Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

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Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin Celebrating 40 years of protecting Wisconsin's lands, waters, and wildlife and connecting all people to nature

Quiet on set! 🎬NRF is partnering with PBS Wisconsin on a new documentary celebrating the people across our state who ded...
10/15/2026

Quiet on set! 🎬

NRF is partnering with PBS Wisconsin on a new documentary celebrating the people across our state who dedicate their lives to conservation. We're excited to share more details about this project soon, including how you'll be able to watch the film. Until then, enjoy these behind-the-scenes shots of the PBS Wisconsin production crew.

Planning to be in the Madison area on Oct. 21? There's a handful of open seats remaining at the upcoming sneak peek event! Check here: wisconservation.org/40th

📸: Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin

Image description: Filming on the shore of Lake Michigan with Shirley Aspinall with Milwaukee Riverkeeper, filming retired Wisconsin DNR ecologist Mike Mossman in the Driftless area, filming Jeb Barzen during a prescribed burn, filming Rich Henderson and interns in a prairie.

Hey photographers! 📸 Want your photography to inspire people to protect nature? Submit up to four of your best nature sh...
10/14/2026

Hey photographers! 📸

Want your photography to inspire people to protect nature? Submit up to four of your best nature shots taken in Wisconsin to NRF’s annual Photo Contest!

Submissions are due on November 1st, 2026.

To learn more about the Photo Contest, visit WisConservation.org/Photo-Contest

📸: Elaina Brossman (winner of the 2025 People & Other Mammals category)

Image: Buck standing amidst frost-covered prairie plants

Maybe you've seen the signs:"ENTERING FEE AREA"But how much of an impact do those fees really have on our state parks an...
10/14/2026

Maybe you've seen the signs:

"ENTERING FEE AREA"

But how much of an impact do those fees really have on our state parks and campgrounds? What about the conservation efforts that go into preserving our favorite places to hike, fish, hunt, and simply be in nature?

Turns out, it's quite a big impact. With only 2% of funding for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Fish, Wildlife and Parks Division coming from tax dollars, the rest has to come from hunting and fishing licenses, entrance and camping fees, state park stickers, and federal taxes on fi****ms, am******on, and equipment. However, these fees have not been able to keep up with the increased costs of managing our lands.

"Once, Wisconsin helped lead the nation in conservation. Today, we are losing ground, and quickly," says David Clutter, NRF's Executive Director.

He says, "At this point in our state's history, donations are more important than ever. Thank you for doing your part to protect our state's amazing natural resources, both financially and through your supportive voices. Our legislature makes the decisions about state funding for conservation and parks, and they care what their constituents think."

Read more about the legacy of conservation in Wisconsin and the risk it faces now in our newest blog post: WisConservation.org/Wisconsins-Conservation-Legacy-Is-At-Risk/

📷: Courtesy of USFWS Midwest

Image: In front of an orange sky, the silhouette of an adult with a r***e points to the sky while standing in a grassland next to the silhouette of a child also holding a r***e

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Tribal Nations have been and continue to be stewards of land, waters, and wildlife.The his...
10/12/2026

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Tribal Nations have been and continue to be stewards of land, waters, and wildlife.

The history of Wisconsin is deeply rooted in the lives and cultures of the twelve sovereign nations that call this land home. Here at NRF, we are committed to learning from, respecting, and showing gratitude for the guidance of these nations that contribute immensely to our everyday conservation efforts.

We urge you to view today as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and to learn about the complex history of the land you live on. If you’re looking for somewhere to learn more about the Tribal Nations of our Central Great Lakes region, we recommend visiting theways.org/map.

📷 : Caitlin Williamson, Gavin Stingle, Caitlin Williamson

Images: A white and green sign standing in the middle of a grassland that reads "Respect private lands, access by permission only, Ho-Chunk Nation Mąą Wákąčąk, 'Maa Wah-kahn-chunk' (Sacred Earth) Reservation, A cooperative effort to heal the land and people", Students of the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Education's program called Goja Howaite Hi (meaning "going on continuously, the closest words to "sustainability") expanding a pollinator garden by planting native flowers and grasses in the early fall, and A cardboard sign strapped to a fence that reads "you are entering Sacred Land"

Prescribed fire is an important conservation tool that supports remnant prairie ecosystem health and biodiversity. And i...
10/09/2026

Prescribed fire is an important conservation tool that supports remnant prairie ecosystem health and biodiversity. And it's not just plants that benefit from fire, but insects, too.

