Bridges Spring 2017

SPRING 2017

BRIDGES

Connecting people to conservation in Wisconsin

Photo Contest Winners

BECOME A MASTER NATURALIST

CULTIVATING A CONSERVATION ETHIC

FIRST GRADE STUDENTS TELL WHAT THEY LOVE ABOUT WISCONSIN

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JERRY NEWMAN

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BRIDGES • SPRNG 2017

FROM THE DIRECTOR

FOUNDATION STAFF Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director Rebecca Biggs, Communications Assistant Will Dougherty, Field Trip Program Assistant John Kraniak, Membership Director Erin Manlick, Office Manager Michelle Milford, Outreach Coordinator Diane Packet, Birdathon Coordinator Nora Simmons, Communications Director Christine Tanzer, Field Trip Coordinator Caitlin Williamson, Conservation Programs Director Camille Zanoni, Development Director OUR MISSION Connecting generations to the wonders of Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife through conservation, education, engagement, and giving.

WisConservation.org

Helping You Help Wisconsin Every purchase you make with your NRF Visa Signature® Card supports state parks, rivers and conservation projects in Wisconsin. Join the cardholders who have already raised more than $140,000 for Wisconsin.

Learn more and apply at usbank.com/NRF_ WisConservation.

The creditor and issuer of the Card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

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Ruth Oppedahl Sometimes being a naturalist is depressing.

Where a passerby sees a beautiful field of green, I see swathes of invasive plants choking out the natives. When someone comments on the dawning chorus of birds we’re now hearing in the spring, I hear the cacophony of house sparrows who build nest after messy nest in my bluebird box.

All plants are not the same, a bird is not just a bird. Understanding nature and its cycles and being able to name plants and animals, are essential if we are to be good stewards of the Earth.

Our members agree and have encouraged the Foundation to support educational programs that lead to greater understanding of nature. The Foundation was able to visibly increase support for education when Pete Ostlind created the Teacher’s Outdoor Environmental Education Fund in 2009. Since then, we have expanded our support for environmental education through grants to teachers, citizen science projects, the Wisconsin Master Naturalist program, and the Department of Public Instruction’s F.I.E.L.D. Corps, which connects classrooms with field biologists on a regular basis.

Nothing gives me more hope than seeing people, especially youth, outdoors and learning. Nothing elevates my own sense of well-being more than being outdoors.

I hope that the educational programs the Foundation provides for thousands of people each year lead not only to an increased understanding of how our Earth works, but also to a feeling of hopefulness and wonder about how lucky we are.

In this issue you will read about high school students in Madison whose experiences learning about ecology drive a number of them to pursue degrees in the environmental sciences and teachers who, many for the first time, are getting their students outside to learn (page 5). You’ll hear from first grade students just learning to love the little things in Wisconsin (page 9). And throughout this issue you’ll read about ways that you can continue learning and finding wonder and hope in our conservation community.

Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director

NRF joins national effort to protect monarchs Many are familiar with monarch butterflies, but few know the intricate details of their complex life cycle. Shared by all three North American countries, this migrating marvel can travel distances of 2,000 miles, from Canada to Mexico, in just one season. Unfortunately, monarch populations are now at an all-time low, with declines of nearly 80 percent due to loss of milk-weed habitat, pesticide use, and climate change.

In efforts to help these winged wonders, the Foundation has joined the Monarch Joint Venture, a collaborative effort across theU.S. to protect monarch butterflies and their habitat.

Please join us on one of nine Field Trips across the state to learn about monarch ecology and how you can help make a difference! Find a monarch Field Trip at WisConservation.org/ FieldTrips.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

JOSHUA MAYER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Martin Henert, Board Chair Kristine Krause, Vice Chair Linda Bochert, Secretary Mark LaBarbera, Treasurer Dave Adam James P. Bennett Bruce Braun Tom Dott Tim Eisele Rebecca Haefner Rita Hayen Jim Hubing Diane Humphrey Lueck William Lunney Peg Mallery Jim Matras Tom Olson Ron Semmann Bill Smith Michael Williamson

WISCONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT: Your Support at Work

The Foundation invests in programs and projects that have a strong ripple effect—where a modest amount of support can generate deep and lasting improvements. Over the years, protecting, maintaining, and sharing our beautiful lands has remained a top Foundation priority and with your help we continue to do more every year.

