Spring 2015 - Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

Connecting people to conservation in Wisconsin
C.D. Besadny Grant
Program turns 25 years old
Page 4
Great Wisconsin
Birdathon takes flight
Page 6
Endowment honors
life-long love of Wisconsin’s
natural resources
Page 8
On the cover:
A Baltimore oriole flies from its nest on the “Whooping
Crane and Kirtland’s Warbler Bird Protection Fund
Adventure” at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in 2014.
Photo: Brent Daniel, winner of the 2014 Field Trip Photo Contest
SPRING 2015
BRIDGES
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Ruth Oppedahl
My first introduction to the Foundation seems
fitting. As executive director of the Bayfield Regional
Conservancy, I had applied for a grant through the
C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program to bring in
experts for a day-long bioblitz at Big Ravine in Bayfield.
I won’t soon forget when former Foundation board
member Bob Banks personally delivered the check to
our little office in Bayfield, about as far north in the state
as you can get, to our second floor office, which I can
only describe as an attic.
This year, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of
our C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program, I’ve
been reflecting on the true value of that $1,000 check.
Our bioblitz brought in bird, dragonfly, fungus and bat
experts to teach us about Big Ravine’s diversity and
ended with a campfire at the top of the Ravine. The
interaction also introduced me to an organization that
I would soon proudly lead. More than that, though,
like all of the other checks we give out through the
Besadny grant program, it represents the Foundation’s
legacy of empowering local conservation organizations
to care for Wisconsin’s woods, wildlife and waters that
we all cherish.
It represents hope.
Since its inception in 1990, the C.D. Besadny
Conservation Grant Program has awarded $420,000 to
more than 500 organizations, in every county of the
state. These groups are doing impressive work—the
most recent grant winners are training volunteers
to monitor bats in light of white-nose syndrome,
re-locating populations of salamanders that have
vanished, installing video cameras to monitor raptors in
rehabilitation, establishing a native pollinator habitat
adjacent to community gardens, building boardwalks,
and more. Collectively these kinds of projects ensure
a beautiful and healthy Wisconsin for generations to
come. But their stories also effectively inspire each of us
to channel our inner conservationists and to do more
than just tread lightly on the earth.
I think that this is what the late C.D. “Buzz” Besadny
had in mind when he co-founded the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin—that the Foundation would
not only empower local conservation throughout the
state, but also ignite a renewed sense of hope in those
of us who value our connection with the natural world
and seek ways to preserve it.
Thank you to all of the local conservation
organizations for doing such great work and giving us
hope for our state’s future, every single day.
Sincerely,
Ruth Oppedahl
Helping You Help Wisconsin
Every purchase you make with your
NRF Visa Signature® Card supports
State Parks, rivers, and conservation
projects in our state. Join the
cardholders who have already raised
$125,000 for Wisconsin.
Learn more and apply at
usbank.com/NRF_wisconservation.
BRIDGES • SPRING 2015
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dave Adam
James P. Bennett
Linda Bochert
Bruce Braun
Scott Craven
Rebecca Haefner
Rita Hayen
Martin Henert
Jim Hubing
Kristine Krause
Mark LaBarbera
Diane Humphrey Lueck
William Lunney
Peg Mallery
Jim Matras
Tom Olson
Ron Semmann
Bill Smith
Michael Williamson
2
EMERITUS BOARD
Darrell Bazzell
Anthony Earl
Robert Froehlke
David Ladd
Thomas Lyon
Howard Mead
Thomas Schmidt
Toby Sherry
Christine Thomas
Todd Tiefenthaler
Albert Toma
BRIDGES / SPRING 2015
HONORARY BOARD
C.D. “Buzz” Besadny
Collins Ferris
Daniel T. Flaherty
Paul Hassett
Warren Knowles
Cliff Messinger
Gaylord Nelson
Dair J. Steward
Daniel Trainer
Nash Williams
Margaret Van Alstyne
Sally Whiffen
FOUNDATION STAFF
Barb Barzen, Grants and Program
Coordinator
John Kraniak, Membership Director
Lysbeth Lesak, Field Trip Assistant
Ruth Oppedahl, Executive Director
Diane Packett, Birdathon Coordinator
Lindsay Renick Mayer,
Communications Director
Christine Seeley, Office Manager
Christine Tanzer, Field Trip Coordinator
Caitlin Williamson, Program and
Development Coordinator
Camille Zanoni, Development Director
Brooke Hemze and Olga Bednarek,
Interns
OUR MISSION:
Connecting generations
to the wonders of
Wisconsin’s lands,
waters, and wildlife
through conservation,
education, engagement,
and giving.
