Bridges Winter 2017

WINTER 2017

BRIDGES

Bob Jauch

Connecting people to conservation in Wisconsin

Remembering Peg Mallery

Landscape-level conservatioN

Cherish Fund makes historic first grants

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BRIDGES • WINTER 2017

FROM THE DIRECTOR 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 Jim Hubing Diane Humphrey Lueck William Lunney Jim Matras Tom Olson Ron Semmann Bill Smith Michael Williamson FOUNDATION STAFF Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director Hibah Ansari, Communications and Programs Assistant Makayla Dehne, Office Assistant Will Dougherty, Field Trip Program Assistant Lauren Koshere, Donor Relations Coordinator John Kraniak, Membership Director Erin Manlick, Office Manager Michelle Milford, Outreach Coordinator Diane Packett, Birdathon Coordinator Nora Simmons, Communications Director Christine Tanzer, Field Trip Coordinator Caitlin Williamson, Director of Conservation Programs Camille Zanoni, Development Director OUR MISSION Connecting generations to the wonders of Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife through conservation, education, engagement, and giving.

Ruth Oppedahl You might think it strange if I said the Foundation’s work is not all about nature. Even though “natural resources” is in our name, and our vision is for healthy Wisconsin lands, waters and wildlife, what we are really about is people. Nature would be fine all on its own, but because people are a dominating force in this world, people must be part of the solution.

Of all the many ways people care for the natural world, you would think our work raising money is the most detached and emotionless activity out there. Yet it is precisely through my fundraising work that I get connected to so many amazing people. And these experiences have brought tears of joy to my eyes so many times.

A Valentine’s Day tribute to the great love Trish Stocking shared with Jonathan Ela, evidenced through a permanent stewardship fund for the State Natural Area that carries his name.

S ailing around Cape Horn at sunrise on the Foundation’s trip to Patagonia — what a beautiful world.

The I Heart Wisconsin River Trip story about Dave and Joyce Weizenecker (State Parks Director for 17 years) that always catches in my throat — that they plan to give as long as they can to build up their endowment fund for our state parks.

Working with the Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation to integrate their mission and assets with NRF in order to expand our environmental education support in Wisconsin — work near to my heart. uck Mallery remembering his beloved T wife Peg in front of hundreds of people talking about how the door to nature opened ever wider for Peg when she became involved with the Foundation.

This public lands edition of Bridges shows the many ways we dedicate human resources to support our natural resources. It is our sincere hope that the Foundation will continue to be the bridge connecting you to solutions that bolster and preserve our natural heritage for generations to come.

Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director

WisConservation.org

Other Ways to Help

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 $160,000 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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BRIDGES/WINTER 2017

• Extend complimentary memberships with the Foundation to your conservation-minded friends and relatives (look for this in your next membership renewal letter) • Follow us on Facebook and share our news with your friends • Volunteer at a state natural area near you.

Visit dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/naturalareas/ volunteer.html • Include the Natural Resources Foundation in your will. Visit WisConservation.org/Donate/ Planned Giving Lindsay Renick Mayer

Helping You Help Wisconsin

• Make an extra gift to fill the gap. Donate at WisConservation.org/donate • switch to a recurring gift schedule to help us save money on mailings or missed renewal gifts (look for the option in your next member renewal mailing) • Apply for a US Bank VISA card, which sends a portion of the proceeds to the Foundation. Visit WisConservation.org/Get Involved • Designate the Foundation as your charity of choice when purchasing via AmazonSmile. Visit smile.amazon.com • Check if your employer will match your donation to the Foundation

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Remembering Peg Mallery

& memorial gifts Honorary June 16 2017 through October 30, 2017

The Foundation recognizes gifts made in honor or memory of the following people: In Memory of Bruce Besadny

Mary Jean Hale In Honor of Lisa Charron

Elizabeth Charron In Memory of Dr. Martha Christensen

Myra M. Van Uxem In Memory of David A. Crary

Nancy M. Long In Memory of David Discher

Russell Berndt In Memory of Craig Fink

Sandra J. Wickman In Honor of John Haack

Margaret Compton

Chad Cook In Honor of Philip Heckman

Cassandra May In Memory of Jerry Johnson

Terrell Hyde In Honor of Ken Ligare

Scott Ahlman In Memory of Peg Mallery

Bruce & Beverly Abbott

Benjamin Abrohams Albert H. Stahmer

Foundation Inc.

