.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Klefstad\u2019s additional goals include staining the steps this spring and possibly building a new shed at the top of the mound to store tools. He also created a survey and hopes to gather feedback from members of the Platteville community about their ideas for enhancements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always had a passion for giving back to the community, because they support us,\u201d said Klefstad. \u201cI love the \u2018M.\u2019 It\u2019s a great location and a big thing for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey can be accessed\u00a0online<\/a>. The Mert W. Bennett \u2018M\u2019 Preservation Fund, through the UW-Platteville Foundation, supports maintenance at the \u201cM.\u201d Visit\u00a0www.uwplatt.edu\/give<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to help support \u201cM\u201d preservation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Written by Alison Parkins<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwplatt.edu\/news\/student-led-efforts-reinvigorate-plattevilles-m<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For more than eight decades, the iconic \u201cM\u201d on Platte Mound has not only served as a symbolic tribute to the university\u2019s mining history, but also a cherished outdoor space, offering hiking trails and some of the best views in Southwest Wisconsin. Cade Klefstad, a senior construction management and construction safety management major, is leading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":10225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[93],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-10224","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-platteville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/10224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=10224"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=10224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}