Prairie Chicken Project Wisconsin

08/30/2026

Make a stop at the The Corny Fish Shed every time you visit the South shore for birding.
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Suprise stop in from good friend Bill. Always love seeing you 2 basking in Mother Superior.

08/30/2026

A couple of swamp critters go to the barrens for a bit of exercise and birding. I have wanted to visit the barrens for awhile. Every picture or video looks like a different world. We pulled in under a freshly full moon and the darkness gave a freaky vibe for our evening wander to stretch the legs and air the dogs.

The sunrise greeted us with open skies and the pleasing aroma of sweet ferne greeted us on our morning wander. Watching the warblers and tweaties fluttering from shrub to shrub. A pair of harriers dancing on the wing during their morning hunt. A hawk stretching their wings from a tree top.
A baby beagle drunk on the sniffs of a new world. A shaggy swamp spaniel quartering with the wind in search of those magical sharp-tailed grouse. Such a damn special place.

Early settlers called the vast expanses of area lacking mature trees “barrens”. Funny how devoid of imagination and curiosity those first colonizers were. Any animal that fought back was labeled as a devil. Every habitat with an ancient wisdom and deep biodiversity was seen as barren... European religious zeal proves how detached from the divinity of place it has become.

While appearing to be barren due to the scarcity of older forests, the grassy and brushy landscape contains a rich diversity of plants and animals. In fact, over 200 species of plants and 225 species of birds and other animals have been identified as present on barrens. Less than 1% of barrens remain in Wisconsin and we need more people involved in grassroots community conservation with groups like the Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society

The Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society (WSGS) is a private, nonprofit organization formed in 1990 by a group of sportsmen, conservationists, and citizens interested in the preservation of sharp-tailed grouse and their habitat in Wisconsin. The Sharp-tailed grouse is a flagship species of Wisconsin's: oak and pine barrens, savannas, sedge meadows, and bog habitats.

Proud to be a member of this big sister organization to the Prairie Chicken Project Wisconsin . They have been nothing but supportive of our work in central Wisconsin and it was overdue for us to come visit and see the good work they have been doing for Wisconsin barrens.

Get involved with your state public land conservation groups!

08/22/2026

This past spring we joined a group of fine folks from the
Wisconsin Land+Water Conservation Association and State Representative Vincent Miresse in a spring prairie Chicken booming grounds blind.
It was their first time seeing the ancient North American courtship dance of the Greater Pinnated Grouse. A bird that historically in Wisconsin would have been more numerous than there were mallards in North America. Their flocks would darken the horizon when flushed and in the spring their booms echoed for miles from the mists of nowhere.

Now we fight to keep what remains of this magical bird in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has a powerful legacy of grassland stewardship and one with greater prairie chickens at the heart of it. The largest remaining population east of the Mississippi.

You can read more about that morning with our new friends and message us to be included on our future winter workdays.

We got the chance to hear prairie chickens in the blind with Portage County staff this spring! Check out these excellent impressions, and read about our morning in the field: https://isu.pub/FaD2MFv

08/21/2026

We love a good lek story!!

08/21/2026

It was a great night for conservation seeing so many people interested in supporting the continued legacy of Wisconsins Knowles Nelson stewardship fund.

For over 30 years, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has helped protect Wisconsin's lakes and streams, develop parks and trails close to home, provide public access to world-class recreational opportunities, and conserve critical wildlife habitat. Named for a Republican (Knowles) and a Democratic (Nelson) governor, the program honors Wisconsin’s long standing bipartisan commitment to conservation.

Recently this fund has not received the bipartisan love and support it deserves. It was great to see birders, landowners, habitat fans, bird dog owners, and lovers of good beer gather to talk about the future of conservation. Thank you to State Representative Vincent Miresse for always showing up for our state natural resources and public lands.

Thank you to the special panel with ALAS, Audubon great lakes, and the UWSP Little Plover River project panel for a great Q&A regarding community conservation, habitat, and generational land stewardship.
Aldo Leopold Audubon Society
Team Knowles Nelson

I even got to shake hands and talk to people about
The Prairie Chicken Project Wisconsin and the work we are doing with our winter work days and fundraising art advocacy.

"Where is our comfort but in the free, uninvolved, finally mysterious beauty and grace of this world that we did not make, that has no price? Where is our sanity but there? Where is our pleasure but in working and resting kindly in the presence of this world?" - Wendell Berry

08/16/2026

One of our favorite Wisconsin prairies to visit.

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From "Sacred Earth" to "Devil's Lake" and from farmland to a munitions factory, a Ho-Chunk Nation citizen and a Wisconsin historian share the crucial life lessons inherent in the history of the Badger Lands.

08/15/2026

A big thank you to Final Rise for their recent support of our local NCW Chapter of North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association - Prairie Prairie Chicken Project Advocacy day. We love our Final Rise vests for training and hunting so we thought it a perfect combination for getting people excited to learn more about our mission and winter work days.

Final Rise is a made in the USA upland company that walks the talk for habitat and the wild birds we love. We appreciate their support of all things Wisconsin prairie grouse!

Congrats to our sidekick vest winner Sheryle Tepp who is already putting her new vest to use at the Kettle Moraine NAVHDA training day
She had this to say.

"I love it!
Very customizable to fit my curves.
I purchased a few of those accessories bags to make up field first aid kits.

Thank you again!"

Stay tuned for more events, message us to get on our email list, or donate at the habitat fund link in our bio.

08/14/2026

Less than a week out from our August community event with our friends from Aldo Leopold Audubon Society and Audubon Great Lakes to help support Team Knowles Nelson

About this event
This summer, Wisconsin lost its biggest and most impactful conservation funding source—but if we work together, we can restore funding and get this vital program back on track for the birds that need it.

Join Audubon Great Lakes for a free evening event to learn more about the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, and other opportunities to protect birds and the places they need across Wisconsin. Hear from an engaging panel of local conservation and policy experts on the actions we can take in the coming year—all while enjoying a complimentary drink on us!

Space is limited. RSVP today to save your spot.

https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-great-lakes/event/987151/?referring_vol=11696133&share_context=dashboard-event-details&sharer_role=2

Attendees must be 21+ to receive an alcoholic beverage ticket. Attendees under 21 are welcome and will be given a non-alcoholic drink ticket.

Audubon Great Lakes is a regional office of National Audubon Society. Learn more at audubon.org/great-lakes and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

08/10/2026

As we head into our third year with the P*P we wanted to thank and acknowledge the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin for including us in their August Voices of Vision Estate planning session. We were able to network with a variety of different people looking to donate, have us bring booming bob to their schools, lead a field trip, or host a team building work day. The conversations were excellent and we were able to spread the good word of prairie chicken conservation.

Community conservation and grassland advocacy is needed more than ever. With philanthropic organizations like the community foundation it can also be easier than ever to get something started in your area!

As executive director Jenny Riggenbach says, "Here is what I know to be true after five years: philanthropy is not a formality. It is not a line item or a year-end obligation. It is an expression of love, for the place you call home, for the people who share it with you, and for the generations who will inherit what we build together."

Who will inherit what we build together? Is the perfect summary of the work we all need to be doing to save our public lands and better help our friends called to the conservation professions.

If you're looking to donate to our habitat fund you can do so here.

https://cfcwi.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4214