Connecting People to Wisconsin’s Natural Heritage. At the Natural Resources Foundation, we believe that having a direct connection to the outdoors is critical to fostering what Aldo Leopold called the “Land Ethic”: A moral responsibility for people to care for the land and each other. One way we help connect people to our natural heritage is to support education programs that help people discover Wisconsin’s great outdoors and learn what they can do to protect Wisconsin’s diverse and beautiful natural treasures.

F.I.E.L.D. Corps

F.I.E.L.D. Corps

NRF is proud to support F.I.E.L.D. Corps, a year-long program that engages teachers and students in meaningful, outdoor experiences encompassing core classroom curricula and real-world community projects. Through the program, schools work with a conservation biologist who helps students and teachers plan a conservation project that features hands-on outdoor learning experiences. F.I.E.L.D. Corps has already proven to have a lasting impact on kids and teachers in Wisconsin, and NRF is very excited to be a part of this initiative.

Aula Verde

Aula Verde

Through the Bird Protection Fund, NRF supports a variety of projects that protect Wisconsin’s native birds — including those that overwinter in places like Costa Rica and Ecuador. We work with our partners at Osa Conservation to reforest tropical bird habitat and support environmental education efforts to develop a local conservation culture.

Thanks to a grant from the Natural Resources Foundation, the “Aula Verde” (Green Classroom) program is providing hands-on, field-based conservation education and scientific experiences for the next generation of conservation leaders in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

U. W. Milwaukee

C. D. Besadny Conservation Grant: UW Milwaukee Insect Hotels The Foundation’s C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program has provided hundreds of grants to support conservation projects across Wisconsin. Thanks to a Besadny Grant last year, students in the 3-D Concepts class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are making insect hotels from discarded wood to provide habitat for the decreasing population of insects — which some studies estimate a 45% decline in the worldwide insect population in the last few decades. The insect hotels will be first shown at Lakeshore State Park and then installed permanently in state parks across Wisconsin in May, where they will provide important shelter for Wisconsin’s native insects.

Malcolm Shabazz City High School

Teachers’ Outdoor Environmental Education Fund: Malcolm Shabazz City High School

Thanks to a grant from the Teachers’ Outdoor Environmental Education Fund — an endowment created by Foundation member Peter Ostlind — alternative high school students from Malcolm Shabazz City High School are getting their feet wet (literally!) via Project Green Teen, a program that teaches aquatic ecology courses that get students outside and learning hands-on about water quality, invasive species, fisheries biology, and other natural resource subjects, and working with conservation partners including the DNR, Trout Unlimited, local county parks and conservation departments, and other parnters. In addition to collecting important monitoring data and improving habitat in local parks and state streams, “Project Green Teen” provides valuable learning experiences for these students that help foster an interest in and appreciation of the outdoors in younger generations.

To learn more about our Wisconsin Conservation Endowment or how to create your own endowment fund to provide permanent support for a place that you cherish, visit us online at WisConservation.org/WCE. You can make a donation to one of these featured funds or any of our endowments. Simply designate your gift to that specific fund when you make your donation online or via check.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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THE Good

NEWS

Cross-cultural education

BETH HANDLE

One of the 2016 Teachers’ Outdoor Environmental Education Fund projects connects Latino/Latina youth to their Menominee peers and ultimately their own environmental identities. The students from East High School in Madison will travel with their project leaders to the Menominee Nation in order to learn more about wild rice harvesting, and collaborate on ways to restore land using traditional practices. Initial meetings have been held, and we are excited to see what develops this year. Keep an eye out for updates in our blog as the project continues.

Milwaukee Estuary cleanup

All water connects. There have been great strides made in the effort to remove contaminated sediment from the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern, and countless organizations have worked together in order to achieve this progress. Lined up for 2017, the DNR’s action plan from Dec 2016 indicates that the teams will carry out further sediment dredging projects, aesthetics reviews, habitat restoration projects, and beach clean ups. For more in-depth coverage and a list of ways to get involved, follow our blog at WisConservation.org/blog.

ENGAGED

Conservation is a hands-on experience.

