Ryan Brady
Ever had a hankering to band eaglet nestlings in the Turtle Flambeau Flowage? How about hiking in steep terrain to view rare ferns growing in the Kickapoo Valley? Or paddling kayaks deep in the Crex Meadows pine barrens, where few ever venture?
Now, for the first time in its 30-year history, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is widely publicizing its more than 220 guided field trips (listed at wisconservation.org) around Wisconsin as it seeks to build a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts and citizen scientists.
Online registration opens on March 23, and organizers caution that nearly 80% of the trips filled immediately last year. The trips are available only to members of the private nonprofit group, but anyone can join for as little as $25, or $15 for students.
“Some of these places you can certainly go on your own, but it makes so much difference when you can go along with an expert or someone from the DNR,” says Ruth Oppedahl, executive director of the Madison-based organization.
The low-cost trips — most start at $15 per person — run the gamut from half-day wildlife viewing excursions with a birding guide to overnight camping trips. Most are on Wisconsin public lands or protected natural areas, with three dozen focused specifically on endangered species.
Some trips explore well-known locations like Devil’s Lake or Door County, while others venture into areas not normally open to the general public. You can do a wonky visit inside a Waste Management recycling plant in Milwaukee, get dirty pulling invasive garlic mustard from a Waupaca County wetland or explore twisty little Badfish Creek in Rock County by canoe.
“So many of these are ‘off the radar’ places that are real Wisconsin treasures,” says past attendee Leon Lawrenz of Lodi. “But to have someone knowledgeable impart their wisdom and love for a place is truly a privilege.”
Trips are scheduled in 46 of the state’s 72 counties, with over 60 in Dane or an adjacent county. In addition, 66 of the outings are billed as “family friendly,” with costs for kids as low as $5.
“I sure want my kids to know what it’s like growing up in a state that really cares about its natural resources,” says Christine Tanzer, field trip coordinator for the NRF. “And maybe we can create some new conservation voters in the process.”
Kelly Nechuta
A paddling trip to Lac Courte Oreilles traces a historic waterway used by Native Americans.
Environmental initiatives in Wisconsin have been taking a pounding, from funding cuts at state parks to eliminating science positions at the Department of Natural Resources. Outdoor programs have found few friends in the Walker administration or GOP-dominated Legislature. To many, the shift in priorities has proven shocking in a state that counts Aldo Leopold, John Muir and Gaylord Nelson as favorite sons.
The NRF took its own hit, absorbing a $84,000 funding cut when the governor’s last budget eliminated a series of so-called capacity grants that had gone to a dozen different statewide environmental groups.
Looking to call attention to those cuts, Oppedahl last fall paddled her kayak the entire length of the Wisconsin River from its beginnings at the border with Upper Michigan to its confluence with the Mississippi River at Wyalusing State Park.
Oppedahl says that solo river trip, where she camped overnight with friends and foundation members, helped her realize how much people in the state care about the outdoors. “Honestly, I was inspired by all the outpouring of support, phone calls, donations, ideas for sustainable funding, even chocolate sent to the office,” she says.
Tim Eisele
Trip leader Abbie Church finds a blue racer snake at Cassville Bluffs.
Given the current political realities, the NRF field trips have taken on added importance as the state faces cutbacks in DNR professional staff.
To that end, the NRF is coordinating with the UW Extension, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences and Environmental Resources Center on the “Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program,” which trains citizens to serve as guides or species monitors. Volunteers receive a certification that lets them lead trips or work as guides in addition to receiving a free one-year membership to the NRF.
The NRF was formed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1986 when declining budgets were severely compromising critical DNR programs. Today, the private nonprofit foundation raises money and offers grants for public land management, research and monitoring of rare species, in addition to its field trip program.
Over its nearly 30 years, the group has contributed $5.4 million to public and private conservation efforts. It also manages the Wisconsin Conservation Endowment, which holds $4.12 million in assets in 68 different funds that permanently support specific environmental programs. Those monies have helped fund recovery of trumpeter swans, whooping cranes, wolves, American martens and other species.
The field trips themselves were launched in 1993 by NRF program coordinator Barb Barzen. Since then, more than 2,100 trips have been held, with some 40,000 participants.