WisConservation.org
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
WISCONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT:
Your Support at Work
Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area to benefit
from three conservation projects
Through the Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area Fund, which has given
out more than $20,000 since it was established in 2006, the Foundation
has disbursed funds this year to three key conservation projects aimed at
protecting and enhancing this special place.
• Campsite Lakeshore Restoration: This project will restore eroded
shoreline at several of the campsites in the Turtle-Flambeau Scenic
Waters Area.
• Seed Availability Research: This project will research the relationship
between predator species, their prey and the abundance of seeds the
prey feed on.
• Invasive Species Monitoring: With this grant, the Iron County Land &
Water Conservation Department will be able to expand its aquatic
invasive species education and monitoring efforts.
Become a Wisconsin Master Naturalist
Join a growing corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation
education and service within their communities by becoming a Wisconsin
Master Naturalist. Volunteer training courses are held throughout the state
and give participants a foundation in natural history, interpretation, and
conservationstewardship.Upcomingvolunteercoursesinclude:
• June 15: Cable Natural History Museum and Northern Great Lakes Visitors
Center, Ashland/Cable
• June 20: Riverland Conservancy, Merrimac
• September 2: North Lakeland Discovery Center, Manitowish Waters
Learn more at WiMasterNaturalist.org.
Wisconsin DNR receives $33,000 to care for Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
Ten years ago DNR wildlife biologist Paul Brandt established a fund to help
manage and restore the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. This year the
Foundation was able to donate $33,000 to the Wisconsin DNR in support
of efforts to help protect and restore native plant communities, enhance
habitat for native wildlife species and connect people to the riverway.
Brandt created the fund with an initial $25,000 gift, which he supplemented with $600,000 from his estate when he passed away in
2006. The fund currently generates more than $30,000 annually to the
DNR’s Bureau of Wildlife Management to support wildlife habitat and
natural areas within a six-county area along the riverway. In 2014, the
Foundation provided more than $140,000 to the DNR for work on public
lands management and rare and endangered species.
Thanks to funding from the Knowles-Nelson Stewarship Fund and the
Wisconsin Energy Foundation, Friends of Cedarburg Bog and contracted
DNR crews have been able to work at removing buckthorn, Oriental
bittersweet, and other invasive plants from the bog. Buckthorn is one
of the most aggressive and harmful invasive plants that has infested
Wisconsin. It out-competes native plants for sunlight and water and
spreads rapidly.
Cedarburg Bog is the largest example of the rarest type of wetland in
southeast
Wisconsin and the second property in Wisconsin to become
a state natural area. The Bog has been designated a National Natural
Landmark, a Wetland Gem and an Important Bird Area. The Foundation
supports Cedarburg Bog through its priority State Natural Area Funding
Program and through its Cedarburg Bog Stewardship Endowment Fund.
Learn about and contribute to these projects at WisConservation.org. Thank you!
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
BRIDGES / SPRING 2015
3
Thomas Meyer
Cedarburg
Bog benefits from invasive plants removal
Community
conservation: 25 years
of the C.D. Besadny
Conservation
Grant Program
The Natural Resources Foundation
has been a model for community
conservation for more than 25 years
by providing hundreds of small
grants to local conservation groups
in Wisconsin through the C.D.
Besadny Conservation Grant Program.
Created in 1990, the program
fosters responsible stewardship
of Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and
wildlife by supporting grassroots,
community-based projects. To date,
the Natural Resources Foundation
has awarded $420,000 to more than
500 organizations in every county in
Wisconsin.
The program is named after the
late C.D. “Buzz” Besadny, who was
the Secretary of the Department of
Natural Resources from 1980 to 1993,
and co-founded the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin in 1986.
“The Foundation is honored
to make these grants to support
conservation and education projects
across the state in honor of Buzz
Besadny,” said Ruth Oppedahl,
executive director of the Natural
Resources Foundation. “Wisconsin’s
natural resources continue to benefit from the legacy of
Buzz’s 42-year career at the Department of Natural Resources.