And since we believe in cultivating curiosity and committing to life-long learning, here are some opportunities to dig in to conservation:

isconsin Master Naturalist: As a partner of the Wisconsin W Master Naturalist Program (WIMN), our Foundation is proud to connect people to a network of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within Wisconsin communities. The WIMN Volunteer Training Course provides 40 hours of coursework in natural history, interpretation, and conservation stewardship. Courses combine classroom instruction with field experiences and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. 2017 courses will be held across Wisconsin, including at Beaver Creek Reserve, the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Hartman Creek State Park, and more. Get involved at WIMasterNaturalist.org. itizen Science: Citizen scientists provide high-quality data C that have helped monitor populations of birds and butterflies, tracked water quality and located species all over our state that we never would have known about otherwise. Their data have helped inform important decisions on habitat work and conservation projects. Learn more at WisConservation.org/ citizen-science.

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In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the rusty patched bumble bee on the endangered species list — the first bee in the U.S. to be listed as endangered. The rusty patched bumble bee, found in southern Wisconsin, has declined significantly in the last two decades, and is now on the brink of extinction due to commercial beekeeping, habitat loss, pesticide use, and other threats. The good news: We can help. Designate a small patch of yard to “grow wild” in order to provide a safe place for the bees to build nests. Try to keep your property pesticide-free. Plant flowers that can bloom throughout the growing season.

NRF and partners around the state will be having native plant sales this spring to help your transform your yard into a pollinator’s paradise.

BRIDGES/SPRING 2017

RYAN BRADY

GET

Protecting pollinators

ield Trips: Our Field Trips are led by professionals from F the Department of Natural Resources and other experts who share their love and knowledge of Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife. No other organization offers these kinds of up-close experiences that inspire our participants and provide a great introduction to Wisconsin’s precious natural resources. Learn more at WisConservation.org/ FieldTrips NA Workdays: The Department of Natural Resources S always needs volunteers to help on State Natural Area workdays. Your efforts will encourage native plant and animal communities to thrive by cutting brush, pulling and spraying invasives, collecting seeds, monitoring rare species and preparing fire breaks. Show up for a day or make a long-term commitment. No experience is necessary to start volunteering. Get involved at http://dnr.wi.gov/ topic/lands/naturalareas/volunteer.html.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

DID YOU

KNOW?

Caitlin Williamson

New position at Foundation We are pleased to announce that Caitlin Williamson has become the first Director of Conservation Programs for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. This new position will oversee the Foundation’s programs focused on protecting Wisconsin’s lands, waters and wildlife, working closely with field conservationists and Foundation staff to identify and protect Wisconsin’s most ecologically significant yet imperiled lands, waters, and wildlife.

Over 738 organizations in Wisconsin provide environmental education for Wisconsin citizens. We can help you connect to one near you! e have over 300 W experienced Field Trip leaders for our 212 unique trips this season! isconsin has 16 distinct W ecological landscapes, each with its own native plants, animals, and geography. isconsin has more than 5 W million acres of wetlands, and good thing, too: 75 percent of Wisconsin wildlife species use wetlands at some point during their lives.

S napshot Wisconsin, a citizen-based wildlife monitoring program, has returned over 8.4 million photos of wildlife to Wisconsin DNR.

Honorary & memorial gifts The Foundation recognizes gifts made in honor or memory of the following people: In Memory of Dan Berger Kathleen Hawkins & Charles Marn In Memory of Carl J. Blabaum Association of Retired Conservationists In Memory of Paul Brandt

Merle & Nancy Biggin

Martha Kronholm

In Honor of Thomas Mowbray

Charles & Carolyn Mowbray In Honor of Mrs. Nancy Nedilsky

Steve Bunyard In Honor of Jim & Rumi O’Brian

Scott Fulton In Honor of Pat O’Donnell

Brian O’Donnell

In Memory of David Discher

Russell Berndt

In Honor of Ruth Oppedahl

William Johnson, M.D.

In Memory of Mike Favia

Steve Kleinschmidt

In Honor of Maggie Paulios

Jason Paulios

In Honor of Kim Grveles

Joy Perry

In Memory of Dave Redell

June Goglio

Kris & Thomas Kesselhon

In Honor of Denny Hayden

Katie Hayden In Honor of Wisconsin Natural Resource Leaders of the Next Generation Lynn Persson In Honor of Mike & Janet LeClair

Diane Duncan In Memory of Mel Malzahn

Mary Butts In Memory of David Middleton

Dr. Martha Christensen LaVonne Middleton In Memory of Steven Miller

Carilee Ball

Jon Bergquist

Susan Marcquenski

James Mullis, Jr.