Dr. Charlie & Ginger Alden

Carne J. Andrews

Brian Arndorfer

James Bauman

Carol Becker

Judith Beier

Steve Bell

Robert Bender

Madeleine Bickel Virginia and Michael Bolger

Mark & Ann Bradley

Bruce & Nancy Braun

Catherine Breitholtz

Mary A. Brennan

Barb Chirinos

John & Nina Clark Albert & Susan Colianni

Gordon Connor

John & Cherri Cravens

Rita Crooks Patrick & Kathryn Daly

Caren DeHart

Christine DelGuidice-Kraemer

Diane DeLuca

John & Terri Devine

Ronald & Lynn Drecktrah Paul & Jacqueline Duerst

Eagle River Cabinets Inc.

Ellen Eldredge Tate

Thomas & Sharon Engels

Eric Erickson

Douglas & Christine Erno

Janet Ethen

Dennis Fait

Cindra Falkowski

Randy Falstad

Michael Finn

John & Claire Flannery

William J. Forbes Leslie Forester

Gina Freels

Dr. D.J. & Mary Clare Freeman

Mike Gatewood

Gering Family Foundation Lois Gilliland

Michael & Nancy Goggin

Sandra & John Goggin Linda & Ronald Grilley Lynette Gruszynski

Terry Guerink

Gordon Gullickson

Brian & Sandra Gumness

Dr. Rebecca A. Haefner

Sarah Hammes

Jan Hankins

Scott Hankins

Francie Hansen

Cynthia & Katy Harris

Gregory & Shirley Harrold

Toby Hartman

Carl & Barbara Hash

Janet Hauboldt

Marilyn Heinlein

Brenda Herman

Nancy Hessert

Diane Humphrey Lueck

Jon & Kristine Hunt

Bridget Hust Lynn & Anthony Jewett

Carter Joadwine

Johnson Bank

James Kemerling

John Koltes

Sue Landretti

Barbara Lattimer Linda Kay Layton

Timothy & Cari Logemann Linda Lovold

Katherine Lynch

Mallery & Zimmerman S.C.

