The original vision for the Nine Springs E-Way began in 1970 as a demonstration project funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, and in 1971 Dane County adopted the Environmental Loop Plan. After the County acquired a series of parcels, the E-Way officially opened to the public in 1987. The seven-mile corridor extends from the shore of Lake Waubesa west to Dunn's Marsh and includes multiple springs that give rise to Nine Springs Creek. Designed to encompass and protect significant natural and cultural features, it includes wetlands, prairies, forests, and Native American mound sites. The E-Way, with its E standing for educational, environmental, esthetic, and ecological, was the first of its kind and helped foster environmental corridor planning as a land use tool worldwide. Philip and Elizabeth Lewis were the couple most responsible for its creation. Professor Philip H. Lewis, Jr., taught landscape architecture at UW-Madison from 1965 until 1995, chaired the department, and became founder and director of the Environmental Awareness Center. Recruited by Governor Gaylord Nelson, his environmental corridor concept was included in the Wisconsin State Recreation Plan. Phil married Elizabeth Libby Thompson in 1953, and throughout their 58-year marriage they shared a passion for environmental causes. While also raising a family, Libby earned her master's degree in plant ecology at UW-Madison and served on the County's Park Commission for 26 years. In 2013, Dane County dedicated the Nine Springs E-Way to Phil and Libby in recognition of their many contributions to the Dane County park system.