R. Michael Payton

William Smith

In Memory of Richard J Ring

Mary Kay Ring In Honor of Beverly Schwabe

Dr. Michael & Edie Schwabe

Susan Schwabe Thomas Schwabe In Honor of Carl Schwartz Terence Lynch In Honor of Erin TarmanRamcheck Kathy & William TarmanRamcheck In Honor of Jay Taylor

Stephanie Walker

Building Your Conservation Legacy “The Foundation has earned our respect and deserves our support, so we have found it a place in our estate plans. Certainly all who read this newsletter are living lives deeply rooted in conservation principles and strongly believe our children’s children should live in a Wisconsin rich in nature’s bounty. One way to confirm these values is by including the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin in your estate plans.”

- Mike and Karen Austad, Natural Heritage Circle Members For more information, visit WisConservation.org/planned-giving or contact Camille Zanoni at 608-264-8922 or Camille.Zanoni@Wisconsin.gov.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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conservation education Making connections through direct experiences in nature

By Nora Simmons

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”

We develop our conservation ethic and a belief in the inherent value of nature once someone — oftentimes a family member or teacher — introduces us to the wonders of nature. Today, those opportunities to connect with nature are getting fewer all the time, especially for our youth.

In our digital age, online communities, television shows, and virtual realities haven’t just put a screen between humans and the human experience; they have become the human experience. For entire generations of children little, if any, meaningful cognitive connection is made between the water from the home tap and the streams and rivers running through town.

In such a world, is it any wonder that it’s easier for a child to identify with the cellphone in her hand than with the distant streams, turtles, and prairies with which she shares a common fate?

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

-Aldo Leopold

malcom shabazz CITY HIGH SCHOOL

- Baba Dioum, Senegalese Ecologist

Engaging students That’s where educators like Robert Banks come in. Robert Banks is a science teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School on the urban north side of Madison. Malcolm Shabazz City High School, or Shabazz as Banks affectionate calls it, is a small alternative high school serving around 150 students.

Banks, in collaboration with faculty partners at Shabazz, started Project Green Teen some 13 years ago to bring science to life while reconnecting students to nature. The semester-long program is open to all students at Shabazz and the cost is off-set with grants and funding — including funding from the Natural Resources Foundation — so that 55 BRIDGES/SPRING 2017

malcom shabazz CITY HIGH SCHOOL

Conservation education provides a framework to help others experience a direct connection to nature and hopefully to develop a deep love and respect for the natural community we rely on for survival.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Pittsville Elementary School

the experience is accessible to all students.

Project Green Teen gets students out of the classroom multiple times throughout the semester, taking students on short field trips for snow shoeing, fly fishing, stream ecology, even caving. Each excursion connects important concepts from their classroom lessons to real-world applications. At the same time students learn critical independence (like carrying enough water and snacks, wearing the right socks and bringing a jacket), as well as interdependence and team work. They grow together as a class and learn to trust one another. “That trust is crucial for the final trip,” explains Banks.

The culmination of Project Green Teen is an eight-day immersion experience. The students stay at the West Fork Sports Club and spend their days immersed in field studies of natural resource management and complete a project impacting habitat management or restoration, like building lunker structures for trout. They spend their evenings with standards, and include in-class as well as off-site activities. guides and teachers reflecting on what they have learned — According to Weddig, in the three years since adding the about ecology and about themselves. curricula, use of the school forest tripled. “The teachers are Students complete Project Green Teen with incredible really enjoying the lessons and so are the students. Each insights about their greater ecological community. One grade level syncs in to the one before it so that the lessons student writes, “Looking at a stream, you can see how active build over time, ” says Weddig. Middle school and high school and interdependent each organism is... If you take one organism curricula have also been set up for the Pittsville district. out of the ecosystem, the entire ecosystem is affected by that, Weddig sees a deeper understanding of science from the and there are so many different examples of this.” students as a result.

“When you discuss issues with kids you Banks is proud that a number of Project Green Teen can see that they are taking a broader view, ” says Weddig. students go on to pursue ecology after graduation. But even “They’re listening to other view points if they don’t start a career in ecology and then synthesizing information and or science, Banks sees Project Green “We’ll never advance the coming up with conclusions. That kind of Teen participants ending the year having learned collaboration, empathy, conservation movement thinking doesn’t just apply to environmental education. It applies to literature or chemistry and the importance of looking at the without developing an or anything else.” environment as an intricate system environmental ethic made up of diverse, but important Bridging the divide members of one community. within the population.