With each grant we award, we are providing hope for the
future of our state’s wildlife and wild lands.”
The C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program supports
projects in Wisconsin that promote the responsible
stewardship of Wisconsin’s natural resources at the local
level. The Foundation annually awards grants ranging
from $100 to $1,000 to projects that benefit the public,
involve management and restoration of Wisconsin’s natural
resources, or contribute to knowledge about Wisconsin’s
natural resources through education. Recipients are required
to match the grant on a 1:1 basis with funds or in-kind
services. This means the Foundation has leveraged nearly
$1 million in funding for conservation in the state.
4
BRIDGES / SPRING 2015
Tribal youth participate in
the Bad River Youth Outdoors
Program’s water monitoring
on the Bad River.
“Receiving C.D. Besadny conservation grants has allowed
us to provide opportunities to our community that we
otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” said Jeanette Kelly,
of the Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science Center in Eau
Claire County. The Beaver Creek Reserve has received two
Besadny grants over the years, most recently in 2014 for a bat
education and research project. “The Besadny grant brought
great attention to our organization, our programming, and
the work we do.”
In addition to protecting Wisconsin’s natural resources, the
C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program strives to involve
students and communities in education.
“There are so many unique ways to approach
conservation on the landscape, and getting students
involved is a perfect way to stimulate an interest in the
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Photo courtesy of BRYO
By Caitlin Williamson
• Purchasing a great blue heron nest camera
at Horicon Marsh in Dodge County
• Developing honey bee education and
land stewardship programming at the
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve in Outagamie
County
• Maintaining the Aldo Leopold Memorial
Reserve Trail at the Aldo Leopold
Foundation in Sauk County
• Creating a native prairie plant
demonstration garden at Big Foot Beach
State Park in Walworth County
• Controlling invasive purple loosestrife
with the Gordon St. Croix Flowage
Association in Douglas County
• Providing support for the Bad River
Youth Outdoors tribal youth outdoor and
environmental education program in
Ashland and Iron Counties
• Protecting Blanding’s turtles in urban and
rural areas with the City of Middleton in
Dane County
Make a difference
For 25 years, the Natural
Resources Foundation’s
C.D. Besadny Conservation
Grant Program has provided
support for on-the-ground
conservation work that
benefits the public, protects
Wisconsin’s natural resources,
and contributes to knowledge
about our natural resources
through education. Through
the support of generous
donors, we are able to provide
small grants that make a
meaningful difference in our
communities.
If you would like to
make a contribution to the
C.D. Besadny Conservation
Grant Program, visit
WisConservation.org, or call
866-264-4096. Your generous
donation will support
small-scale natural resource
conservation projects and
programs that promote the
responsible stewardship of
Wisconsin’s natural resources
at the local level.
In 1994, the Alma Road & Gun Club received
a C.D. Besadny grant to purchase bluebird
house material to give to Alma High School in
Buffalo County, where students learned to build
birdhouses.
In 1993, the D.D. Kennedy Environmental Outdoor
Classroom received a C.D. Besadny grant to
construct a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier at
the environmental center in the town of Garfield.
Photo courtesy of
Clean Lakes Alliance
• Creating a wetland identification and
information toolkit for the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
• Developing a hands-on geology
education toolkit for High Cliff State Park
in Calumet County
2015 grant applications for the C.D.
Besadny Conservation Grant Program are due
on Sept. 1. For more information on how to
apply, visit WisConservation.org.
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
NRF board member Bill Smith delivers
a Besadny grant check to Cully Shelton,
International Crane Foundation
interpretive programs manager, for a
prairie restoration education project.
Lindsay Renick Mayer
NRF board member Mark LaBarbera
delivers a Besadny grant check to Clean
Lakes Alliance.
Photo courtesy of Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
Families learn about the importance of honey bees
at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve.
Photo courtesy of the
Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin
outdoors and its resources,” said Bob Welch of
the Waupaca Field Station, which received a
Besadny grant for oak barrens and sand prairie
restoration and the recovery of the Karner blue
butterfly.
Examples of projects funded by the C.D.
Besadny Conservation Grant Program include:
Mequon Nature Preserve received a Besadny grant in 2014 to translocate
tiger and blue-spotted salamanders to their preserve.