Mallery & Zimmerman, S.C.– Milwaukee

Barbara E. Manger

Tyler Manning

Donald, Ann & Sally Martin

John Maslowski

Carolyn Michalski

James Miller

R. Bret & Sarah Miller

Minocqua Country Club

Karen Mitchell Henry & Mary Moeschler Linda Morasch

Tom Mullaley

NCHM Charities

Nelson Family Fund

Jane Nelson-Holmes

John & Patricia Noel

Kevin & Betty Noel

Kath Olivia

Brynn Olson

Ruth Oppedahl Alan Oppenheim

Joanne Orr

The Osprey Foundation

Jill Palecek

Sandra & Charles Patchin

Melinda Pearce

Scott & Jeanne Platta

Robert Pohlad

Barbara G. Powers

Yvonne Prey

Tim Prinsen

Gary Pucci

Richard & Judy Radt

Gary & Rebecca Ratts Priscilla Repasky

Sharon Ridgeway

Thomas A. Riiser Linda & Frederick Rikkers

Tim Rikkers

Jonathan Riley

Brenton & Tanya Rogers

Matthew Rowe

Robert & Judith Ruch

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Marianna Ruprecht

Chuck & Marilyn Sauer

J. Michael Schilder

Schmidt Charitable Fund Pat Schoenherr Lynne Scholfield

Jack Scholz

D. David Sebold

Seramur Family Foundation

John Skoug Pamela & Douglas Smith

Trygve & Tula Solberg

James Sperling

Maria Stadler

Theodore & Noa Staryk

Kathy Strasser

Terry Sturm

Tony Sweeney

Gary & Karen Tesch

Greg Tesch

The Insurance Center

Ms. Christine Thomas

Donald Thompson

Travelinc LLC

Stephen Tuman

Debra Tuttle

James & Kristin Ulland

David Ullrich Henry & Linsy Wanserski

Bruce Wendt

Kari Whalen

Ellen Widmark

John & Leigh Wilber

Jane Wiley

Robert & Faith Winter

Jeanne Winters

Wipfli CPAs And Consultants

Margaret & Bob Wolff

Kay Yanisch

Dana Zagzebski Philip Zickerman Peter & Joan Ziegler

Robert & Judy Zimmerman

Robert Zisenman In Memory of Ronald H. Martin

Association of Retired Conservationists In Memory of Steve Miller

James T. Addis

Elizabeth Yranski In Memory of Charmaine Mohr

Mary Butts In Honor of Grama & Grampa Nowak

Michael Severa In Honor of Randy Paske

Friends of Wyalusing State Park In Memory of Dave Redell

Shana Lavin

Walt Disney Company Foundation In Memory of James Staff

Margaret Brady In Honor of Oliver Swain

Kay Stambler In Memory of Jerry Trussoni

Tom & Jeannette Roberts In Memory of James J. Widder

Association of Retired Conservationists In Honor of Joan Wiegand

Todd & Kris Wiegand In Memory of Oliver D. Williams

Association of Retired Conservationists

Peg Mallery served on the NRF Board of Directors from 2003 through 2016.

Peg was influential in helping the Foundation develop an endowment program, which has helped the Foundation grow substantially in the years since.

Today the Natural Resources Foundation holds 89 endowed funds with a total of close to $7 million in assets that will help care for and restore crucial habitat, support research, and increase access to environmental education in Wisconsin for generations to come.

“Peg’s leadership as treasurer brought NRF financial stability.

Her wonderful personality brought us sunshine.”

– Jim Hubing

“From the day Peg joined us on the Board, it was immediately apparent that her kind and generous leadership skills would make a lasting impact on the Foundation.

Clearly they have.”

– Ron Semmann

“We appreciated her clear-headed thinking and sharp pencil. We admired her intelligence, good humor, love of nature and adventure.”

– Ruth Oppedahl

BRIDGES/WINTER 2017

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A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

THE Good

NEWS Working with Land Trusts

Land trusts are critical conservation partners for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. While they work to secure the lands we love, we work to ensure that the lands they’ve saved are cared for and maintained forever.

We work with land trusts to: • Establish organizational endowment funds to support their operations; • Establish private endowments to care for a specific piece of land under conservation easement; • Provide funding for on-theground conservation projects through our grant programs.

When you support NRF, you aren’t just making a difference for us; you’re helping dozens of other organizations that we support through our grant programs like C.D. Besadny Conservation Grants, Teachers’ Outdoor Environmental Education Grants, and the new Go Outside (GO) Fund Grants.

Here’s who you’ve helped so far in 2017: American Players Theatre Bayfield Regional Conservancy Bluebird Restoration Association of WI Boston School Forest Cable Natural History Museum Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station Crestwood Elementary School Dane County Conservation League Dane County Land and Water Resources Department Department of Natural Resources - Flambeau River State Forest, Hartman Creek State Park, Natural Heritage Conservation, Parks & Recreation, Wildlife Management East Troy Community School District Friends of High Cliff State Park Friends of Horicon Marsh International Education Center Friends of Kohler-Andrae State Park Friends of Lake Wingra Friends of New Glarus Woods State Park Friends of Point Beach State Forest Friends of Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Inc. Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Goodman Armstrong Creek Middle/High School Green Lake School District Groundswell Conservancy (formerly Natural Heritage Land Trust) Harbor District, Inc. Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center Houlton Elementary School Hurley K12 School Iron County Land and Water Conservation Jefferson County Parks Kettle Moraine Natural History Association Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School Malcolm Shabazz City High School Mequon Nature Preserve Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts

Mississippi Valley Conservancy Navarino Nature Center Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Inc. Northern Waters Environmental Charter School Northland College Northwoods Land Trust Oredocker Project School Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Park People of Milwaukee County Phillips School District Reedsburg Area High School Rio Elementary School River Alliance of Wisconsin River Revitalization Foundation River Valley School District Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Rosendale Intermediate School Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy The Aldo Leopold Foundation The Prairie Enthusiasts Trout Unlimited - Fox Valley Chapter, Frank Hornberg Chapter, Green Bay Chapter, Oconto River Chapter, Shaw-Paca Chapter, Wisconsin Council, Wolf River Chapter Upper Sugar River Watershed Association Washington Middle School Waukesha County Land Conservancy West Wisconsin Land Trust Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. Wisconsin Friends of John Muir Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Wisconsin Green Schools Network WisCorps, Inc. Woodland Dunes Nature Center

Give the Gift of Membership Do you have someone on your holiday shopping list who already seems to have everything?