At a time in history when the world is chaotic That comes through and our connection to our natural community Supporting teachers environmental education. is about as self-evident as particle physics, While some schools like Malcolm establishing a sense of deep ecological Shabazz City High School have created It’s more important the belonging and responsibility is paramount. their own curricula based on their unique farther away students Conservation education too often falls to school structure, others need curricula the bottom of the list when considered get from understanding and lessons that will dovetail with existing next to competing priorities like technology classroom structures. Mark Weddig, where their food comes education, science, or math. Viewed as a ‘soft’ principal of Pittsville High School, knew from, where their heat subject, conservation education is seen as that his district fell into the latter category an extra, something nice to have, but not comes from.” and he wanted to empower his teachers to get their students outside and hands- Mark Weddig, Pittsville High School necessary to succeed in life.

Would the students of Project Green Teen on with nature. principal agree?

What about the fifth grade students The Pittsville School District is at Pittsville Elementary who learned the fortunate to have access to a school systematic life and death connections of forest, but Weddig noticed that many of the teachers, predator-prey relationships? especially the elementary teachers, in his district weren’t Conservation education helps to uncover a forgotten truth: using it. “Elementary teachers aren’t science or ecology If humans are just one part of our community on this earth, experts so sometimes they’re intimidated by the materials,” then we are also predator and prey. As such, we are subject to he explains. “They needed a simple lesson plan and ready-tothe same laws as the grass, the deer, and the wolf. Conservation go materials that they could grab and go.” education is not an extra; it is our path to survival as a species.

With the help of a grant from the Natural Resources Foundation, Weddig was able to obtain ready-made N ora Simmons joined the NRF team in 2016 as communications director. curricular materials for environmental education for Pittsville Having worked in environmental education, she has seen first-hand the deep impact it has on both children and adults.

Elementary. The curricula are grade-specific, align with state Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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NEVER STOP LEARNING

Field Trips bring conservation to life for thousands of Wisconsinites

Grand Prize for the 2016 Field Trip Photo Contest goes to Jerry Newman for this photo of seed collecting at Muralt Bluff Prairie State Natural Area.

THOMAS MEYER

Second place goes to Tom Lally for this portrait of a vulture taken during the 2016 Migratory Bird Banding trip.

PATTI PENTLER

First place goes to Stephen Glass for this photo of sundew taken on the Bog Orchids and Carnivorous Plants trip.

Third place goes to Patty Henry for this photo of paddlers at Nixon Lake State Natural Area.

With the Foundation your walk in the woods or paddle along a shoreline goes so much farther. Our expert guides delve into the history, ecology, and many interconnected species living in that location.

Field Trips take you to some of the most ecologically unique and important places in Wisconsin. From unassuming lichen to majestic

old-growth forests, and from tiny monarch caterpillars to formidable bald eagles, Field Trips expertly blend life-affirming time outdoors with in-depth information on critical conservation projects.

If you haven’t yet registered for 2017 Field Trips, it’s not too late. Many trips still have plenty of availability. Check the Field Trips page on our website to access current trip availability at WisConservation.org/FieldTrips.

Be sure to bring your camera on Field Trips this year. Your photograph may be the winner for the 2017 contest and appear on the cover of Bridges!

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GREGORY HOTTMAN

“I often come away from leading a trip with a new perspective on how the DNR can better protect the land it holds in trust for the people of the state.

I believe participants take away with them not only memories of a special place, but a clearer understanding of the challenges and opportunities we — DNR employees and the public — face as stewards of the natural landscape.”

-Thomas Meyer, DNR Field Trip Leader

HONORABLE MENTION

2016 Photo Contest Winners

DANIEL GOLTZ

Curiosity and a zeal for learning define so many of us at the Natural Resources Foundation.

What better way to explore our world than with a trusted and knowledgeable leader who is ready and willing to answer a million questions?

Natural Resources Foundation Field Trips provide the chance, not only to discover a new place, but also to see familiar landscapes with new eyes through experience-based conservation education.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Register for travel by April 27, 2017

PAUL REgniER

BEYOND WISCONSIN

Exploring conservation around the world Northern Rocky Mountains: September 1-7, 2017

Why travel with NRF?

Adventure awaits around every inlet and glacier (even North America’s largest). Hike with us through three distinct ecosystems on the Heney Ridge Trail’s 7-mile route within the Chugach National Forest guided by a local researcher with 20 years of experience. We will boat to Orca Inlet, where the world’s largest population of sea otters lives. We might even get to see a nesting kittiwake colony.