BRIDGES / SPRING 2015
5
By Diane Packett
What? I thought. That’s ridiculous. I
was at a meeting of the Amos W. Butler
Audubon Society in Indianapolis,
waiting to give a presentation on my
graduate research at Purdue University
funded by two small grants. It was
only $2,000, but it was enough to
pay some field assistants to help me
count migrating birds and measure
vegetation in the small woodlots in
northern Indiana’s agricultural fields
for two years. And I had just heard
that the funds I received were raised
though a “birdathon.”
Birdwatchers are a competitive and
numbers-driven bunch. We keep lists
of the birds we see in our yards, our
counties, and our states, every day of
every year. We post them on listservs,
share them, and compare them. We
challenge ourselves to see as many
birds as we can on big sits, big days,
and big years. Some birders, I’ve been
told, even have “defecation lists” to
immortalize unfortunate encounters
with certain species.
At some point, someone figured
out how to harness this energy into
fundraising. Like a walk-a-thon, a
birdathon participant solicits pledges
and donations and then tries to see as
many bird species as possible in a day.
Bird Studies Canada launched the first
birdathon in 1976, and since then the
concept has spread throughout the
United States, and even reached the
Amazon.
The Amos W. Butler Audubon
Society, as I found out at that meeting,
raised $26,000 in 2007 for projects
such as the Indiana Important Bird
Areas program, habitat restoration at
Marian University, purchase of bird
wintering habitat in Panama and
several research projects like mine.
A few dollars pledged here, a few
donations there, together made a real
difference for conservation at home
and abroad.
Now I have a chance to give back
to the Birdathon project by
coordinating the Great Wisconsin
Birdathon. From April 15-June 15,
teams sporting names like Cutright’s
Old Coots, Titmouseketeers, and
Bodacious BirdGeeks are fanning out
6
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
The Great
Wisconsin
Birdathon
takes flight
for bird
protection
t
Ryan Brady
Birdathon.
“A few dollars
pledged
here, a few
donations
there, together
made a real
difference for
conservation
at home and
abroad.”
-Diane Packett
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
LYDIA MARTIN
Birds everywhere!
B. Bartelt
Hillary Thompson
The Craniacs
Team scans
the treetops
during the
Great Wisconsin
Birdathon.
across the state in pursuit of birds
and pledges. The Birdathon gets
people outdoors to enjoy nature,
practice their hobby, and connect
with the birds they’re working to
save. It’s an inclusive event that
attracts all types of people, including
those who don’t have $100 to give
to an organization, but can give $1
to a birder. Most importantly, it’s
fun—and surely there’s room for fun
in conservation these days.
My birdathon-funded research
was eventually published and used
to help develop guidelines for wind
turbine siting. One of my birdathonfunded technicians had found a
migrating Kirtland’s warbler, wearing
several leg bands, that had stopped
to rest and refuel in one of our study
sites. This prompted a consultant
working for a local wind energy
project to recommend protecting
this stopover habitat by not putting
a turbine near that woodlot. I like
to think that a Kirtland’s warbler
now sings somewhere in Wisconsin
because a group of Indiana birders
formed a team with a funny name
and went around knocking on doors
and asking for donations.
So rock on, you Bodacious
BirdGeeks! See a bird, save a bird.
To form a team or make a
donation to the Birdathon, visit
http://www.WIBirdathon.org
Ryan Brady of the Lake Superior Team looks out over the shoreline.
The Great Wisconsin Birdathon started April 15 and there are so many
ways to join the fun! You can start a team, join a team, donate to a team
or register for one of our June Birdathon tours. Our tours are openregistration teams that do their Birdathon with an expert leader in one
(or more!) of Wisconsin’s best birding spots. Participants can spend a
morning birding with Birdathon Coordinator Diane Packett starting with
coffee, tea, or chocolate at a local coffee shop. This team will stroll
through the Pheasant Branch Conservancy’s creek corridor, a hidden
hotspot in Madison, talking about bird migration and why spots like
this are important. Or join Tom and Wendy Schultz for a unique biking
Birdathon at the White River Marsh. This tour will take you on a 23-mile
bike ride through a rich variety of habitat that could produce a number of
target birds. Learn more at http://www.WIBirdathon.org.