Give them something new this year with a Gift Membership to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.

They will receive: • A letter notifying them of your gift and their new membership to NRF • 3 issues of Bridges (the NRF member magazine) • A year subscription to Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine from DNR • 2 018 Field Trip Guidebook and eligibility for early member registration for 2018 Field Trips • Opportunity to travel the world with NRF • Event invitations and more!

To purchase a Gift Membership for someone you care about go to WisConservation.org/gift-membership. Purchase your Gift Membership by December 16 to ensure the recipient is notified by Christmas.

More Good News on page 9

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Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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.

Matt Zine, DNR

JOANNA DEMAS

WDNR

WDNR

Protecting Wisconsin’s Public Lands As part of our mission to conserve Wisconsin’s most beautiful and important public lands, we have restored thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and waterways. By helping to protect our state’s native plants and wildlife we hope to safeguard our natural heritage for future generations to enjoy. We are proud to support these places and many others across the state, to ensure that we all have the opportunity to explore and wonder at Wisconsin’s incredible natural beauty.

Improving the health of Lake Michigan Wisconsin’s more than 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan encompass part of the largest freshwater ecosystem on earth. The Great Lakes provide drinking water for our communities, and support diverse habitats for plant and wildlife populations. Yet, these waters face unprecedented threats: invasive species, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are just some of the challenges facing the Great Lakes today.

The Natural Resources Foundation is now in its third year of partnering with the Fund for Lake Michigan to make a positive impact against some of these threats. We have collaborated on a coastal assessment in Kenosha and Racine counties that will improve shoreline health and water quality. We have also helped install rain gardens and bio swales at Point Beach State Forest, which will significantly reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality for Point Beach’s six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Driftless area restoration effort with Trout Unlimited The Natural Resources Foundation is proud to support the efforts of our conservation partners and their work to conserve and protect Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife. Trout Unlimited, a recipient of one of the Foundation’s 2016 C.D. Besadny Conservation Grants, is using the grant funding to support their Driftless Area Restoration Effort, a partnership initiative aimed at conservation of water resources in the Driftless Area. The grant is being used to share information about local watershed restoration projects, provide a call to action for policy makers, and to recruit new partners to build upon stream improvement projects in the Driftless.

Improving trails in the Milwaukee River Greenway Thanks to a grant from the Natural Resources Foundation’s Norma & Stanley DeBoer Quiet Trails Fund, the River Revitalization Foundation is improving a trail segment along the Milwaukee River. This stretch of the Turtle Park Trail has beautiful views of the Milwaukee River, fishing access, and serves as a portage for paddlers coming downstream. Improvements to this trail will make it more sustainable, promote higher usage, and create connections to other trails, along with restoring habitat along the trail.

Conservationist Spotlight: Nate Fayram, DNR Nate Fayram is an ecologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources who leads management of State Natural Areas (SNA’s) in southern Wisconsin. The pieces of land Nate and his crew preserve represent outstanding examples of native plant communities, and provide some of the last refuges for rare plants and wildlife.

“Wisconsin is lucky to have such incredible diversity across the state, from the northern edge of the tallgrass prairie, to the southern edge of the boreal forest,” Nate said. “SNA’s protect our best examples of these landscapes, and dozens of other natural communities in between.”

Most days, Nate and his team are outdoors, conducting prescribed burns, cutting brush, eradicating invasive species, and ensuring that these last remaining treasures in Wisconsin are healthy and protected for future generations. “The work we do is rewarding because most of the sites we work on in southern Wisconsin depend on our action for their persistence into the future,” Fayram said. “We can’t create new unplowed remnant prairie. But we can clear invasive brush, conduct prescribed fires, and restore the remnant prairies we have left.”