Then the group will fly to Egg Island, home to a wide variety of bird species, including the largest population of Glaucouswinged Gulls and help a local biologist gather data on their nests.

Along the way we will learn from local conservation organizations about the rich diversity of flora and fauna in this part of Alaska. An additional excursion to Denali National Park and Preserve is available as an add-on after the trip.

For more information and to register, contact Debbie Sturdivant Jordan at Debbie@HolbrookTravel.com or (866) 748-6146.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

LISA MATLOCK

Cordova, Alaska: August 5-13, 2017

PAUL REgniER

This September join us to explore two of the most incredible national parks in North America — Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.

We will hike with Glacier Institute Naturalists to learn about the geology, botany, and natural history of Glacier National Park.

Travelers will spend their nights in historic lodges that have housed American travelers for over 100 years. We will traverse the continental divide via the gorgeous Going to the Sun Road aboard a historicallyreconditioned red antique jammer bus. This route is one of the country’s most beautiful mountain roadways, offering views of rugged McDonald Valley complete with jagged mountain peaks, glacial lakes, and deep green pine forests.

We’ll have opportunities to see marmots, pikas, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, rosy finches, and more while lunching in alpine meadows. On scenic boat tours we will see the mountain lakes at Many Glacier Lodge and Waterton Lakes Park, making stops to walk paths and cross international borders. This trip will focus on American native heritage with a rare chance to learn the history and culture of the Blackfoot tribe from a native guide.

For more information and to register, contact Paul Regnier at DoorCountyPaul@gmail.com or (920) 493-1572.

We partner with travel experts to provide you intimate, unique experiences abroad you can’t get traveling on your own. You get to travel with a Foundation staff member and other likeminded members interested in conservation. Our trips are focused on nature, wildlife, and the conservation efforts of other organizations.

We travel with companies directly supporting on-theground conservation organizations, such as the Prince William Sound Science Center in Alaska, the Belize Audubon Society, and the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica. Plus, we take the stress out of itinerary planning; everything is taken care of for you.

In addition, you will help protect Wisconsin’s lands, waters and wildlife through your tax-deductible donation to the Natural Resources Foundation included in the trip cost.

2018 Sneak Peek

January – Wyoming: Yellowstone in winter February – Baja, Mexico: Gray whales March – San Luis Valley, Costa Rica: Bird conservation education March – Hawaiian Islands: Birds, nature, and volcanoes August– Michigan: Isle Royale National Park November – New Zealand: North Island to South

Questions about traveling with NRF?

Email Michelle.Milford@Wisconsin.gov or go to WisConservation.org/see-the-world.

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Cherish Wisconsin:

BRITTA LEIN

Nature through the eyes of children

By: Michelle Milford The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund was set up as a permanent endowment in 2013 and it exists to ensure that our precious lands and waters can thrive for generations.

So what does the next generation of nature enthusiasts— the future Leopolds and Muirs of Wisconsin — cherish most about Wisconsin? Ms. Britta Lein, first grade teacher from Horizon Elementary School in Sun Prairie, asked a series of nature related questions to her Britta Lein students.

Their responses are simple, often comical, and serve as a good reminder never to overlook the small joys in life.

Q. What is your favorite Wisconsin animal?

A. “I really like blue jays because me and my grandpa always search for them. He says they are lucky!”

–Savannah

A. “Spiders. I have them all over my house!” –Jalen A. “I like the badger because it is the mascot for Wisconsin football and basketball.” –Tess Q. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

A. “I like that I can sled in the winter and go swimming in the summer.” –Ian A. “I like looking for the north star at night.” –Brody A. “I like to see and smell all of the pretty flowers in the spring and summer.” – Nevaeh A. “Getting fresh air and playing with my friends and building snowmen.” – Mya Q. What is your favorite thing about living in Wisconsin?

A. “I like Wisconsin because there are certain types of animals that only live here.” –Cade A. “In the summer, I like to go to the pool, because it’s nice and warm and watery, and I like to swim.” –Addyson Q. What kinds of cool things have you found outside?

A. “I found some shiny rocks in my front

The “Cherish Wisconsin” column features a different Wisconsin voice in each issue of Bridges, reflecting on what the author cherishes most about our state.