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
Mike McDowell
Get out on an expert-led Birdathon tour
7
Photo courtesy of Lee Binkley
Fund honors Nina Binkley’s
life-long love of Wisconsin’s
natural resources
By Lee Binkley
As a lifetime resident of Wisconsin, Nina Binkley developed
a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the state. She
worked to cultivate this appreciation in others through her
teaching, her writing, and her own gardens.
Nina was raised in Green Bay and graduated with a
Bachelor of Science from UW–River Falls. She went on to teach
elementary school in New London and Monroe. She saw the
best in all students and gave tirelessly to those students who
found math to be particularly challenging. Nina often said, “I
can see things through different eyes.” She used this ability to
help her students learn and also see things in different ways.
This ability to see things from a unique perspective is
what allowed Nina to really recognize and enjoy the natural
beauty around her. Flowers were a big part of Nina’s life. She
transformed her yard into a magnificent display of flower
gardens. People would stop to compliment the gardens or
ask questions about how to get their own gardens to thrive,
and Nina would take the time to explain and teach what she
had learned. As a Master Gardener, Nina also wrote a column
in the local newspaper as a way to continue sharing her
gardening knowledge.
Nina also had a deep love for animals. She contributed
to the efforts of counting cranes in the state and felt that
the preservation of natural areas and habitats was vital for
animals to thrive. At home, she often enjoyed watching a
sunrise with one of her pets by her side.
When Nina was diagnosed with a terminal disease, she
stated that she wanted to help support efforts to preserve
and maintain the natural areas and habitats in the state of
Wisconsin. Although she is no longer with us, Nina’s appreciation
for nature and desire to share that appreciation lives on
through the teaching and sharing that she did over the years.
Nina’s family is pleased to have established the Nina
Binkley Endowment for Wisconsin State Parks and Natural
Areas. This fund will be used for support of Wisconsin State
Parks and the management, protection, restoration, and
appreciation of State Natural Areas throughout Wisconsin.
Donate directly to the fund by visiting https://donatenow.
networkforgood.org/Wisconservation and entering “Nina Binkley
Endowment for Wisconsin State Parks and Natural Areas.”
Founding Foundation board member inducted
into Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
Photo courtesy of the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin
Avid outdoorsman, conservationist, lover of trees and
timber industry programs, and so many more.”
founding board member of the Foundation, David Ladd, was
The Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame and Visitor
inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame May 2.
Center in Stevens Point was established in 1985 to advance
Ladd founded Walnut Hollow, Inc., a forest-products business
Wisconsin’s legacy of conservation and recognizes 86 state
in Dodgeville that promotes environmentally sustainable
leaders. Ladd was one of three individuals inducted this year.
forest and industry practices.
“The inductees this year clearly illustrate the importance of
Ladd’s life-long contributions to conservation extend
citizen action and the power of conservation organizations,”
even beyond that. Ladd helped found the Wisconsin
says Joe Passineau, president of the Wisconsin Conservation
Woodland Owners Association, was a founding member of
Hall of Fame. “Through their efforts they have advanced
the Southwest chapter of Trout Unlimited, served on the
resources and public policy, and helped to protect and
Wisconsin Conservation Congress for more
ecologically restore natural lands for
than 40 years and chaired a Blue Ribbon task
the benefit of citizens statewide.”
force of the Wisconsin Stewardship Program.
In addition to helping found the
“Few people have had the extensive
Natural Resources Foundation, Ladd
involvement in Wisconsin’s conservation
received a Lifetime Conservation
landscape as has Dave Ladd,” said Foundation
Achievement Award from Gathering
board member Ron Semmann. “His leadership
Waters in 2011.
in a variety of environmental programs at the
“Mr. Ladd’s contributions to
state and local level has been remarkable and
the conservation community in
has left a strong imprint in Wisconsin. Dave
Wisconsin are innumerable,” wrote
has earned the respect and admiration of the
Foundation Development Director
Conservation Congress, the Department of
Camille Zanoni in the Conservation
Natural Resources and countless conservation
Hall of Fame nomination letter. “His
organizations for his role in the Stewardship
impact on our lands, waters and
program, the Foundation’s C.D. Besadny
wildlife will be felt for generations
Dave Ladd holds his biography, Uff-da! What
Conservation Grant Program, the wood and
to come.”
a Ride! by Lynnette Schuepbach.