Get involved in protecting and restoring our public lands. The State Natural Areas Volunteer Program, managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is always looking for volunteers for SNA workdays. Join the Natural Heritage Conservation staff in completing restoration work. Learn more online: dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/naturalareas/volunteer.html.

Natural Natural Resources Resources Foundation Foundation of of Wisconsin Wisconsin

BRIDGES/SUMMER BRIDGES/WINTER 2017 2017

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JOSHUA MAYER

Changing the landscape of conservation

Taking the Long View

By: Caitlin Williamson, Director of Conservation Programs

The landscape of the Driftless Area contains some of Wisconsin’s most iconic features: deeply-carved hills and coulees, Class 1 trout streams, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, and the Mississippi River bluffs. Many people feel a strong connection to this beautiful region, and for good reason.

The Driftless Area is an ancient landscape, one that escaped the ice during the most recent glacial period that significantly altered most of Wisconsin. The Driftless Area also represents one of the most biodiverse areas in Wisconsin, due to the diversity, size, and quality of habitats such as prairies, savannas, oak barrens, wetlands, floodplain forests, and relict conifer stands. All of these distinct and varied habitats provide a home for dozens of rare plant and wildlife species.

For years the Foundation has taken a broad and far-ranging approach to annual conservation project planning. Like the Wisconsin River, we were making an impact that was broad, but not particularly deep. We wanted to find a way to continue to make a broad impact, but also to identify some priority landscapes where we could make a deeper impact as well.

Conserving a landscape

Many of the last remnants of Wisconsin’s native landscape — our prairies, savannas, old-growth forests, fens, marshes, and more — are found in State Natural Areas (SNA’s). These lands, and the plants and animals found within them, are the most crucial and

vulnerable repositories of our state’s biological, geological, and archaeological heritage.

SNA’s make up only one percent of Wisconsin’s total land area, but protect more than 90 percent of the plants and 75 percent of the animals on Wisconsin’s list of endangered and threatened species.

Wisconsin has well over 600 designated State Natural Areas and while all are ecologically important to Wisconsin, some contain land that is unique and important on a continental or even global level. The Driftless Area alone is home to approximately 145 State Natural Areas.

With help from our conservation partners we are identifying critical landscapes — like the Driftless Area — that need conservation work.

We then work together to outline multiple SNA’s within that landscape that have the highest priority for funding. By grouping land management projects within a centralized landscape region we create efficiencies while also creating a larger cohesive project that will result in a very clear, measurable impact on an entire landscape.

“Landscape-level planning and funding allows us flexibility and helps ensure we are working on the highest priority projects,” said Nate Fayram, an ecologist with WDNR. “By combining several sites into one larger project, we can make consistent progress on a larger scale.”

Donors, like investors, are more willing to fund organizations and projects that have clear, well-developed plans. A landscape-level strategy must be created in concert with conservation partners in order to develop a realistic plan for implementation, often over several years.

Because large-scale, landscape-level projects generally cannot be completed in a single year, multi-year grants are critical to the success of this strategy.

“Consistent habitat gains on several sites is more sustainable than a single project, since much of the work we do requires a long-term commitment to achieve our goals,” explained Nate Fayram, WDNR ecologist. Multiyear grants provide the commitment and stability conservationists need to make a real and lasting impact on the ground.

To better understand Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas and their management needs, the Foundation works closely with the WDNR to develop a priority list of State Natural Areas that are most in need of our support, and that truly represent the most ecologically-significant landscapes in Wisconsin and the world.

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Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Starting in 2017, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Heritage Conservation Program to make a profound impact on 16 State Natural Areas in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin.

This project is made possible through a two-year grant from the Caerus Foundation, Inc., a foundation with deep Wisconsin ties and a passion for the natural world.

This large, landscape-scale ecological restoration comprises more than 2,300 acres within the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway and the Mississippi River bluffs of southwestern Wisconsin. The work will take place on publicly-owned State Natural Area properties, but will also leverage conservation work with other programs and organizations, such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Landowner Incentive Program, Trout Unlimited’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort, and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

The 16 sites that will be supported through this grant protect some of the last vestiges of Wisconsin’s biological heritage, and provide critical habitat for many of the state’s threatened and endangered plant and animal communities. They protect significant populations of rare, threatened and endangered plant and wildlife species and represent some of the best and last remaining natural communities of their type left in Wisconsin. A few of the rare species that will benefit from this project include the regal fritillary butterfly, whip-poor-will, red-headed woodpecker, and the blue racer snake.