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yard and washed them off so I could see their shine better.” –Taanya A. “In the spring, I saw one butterfly outside my house. It was flying and had really pretty colors.” –Kaylee A. “I saw a bird’s nest with baby birds in it.” –Jacob While most of these children are discovering the wonders and feelgood benefits of nature on the school playground and in local backyards, doubtless some of these young explorers will hike, ski, bird, hunt, and enjoy our public lands for years to come. The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund will help make sure they have healthy public lands to cherish at from age seven to seventy.

M ichelle Milford is outreach coordinator at the Natural Resources Foundation and manages initiatives related to the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund.

To date we’ve raised more than $200,000 with only about 1 percent of Wisconsonites who purchased a fishing or hunting license contributing to the Cherish Fund. Imagine how much we could raise for our public lands if just 10 percent of purchasers made that $2 donation?

CherishWisconsin.org Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Featured Fund

The Madison Audubon Sanctuaries Fund

the Foundation and its work. Collaboration between organizations is very important,” says Reetz.

As an experienced traveler, Reetz has seen much of the world, but he believes that Wisconsin offers something special. He sees “no shortage of awesome places” in Wisconsin, and believes our special home deserves special care. Thanks to the establishment of this fund, more of these amazing places will get the care and management they need for generations to come.

R ebecca Biggs is a native of Milwaukee and is currently studying environmental studies and linguistics at UW-Madison.

To make a gift to The Madison Audubon Sanctuaries Fund, visit WisConservation.org/Donate. For more information on how you can establish a permanent conservation fund for the part of Wisconsin you care about most, visit WisConservation.org/WCE or contact Camille Zanoni, development director, at (608) 264-8922 or Camille.Zanoni@Wisconsin.gov.

EMILY MEIER

The establishment of a permanent conservation endowment fund reinforces a sense of hope for our collective future.

All endowment funds serve a crucial purpose of providing permanent, protected support. But for nonprofit organizations, endowments are particularly critical for ensuring their longterm stability and financial health.

That’s why the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is happy to announce the establishment of The Madison Audubon Sanctuaries Fund, which will support the care and management of lands held by the Madison Audubon Society.

“The best time for something was 10 years ago. The second best time is now,” says Madison Audubon Society Executive Director Matt Reetz.

The Madison Audubon Society is well known nationally for its commitment to land stewardship. With two sanctuaries totaling over 1,300 acres and countless projects helping protect Wisconsin’s native birds, Madison Audubon Society is helping to ensure the survival of Wisconsin’s winged heritage. With this fund, the Society will continue restoration and management of its protected lands in south-central Wisconsin and assure that future generations can enjoy the native biodiversity of these cherished landscapes.

The Madison Audubon Society is a two-time C. D. Besadny Grant recipient, receiving grants in 2015 and 2016 from the Natural Resources Foundation for its environmental field trips for low-income students. These past collaborations led the Society to work with the Foundation when establishing its own endowment. “We knew the Natural Resources Foundation would be an advocate for our interests, and that this fund in turn will help support

ARLENE KOZIOL

By: Rebecca Biggs

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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P.O. Box 2317 Madison, WI 53701 Toll-free (866) 264-4096 With appreciation to our sponsors:

Alliant Energy Foundation Associated Bank Dorothy Inbusch Foundation, Inc. Eagle Optics First Business Bank John C. Bock Foundation Lux Foundation, Inc. Menasha Corporation Foundation Pieper Electric, Inc./ Ideal Mechanical Wells Print & Digital Services

WisConservation.org

E

50% post-consumer fiber

Great Wisconsin Birdathon 2017 April 15 – June 15

Since 2012, participants in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon have raised more than $200,000 for bird conservation projects all over the state, including tens of thousands of dollars for local bird clubs, nature centers, Bird Cities, and land trusts.

What is a Birdathon? Think of it as a scavenger hunt in which the goal is for your team to spot and identify the most birds in a given period of time — the more birds you spot, the more money you raise. You can participate anywhere in the state — in your neighborhood, county or state parks, or even your own backyard — and can take part for just a few hours or a whole day.

Donations and pledges are held by the Bird Protection Fund of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and fund projects like whooping crane reintroduction, Kirtland’s warbler monitoring, Bird City Wisconsin, and more. Conservation organizations can participate in the Birdathon to raise funds for their own projects as well.

Whether you’re a novice or veteran birder, the Great Wisconsin Birdathon is a fun and easy way to support conservation efforts, while spending time outside with friends and family.

Find everything you need to get started at

WIBirdathon.org