8
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Discover Wisconsin’s
State Natural Areas on
a Field Trip
natural resources
fou ndatio
2015 Fieldn ofTWisriconsin
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G u i d e
B o
o K
Add more trips to your
registration
More than 50 field trips still
have spaces available. You can
now add a few more trips to your
registration, for a total of eight trips
per person! Go to our registration
page to view the list of trips and
remaining capacity, then modify
your registration to add on more
trips. We’d love to see you get out in
the field with us to learn as much as
you can about Wisconsin’s amazing
woods, waters and wildlife!
Questions about field
trips? Email us at: fieldtrips@
WisConservation.org
T. Meyer
The theme of this year’s field
trip program is State Natural
Areas (SNAs). Wisconsin’s 673
SNAs provide some of the last
refuges for rare plants and
animals and protect outstanding
examples of Wisconsin’s native
plant communities, significant
geological formations, and
archeological sites. To celebrate
these amazing gems, a third
of the field trips in this year’s
line-up visit SNAs. Some trips
are fundraisers that have raised
more than $1,300 for SNA
management.
Join us in th e fie
ld to
& sup port Wiscons discover, ch er ish
in’s natur al places
Honorary & memorial gifts
The Foundation recognizes gifts made in honor or memory of the following people:
Sept 18, 2014 through April 7, 2015
In Memory of: Joan
Todd & Kris Wiegand
In Honor of: Lauralyn Andrews
Deborah & Ralph Henry
In Honor of: Barb Barzen
Jill Metcoff-Jahns
In Honor of: Anne Bogar
Sheralynn Stach
In Honor of: Ryan Brady
Stephen & Cynthia Brady
In Memory of: Paul Brandt
Merle & Nancy Biggin
In Honor of: Friends of the
Cedarburg Bog
John & Jennifer Rothstein
In Memory of: Joanne B. Christensen
Association of Retired
Conservationists
In Honor of: James Connell
Mary Eloranta
In Memory of: Robert Earl Deer
Association of Retired
Conservationists
In Memory of: David Discher
Russell Berndt
In Honor of: Robin & Patti Duffy
Zachary Duffy
In Honor of: Bernhardt And Erickson
Families
Linda Bernhardt
In Memory of: Dorothy I. Fischer
Donald R. Fischer
In Honor of: Karen & David Franker
Ned Parker
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
In Honor of: Barbara Fulton
Karen Agee
In Honor of: Julia Govis
Patti Bursten Deutsch
In Honor of: Kim Grveles
Port Washington Garden Club
In Memory of: Robert Halpin
Eleanor Davidsaver
In Honor of: Jack & Jo Handley
Lilly Handley
In Honor of: Charles Harmon
Susan & David McAlister
In Memory of: Thomas Kermit Hollway
Roberta Sladky
In Memory of: Alice Homstad
Gil Homstad
In Memory of: Richard Hunt
Thomas & Linda Hansen
In Memory of: Kelley James
Amy McAllister
In Honor of: Chris Jennings
William Schierl
In Memory of: Valerie Keehn
Gregory P. Stebbins
In Honor of: Curt Krupp
Maura Henning
In Memory of: Harley Lichtenwalner
Association of Retired
Conservationists
In Honor of: Dr. Gary Ludi
Erica Ludi
In Memory of: William Marxen
Duane & Peggy Marxen
In Memory of: Rick Stockton
In Memory of: Barry Mitchell
Sue Bussman
Colleen Marsden
Joseph Girardi
In Honor of: Thomas Mowbray
Patrick Lampe
Charles & Carolyn Mowbray
Peggy Stockton
In Honor of: To all who work so hard
Daniel Winters
on behalf of nature
In Memory of: Edgard W. Trout
Marcia & Timothy Obukowicz
Doris Coplien
In Honor of: My Parents
In Memory of: Mary Van De Wege
Marcia Wagner
E.A. Fuerst
In Honor of: Marsha Rea
In Honor of: Bernie Van Ee
Susan & David McAlister
Verlan G. Van Ee
In Memory of: Dave Redell
In Memory of: Mary Ann Varsos
William & Sue Bridson
Friends of Cherokee Marsh
June E. Goglio
Russell & Donna Frisinger
Jeffrey & Erin Huebschman
Christine Grannis
Kris & Thomas Kesselhon
Eileen Howard
Janet & Andrew Raddatz
Betty Rhyner
Donald Reed
Steven J. Varsos
Eric J. Larson
In Honor of: Oakwood Village
In Memory of: Richard J. Ring
Nicole Harpt
Mary Kay Ring
In Memory of: Susan Weyh
In Honor of: Maria Sadowski
Anonymous Nancy Long
In Memory of: John White
Debbie Garvey
John & Brenda Hagman