Some pollinators are specialists and need a particular balance of mixed grassland prairie plants in order to survive. Prescribed fire can help maintain that balance.

In an effort to improve habitat for those valuable, rare specialist species, a prescribed burn was conducted on the Main Ridge unit of the Hogback Prairies State Natural Area. This project was supported by an NRF and NFWF Monarch & Pollinators Conservation Fund grant.

Thanks to our donors, members, and supporters, NRF is able to fund projects like the burn at Hogback Prairies SNA and help protect these ecosystems.

Help restore high-quality habitat across Wisconsin by donating at WisConservation.org/Give (or at the link in our bio).

📸: Justin Nooker, Justin Nooker, Joshua Mayer

Image: A person holding a drip torch next to a sign that reads Hogback Prairies and a path of burning plant material, a landscape photo of a bluff after a prairie burn, and the same angle of the same bluff covered in lush, green prairie with trees

Photographers, we've got our eyes on you!There's still time to submit your photos to NRF's annual Photo Contest! Show us...
10/07/2026

Photographers, we've got our eyes on you!

There's still time to submit your photos to NRF's annual Photo Contest! Show us the landscapes you’ve explored, the wildlife you’ve spotted, and the outdoor adventures you’ve had.

Submissions are due on Sunday, November 1st, 2026.

Learn more about the photo contest and review the guidelines at WisConservation.org/Photo-Contest

Note: The insect in this photo is a Chinese mantis, which is not native to Wisconsin. While we do not require photo contest submissions to be of native species, it is preferred in the judging process.

📸: Amanda Grossmann

Image: A praying mantis surrounded by greenery

“Sometimes just the presence of so much greenery—trees and forest floor—makes me smile and exhale.” –Jane Whitney, Wisco...
10/06/2026

“Sometimes just the presence of so much greenery—trees and forest floor—makes me smile and exhale.” –Jane Whitney, Wisconsin Master Naturalist and resident of Baileys Harbor

If you're a fan of Door County, perhaps you're familiar with North America's southernmost boreal forest: Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands State Natural Area. Did you know it holds important land and water that birds use as migration stopover sites?

Learn more in our new guest blog post, written by Katharine Caywood from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation. Read now at WisConservation.org/the-southernmost-boreal-forest-in-north-america

📸: Joshua Mayer

Image: A dark cloudy sky over the misty shoreline at Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands State Natural Area

In 2021, NRF reached a huge milestone—$10 million in total grant giving! Since then, our impact has continued to grow. ...
10/05/2026

In 2021, NRF reached a huge milestone—$10 million in total grant giving! Since then, our impact has continued to grow. By our 40th year we reached over $14 million.

The Foundation funds projects that protect Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife, making our state a better place to live. So far, we have supported 3,321 projects!

We couldn’t achieve our mission without our members, supporters, and partner organizations. Explore their impact at WisConservation.org/Impact/Recent-Projects

📸: Courtesy of WDNR, Burke Center for Ecosystem Research, Bridge Lake Point Waunona Neighborhood Center Staff, Sugar Maple School, Diane O'Krongly.

Images: Two people pose arm and arm in front of an active prairie burn, a person in a boat smiles as they pull up aquatic plants with a rake, a child smiles and holds up carrots in front of a garden bed, a child smiles as they hold on to a tree climbing rope in a forest, a student poses with a clipboard and field gear while standing in a forest

Join us in welcoming Jamie Kollman (she/her) as our new Communications Coordinator at NRF! She will be joining our commu...
10/04/2026

Join us in welcoming Jamie Kollman (she/her) as our new Communications Coordinator at NRF! She will be joining our communications team to create, share, and support NRF's conservation stories using social media, photography, and videography.

📷: Emma Schatz, Natalie Chong

Image: Jamie smiling at the camera while standing in front of green sumac trees, Jamie wearing a backpack and binoculars while smiling and standing on a beach in Costa Rica

Address

211 S. Paterson Street Suite #100
Madison, WI
53703

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16084093122

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