The restoration work that will take place includes establishing burn units, conducting prescribed burns of prairie, woodland, and savanna habitat, removing herbaceous invasive species, clearing brush and trees, collecting and sowing native plant seeds, conducting restorative timber harvests, and prairie plantings.

and Dead Lake

JOSHUA MAYER

Cait Williamson

Getting started in the Driftless

PROJECT SITES • Arena Pines and Sand Barrens • Bakken’s Pond • Battle Bluff Prairie • Blue River Bluffs • Cassville Bluffs • Dewey Heights Prairie • Ferry Bluff • Gotham Jack Pine Barrens • Hogback Prairie • Limery Ridge Savanna • Mazomanie Oak Barrens • Ridgeway Pine Relict • Rush Creek • Smith Slough and Sand Prairie • Snow Bottom • Woodman Lake Sand Prairie

To find out more about State Natural Areas and other public land conservation efforts, visit WisConservation.org/conserving-land.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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I

n order to ensure the enjoyment of Wisconsin’s lands, waters and wildlife in the future, support for our public lands must begin now.

On September 27, 2017, the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund announced its first ever grant disbursement in support of public lands.

By: Hibah Ansari, Communications and Programs Assistant

The Cherish Fund was created in 2012 by the State Legislature to provide another source of revenue to help meet habitat improvement needs on public lands in Wisconsin. It is kept alive and growing through the vital partnership between the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

As a permanent endowment fund supported by donations from citizens like you, the Cherish Fund is able to supplement funding for the management of the lands we use for all kinds of recreational pursuits like fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, or bird watching all while protecting, restoring and improving habitat for Wisconsin’s plants and animals.

“The Cherish program allows an opportunity for people to, in a very small way, making a very limited impact on themselves, to make a donation and make a contribution to something that’s greater than themselves,” said Don Kirby, executive director of Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund is supported primarily

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Above: Bike on Railroad Trestle over Lower Chippewa River SNA Left: Fringed Gentian at Clover Valley Fen SNA

through small donations of just a few dollars made with the purchase of a hunting or fishing license or with the reservation of a campsite.

Separately these small dollar amounts might seem insignificant, but put together we’ve been able to raise more than $300,000 for Wisconsin’s public lands. Protected in endowment, these dollars will never be lost, but will continue to grow over time and work to ensure that our precious lands and waters will last lifetimes to come.

“What gives me hope is that this is an endowment that will last through the generations and as my own son grows up, this program will still be around,” said Marty Moses, Wisconsin state coordinator for Pheasants Forever.

The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund made its first endowment disbursement in celebration of Public Lands Day this year, and NRF is excited to be involved in the conservation of three well-loved and ecologicallyimportant sites.

“These projects represent some of the most biodiverse and ecologically significant properties in Wisconsin,” said Ruth Oppedahl, executive director for the Natural Resources Foundation. “We feel so proud that the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund’s first disbursement will make such a meaningful impact.”

A total grant of $50,000 will be split between the Bluff Creek and Clover Valley Fen State Natural Areas and the Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

All photos by Cait Williamson

Cherish Fund makes historic first grants

Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area

These areas were identified as high-priority conservation sites by the Foundation, WDNR, as well as an independent stakeholder group. They are also quite close to major metropolitan areas like Milwaukee, Madison and Eau Claire, making them popular with all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts.

“Cherish Wisconsin is a perfect example of the passion that our partners share with DNR for the outdoors — I look forward to seeing the great work on these properties be enjoyed by users of all kinds, from hunters to wildlife watchers,” said Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary for the Wisconsin DNR.

Bluff Creek and Clover Valley Fen State Natural Areas

In the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Walworth County, 552 acres will be subject to an ecological restoration of prairies, oak savannas, trout stream banks and associated wetlands. $25,000 from the grant will be used to reduce invasive brush and species alike, while improving aesthetics along the Ice Age Trail, horse, and snowmobile trails. Three prescribed burns, combined with mowing, aspen girdling and herbicide application will stimulate seed production and control invasive species.