In Memory of: Rose Scanlan
In Memory of: Dr. Vic & Betty Wilson
Association of Retired Nancy Wilson
Conservationists
In Honor of: Wisconsin Department
In Honor of: Beverly Schwabe
of Natural Resources
Dr. Michael & Edie Schwabe
Dr. Robert & Diane Dempsey
Susan Schwabe
Thomas D. Schwabe
In Honor of: Ken Wood
Patrick & Debra Ready
In Memory of: Keith Simpson
Janet Dow
In Honor of: Brian Yanke
LeeAnn DuVall
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
9
New board members and staff
join the Foundation
The Natural Resources Foundation was thrilled to welcome two new board
members and three new staff members this year:
Dave Adam (board member): Dave is the senior vice
president of finance and head of corporate treasury for
Johnson Financial Group. He oversees Johnson Financial
Group’s investments, funding and corporate insurance
functions and is a member of its Benefits Plan Committee.
He is a certified public accountant and has served on the
Foundation’s finance and endowment committees since
2009. He hopes to use his financial background to help the
Foundation be good stewards of the assets entrusted to its
care.
Michael Williamson (board member): Michael was named
the executive director of the State of Wisconsin Investment
Board in 2012. He has served as deputy secretary for the
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, the director of the North Carolina Retirement
System and deputy director of the District of Columbia
Retirement Board. He is a former University of WisconsinMadison administrator who enjoys cross-country skiing,
hiking, biking, bird watching and fly fishing for trout.
Diane Packett (Birdathon coordinator): Diane came to love
birds and birding while living in the forested mountains
of West Virginia. She received her Master of Science in
wildlife science at Purdue University, where she studied
migratory bird ecology. After working as a bird biologist
in the Midwest, data analyst in Indiana, and conservation
GIS analyst in West Virginia, she came to rest in Oregon,
Wisconsin.
Lindsay Renick Mayer (communications director): Lindsay
comes to the Foundation from The Nature Conservancy’s
Maryland/DC and Virginia chapters, where she was
associate director of marketing. Prior to that, she was a
communications specialist for the Smithsonian’s National
Zoo, covering science for the Smithsonian Conservation
Biology Institute. Lindsay is passionate about species-based
conservation and finding compelling ways to tell stories
that demonstrate the value of all of the planet’s critters, big
and microscopic.
Camille Zanoni (development director): After working as
vice-president of advancement for the Aldo Leopold Nature
Center for the last two years, Camille Zanoni has re-joined
the Foundation as development director. Camille served
as director of member relations with the Foundation from
2003-2012. Prior to that, she worked with DNR’s Bureau
of Parks and Recreation as Friends Group coordinator and
executive director to the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.
She also served as an agroforestry volunteer with Peace
Corps in Paraguay.
10
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
Estate gifts to honor
Marilyn Deutsch
Hampton’s love of
animals
Marilyn Deutsch Hampton is a
self-proclaimed squirrel aficionado.
In fact, spend a few minutes talking
to her and you’ll
learn that she has
a profound love
and respect for all
members of the
animal kingdom,
something she
says her father
helped instill in
her. This love has
spurred Hampton
to care for hurt
and orphaned
animals in her
own backyard, to take classes to
learn about wildlife and was the
impetus for the five years she
spent volunteering at a wildlife
rehabilitation center in central
Wisconsin. Most recently, Hampton’s
commitment to animals resulted in
her decision to generously establish
two estate gift funds through
the Foundation to help protect
wildlife well into the future: the
Marilyn Deutsch Hampton Wildlife
Rehabilitation Fund and the Marilyn
Deutsch Hampton Endangered
Species Preservation Fund.
“For me it has been an ongoing
process of falling in love with
animals. When I worked at the rehab
center, I realized how hard these
people work and the joy you feel
when you can release an injured
or orphaned animal back into the
wild,” Hampton says. “I want the
money that came to me by way
of inheritance to go to non-profit
organizations I have supported over
the years, and that I feel connected
to. The safest way to guarantee
that those monies don’t just sit and
go nowhere and do nothing is to
establish a fund through the Natural
Resources Foundation.”
Learn more about the
Foundation’s planned giving
program: WisConservation.org/
donate-now/planned-giving/
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Cherish Wisconsin:
Coming home to Mother Nature
Story and photos by Lindsay Renick Mayer
“What I
cherished
about this
state growing
up as a kid
are the same
things that are
now enriching
my life in a
profound way
as an adult.”
•Lindsay Renick Mayer
Renick Mayer helped a team
from Mequon Nature Preserve
translocate tiger and bluespotted salamander eggs from
Kettle Moraine to their preserve.
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
habitat and I’ve witnessed the zany sky
dance of the woodcock. I get to walk to
As a kid, I was under the impression
my office along a lake, go for bike rides in
that nature was there for the taking. My
an arboretum and will soon have a kayak
taking. I spent my time climbing trees
I can take out on one of any number of
barefoot, fishing every
lakes.
summer night for sunfish,
I have also met so
racing frogs against toads,
many Wisconsinites
camping in Door County
who, in their own
and building tree forts in
ways, are caring for
my neighbor’s yard. At the
our state’s treasures.
time I had no sense that
They’re battling invasive
Mother Nature’s gifts are
species, they’re meeting
finite, ours for the taking
with lawmakers, they’re
but only if we don’t take
creating endowment
While the Foundation does not
condone kissing frogs, connecting
too much.
funds, they’re teaching
with nature is an important part of
Nor did I understand
outdoors education
developing a conservation ethic.
at the time how unique
and they’re connecting
it is to grow up in a
others with nature.
state with such a strong
They share the kind of
conservation ethic. Not
passion necessary to
only does Wisconsin have
ensure that we’re not
a tradition of conservation
just taking from the
through the likes of Aldo
natural world, but also
Leopold, John Muir and
giving back to it.
Gaylord Nelson, but
In short, what I so
we seem to place an
cherished about this
unparalleled value on time State natural areas such as Quincy
state growing up as
Bluff and Wetlands provide Wisconsin
spent outdoors, whether residents and visitors a great
a kid are the same
it’s kayaking, gardening,
opportunity to connect with nature.
things that are now
snowshoeing, hunting,
enriching my life in a
rollerblading or mountain biking. There’s
profound way as an adult — the beauty,
no better evidence of this than the rate
the fresh air, the frogs, the connection
at which the Foundation’s field trips filled
to something so much grander than
up this year, and every year.
my own single life. To me, this is what
In the nearly 10 years that I lived on
the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund is
the east coast, I certainly had moments
all about. It’s an acknowledgment that
of the kind of joy I experienced outdoors
Wisconsin has touched each of our lives
as a kid in Wisconsin, but it wasn’t until
and a commitment to future generations
moving back to my home state recently
that will be shaped in much the same
that I’ve been reminded of the source
way. It is an investment in our corner of
of my own deep love for nature. Since
the planet, a planet that has done more
December I have toured Wisconsin state
than give us life, but that also sustains
natural areas that have transported me
our souls.
to other times and other worlds, I have
Lindsay Renick Mayer is the communications director
seen my first snowy owl, I’ve helped
for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.
translocate salamanders to their natural
She was born and raised in Wauwatosa.
The “Cherish Wisconsin” column features a different Wisconsin voice in each issue of
Bridges, reflecting on what the author cherishes most about our state.
BRIDGES /SPRING 2015
11
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T rav el with the F oundation
New Zealand
Witness the untamed beauty and experience the Kiwi spirit
An Expedition with the Natural
Resources Foundation: November 2015
Join us November 2015 to discover a land of jaw-dropping
beauty, accentuated by steamy hot springs, icy glaciers, volcanic
valleys, and snow-capped mountains. We’ll also dive into
modern Kiwi and ancient Maori cultures by interacting with
friendly locals, who are sure to remind you that there is simply
nowhere quite like New Zealand.
• Small Groups, Affordable Rates,
Magnificent Settings
• Find a trip itinerary and registration
information on our website, http://www.
WisConservation.org/get-involved/travel/
or call us at 608-264-8922