Prairie planting with those seeds will then follow in the next year in a five-acre area. Restorations to habitats in transitional regions between grassland and oak communities will also be conducted.

This work will improve trout stream habitat, native prairie, fen and sedge meadow and reduce woody brush in the oak woodlands. The wildlife that will be impacted include trout, white-tailed deer, queensnake, Blanding’s turtle, Blanchard’s cricket frog, least darter, hooded warbler, cerulean warbler, silphium borer moth, liatris borer moth, swamp metalmark, and more. In turn, this beautiful site will also become much more accessible for outdoor recreation including hunting and angling opportunities.

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Home to animals designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need as well as many prized game species, 180 acres of oak savanna and native prairie will be restored at the newly-acquired Tyrone Tract of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area in Dunn County. $25,000 will be used in the restoration process towards mowing, burning and herbicide application. Considerable focus will be placed on the removal of woody invasive brush and other invasive vegetation in the savanna and prairie habitats through brush clearing, herbicide application on Clover Valley Fen SNA invasive brush, timber harvesting, and interseeding. The wildlife that will be impacted include white-tailed deer, bear, turkey, waterfowl, American woodcock, prairie skink, gopher snake, lark sparrow, red-headed woodpecker, red-tailed prairie leafhopper, eastern meadowlark, Bell’s vireo, grasshopper sparrow, and more.

This area was recently acquired from Xcel Energy, which had taken an active role in the restoration of degraded oak savanna and prairie habitats in the Tyrone Tract. This grant will continue the restoration efforts started by Xcel Energy. As a result, the restoration will enhance the recreational experience for hikers, bikers, paddlers, hunters and anglers alike.

New Tyrone Tract of Lower Chippewa River

Collaboration is key These Cherish projects were selected at the recommendation of Foundation staff, WDNR, as well as an independent stakeholder group including:

• Ducks Unlimited • Friends of Wisconsin State Parks • Pheasants Forever • National Wild Turkey Federation

• Ruffed Grouse Society • Wisconsin Conservation Congress • Wisconsin Waterfowl Association

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Continued from page 3

Field Trip Recap and 2018 Updates By: Christine Tanzer, Field Trip Coordinator

This past year proved a banner year for the Field Trip program, with over 2,500 people joining us out in the field discovering and learning about so many aspects of Wisconsin’s natural resources.

I personally ventured out on a few of our new Field Trips myself, all of which were top-notch. I spent a nice summer day exploring the ecology and plants of York Prairie SNA, then joined fellow artists in expressing what I learned through plein-air painting (pictured right). I toured the Washburn Observatory and gazed at the

rings of Saturn through a telescope made over a century ago. I saw Wisconsin botanical history come alive touring the library of pressed plant specimen at the UW- Herbarium. I drove a motorcycle through the winding roads of the Driftless Area to discover prairies and geological

history. What I marvel at the most when I look back at my summer is the breadth of what I learned.

And I look forward to next year! 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of our Field Trip Program, and we are celebrating with a new and improved online registration system. Look for email updates with tutorials and tips on how to successfully navigate the new system.

We are also planning an amazing line-up of trips, so watch your mailboxes in early March for your 2018 Field Trip Guidebook.

“I’ve enjoyed every Field Trip I’ve been on, and each time say the last will be hard to beat, but each one is better and better. Thanks so much for opening up Wisconsin’s great resources (natural and human talent) to us through the Field Trips.” – Michele Fronczak

Please consider a year-end gift Wisconsin’s public lands are a treasure, providing opportunities for top-notch camping, fishing, hunting, and nature viewing experiences. We inherited this natural wealth and beauty from the generations who came before us. At the Foundation we are working to ensure that the legacy we leave for our own children and grandchildren is even richer than what we were given.

In honor of our shared conservation values, please remember the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin in your year-end giving.

Private citizen involvement in the conservation of our natural resources is critical, especially now as state funding for our endangered resources, parks, and conservation programs have been severely cut. Your support is needed now more than ever before.

NRF welcomes new staff

Lauren Koshere joined NRF in August as Donor Relations Coordinator. In this new position, Lauren will help increase the Foundation’s fundraising capacity by contributing to donor communications and connecting personally with members across Wisconsin.

Lauren had her first experience with NRF when she was 15 — kayaking on the St. Louis River near Superior on a Field Trip led by her dad, Frank Koshere, a former DNR employee. More recently, she joined her dad for the same trip again in 2010 (pictured).

Barb Barzen

NEWS

Christine Tanzer

THE Good

Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area

This past year, your support helped:

• Manage 26 of our most ecologically important State Natural Areas and improve 14 trails and parks, providing thousands of acres of refuge for native plants and wildlife

• S ave some of Wisconsin’s most endangered wildlife like Kirtland’s warblers, whooping cranes, bats, and turtles

• Teach thousands of children and adults to care for our natural resources on a Foundation Field Trip, and provide environmental education to hundreds of school children through our grant making efforts

Make a gift online at WisConservation.org/make-a-donation.

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BRIDGES/WINTER 2017

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Featured Fund

Peggie Post Mallery Wisconsin Conservation Fund By: Nora Simmons, Communications Director

Peggie Post Mallery joined the Natural Resources Foundation’s board of directors in 2003, and for the next 14 years she generously gave her time, expertise, and creativity to make our Foundation better. She helped guide and encourage us through years of growth and change, only stepping down from the Board in 2017 when declining health finally made it impossible for her to participate.

We lost Peggie this past September and Wisconsin lost a dedicated, visionary, and pragmatic conservationist.

Peggie lived a remarkable life dedicated to her family, empowering others, and preserving the things she thought were most important. It was her passion for Wisconsin’s natural beauty and the desire to spread that love of nature that brought her to the Foundation.

“Peg had a very unique skill set,” explained Bill Lunney, NRF board member.

“Her passion for conserving our natural resources was evident in everything she did.

What made her so very special was her insightful analysis, ideas and suggestions that helped the Foundation grow into the force for conservation it has become.”

She certainly succeeded in igniting her passion for the outdoors in others — especially

in her family. Ryan Mallery, son of Peg and Tuck, said that being in nature is his second favorite thing after his family and he credits his mom with a lot of that. “I think that for her it was a spiritual thing, being outside, and that’s a connection that I’ve made as well,” Ryan told NRF. “It’s a place to recharge and get away from the hustle and bustle and all the distractions of everyday life.”

In tribute to Peggie’s memory and legacy, her family has created the Peggie Post Mallery Wisconsin Conservation Fund. This permanent endowment will provide for the care of Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife in perpetuity. “It’s another way to honor her and remember her,” Ryan told NRF. “It’s meaningful to her family because it was important to her and she lives on through us. Each year when we get together to decide how to allocate funding we can think about her and her core values and do our best to act in her spirit. We think it provides a really nice way to remember her at a deep level.”

Already 178 people have donated to the fund in memory of Peggie — a moving testament to the community she built, the lives she touched, and the legacy she leaves behind.

When asked how he felt about this outpouring of support, Ryan said, “It’s hard to put into words. It’s very humbling. It’s very emotional. It validates how good of a person I feel she is, how good of a spirit I feel she is.”

To support this fund, mail your check to the Natural Resources Foundation and indicate that you would like it to go to the Peggie Post Mallery Wisconsin Conservation Fund. You can also make your donation online at WisConservation.org/make-a-donation.

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:

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

WisConservation.org

E

50% post-consumer fiber

T ravel T O N E W Z E A L A N D W I T H U S !

Explore ancient forests and rugged mountains, cruise the Milford Sound, visit the City of Sails and discover scenic Queenstown.

Deadline to register is February 28, 2018.

For pricing and registration details visit: WisConservation.org/see-the-world

For more information: Contact Michelle Milford 608-261-4392 or Michelle.Milford@Wisconsin.gov

PHOTOS BY Bernard Spragg

November 3-19, 2018

A country on nearly every traveler’s bucket list, New Zealand is a confluence of natural splendor and dynamic adventure. Join a small group of 15 – 20 travelers as we explore both the North and South islands, hiking through the untouched forests and cerulean bays of Abel Tasman National Park and experiencing the mud pools, hot springs, and geysers of a thermal reserve in Taupo. With local conservation issues, Maori legend, and Kiwi culture woven into this journey, you’ll discover an incredibly memorable New Zealand.