From battling invasive species to inspiring future conservation careers, the WisConservation Corps left a lasting mark on Wisconsin. Between 2008 and 2011, more than 50 AmeriCorps members contributed over 50,000 hours of service to protect State Natural Areas, engage volunteers, and educate thousands of students. The program’s impact lives on through the conservation professionals it helped train.
The battle against invasives
On a sunny morning at Devil’s Lake State Park, a legion of about 500 people gathered for a unique call-to-arms. They had come from across the state to enlist in a one-day battle against foreign invaders threatening Wisconsin: non-native invasive plants.
Armed with work gloves, bug spray, and sunscreen, these anti-invasive forces gathered around a handful of decorated community leaders to unite against their common enemy.
NRF’s current Executive Director, David Clutter, spoke to the crowd at the event alongside NRF’s Executive Director at the time, Charlie Luthin, and representatives from the Wisconsin DNR who helped organize the event. The seasoned conservationists explained to the eager young troops how to identify, control and prevent the growth of several invasive plant species including garlic mustard, buckthorn, and honeysuckle.
David Clutter speaks to the crowd at Devil’s Lake State Park that gathered to help battle invasive species. Photo by Jeffrey Potter
“The main focus of the day was removing garlic mustard, because at that time it was exploding everywhere,” Clutter recalls.
The legion was comprised almost entirely of AmeriCorps members. And at the front lines of this great “battle of 2008” were the 16 members of NRF’s WisConservation Corps.
Wisconsin conservation’s elite fighting force
The WisConservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program managed by NRF, completed a staggering $1 million worth of conservation work between 2008 and 2011. During that time, NRF trained and placed conservation-focused AmeriCorps members with partner organizations working to improve the health of Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas (SNAs). These young workers built much-needed capacity by coordinating volunteers, educating the public, and restoring habitat in crucial locations for biodiversity.
“We created the program as a way to take better care of Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas,” said Clutter. “The vast majority of WisConservation Corps members were placed at SNAs for land management, education or outreach.”
Brendon Panke, a key organizer of the service day at Devil’s Lake, was one of the first members of the WisConservation Corps. Brendon worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to help with invasive species. He remarked at the time about the extent of the problem with invasives in Wisconsin, “We can’t just control the problem. We have to prevent new species from entering the state and make sure that folks are educated about both the threats and the solutions.”
Brendon Panke, second from left, removing bag after bag of garlic mustard with other WisConservation Corps members. Photo by Jeffrey Potter
Core purpose of the WisConservation Corps
Another central goal of NRF’s WisConservation Corps program was to prepare young conservation professionals like Panke for a life in natural resource management and protection. “Developing young leadership was something we took seriously. They received leadership training, prescribed burn training, chainsaw training, and really all the training required to manage lands,” said Clutter.
WisConservation Corps member Kate Losey was fresh out of college and had not done much work in conservation. She said of the program, “I very much had this drive to be part of this field. I had the education, I just needed the experience. I’ve been really lucky. It opens up opportunities for you in the future.”
The WisConservation Corps members were placed with the Wisconsin DNR, The Nature Conservancy, land trusts, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and more. Ann Calhoun (The Nature Conservancy), Bobbie Webster (Wisconsin DNR), Andrew and Sara Norman (Landmark Conservancy) and many other WisConservation Corps alumni have become leaders in Wisconsin’s conservation field.
More conservationists = more conservation
In the three years that NRF’s WisConservation Corps existed, NRF trained and placed over 50 aspiring conservation professionals. The members contributed over 50,000 hours of direct service on 760 projects in over 300 State Natural Areas. They engaged 3,052 volunteers to accomplish an additional 11,733 hours of conservation work. And, they educated over 8,500 K-12 students about the importance of Wisconsin’s natural resources.
Kevin Doyle, a former WisConservation Corps member, summed up his experience, “To be out in these wild places, there’s something that’s sort of fun about that. I thought it would be a good way to get my foot in the door at the DNR.” Today, Doyle is the DNR’s Rare Plant Monitoring Program Coordinator. “The other part was the AmeriCorps part, putting in your time, helping out the community, and working for something larger than just the day-to-day job. I’ve learned more in the last 6 months at this job than I did in the last two years before it.”
The WisConservation Corps helped many professional conservationists launch their careers. Here, Nate Fayram (middle) talks with volunteers at Devil’s Lake as part of his work at the Wisconsin DNR. Photo by Jeffrey Potter
The battle and the war
The troops that assembled on that sunny day in 2008 succeeded in pushing back the front lines of non-local plants that were infiltrating Devil’s Lake and other ecologically important sites nearby. The team pulled, bagged and removed invasive species to prevent any seeds from escaping to return next year.
“The day went well, it was targeted, and those hundreds of young people got a ton of work done,” said Clutter. “Hundreds of bags of garlic mustard were toted out of there.”
However, the fight against invasives had been going on for many years. The conservation leaders organizing the troops at Devil’s Lake knew the war could not be won in just a single day. Wisconsin’s biodiversity would take ongoing, sustained effort and stewardship over the long run.
The long battle against invasive species has been one of our state’s main conservation challenges for decades. The need for long-term management and care for Wisconsin’s lands is nothing new. Prior to European settlement, our state’s Tribes had been caring for the land and natural community of which they were (and are) a part for thousands of years.
NRF continues to support State Natural Areas in Wisconsin, such as Lulu Lake SNA pictured here during a Diversity in Conservation Internship field trip, as a key way to protect our state’s biodiversity. Photo by Lindsey Taylor
Supporting State Natural Areas today and into the future
In 2011, the federal funding for the WisConservation Corps program was repurposed to fund sustainability rather than land management. However, similar work soldiers on. Today, NRF continues to fund projects that protect and care for Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas, primarily through grant programs.
This grant-funded work often involves controlling invasive species, reintroducing fire to habitats that need it, and otherwise assuring that Wisconsin’s biological diversity remains intact across the state. Recently, grant funding has removed invasives from SNAs in the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, the Lower Chippewa River area, Beulah Bog, and more.
Clutter added, “The WisConservation Corps was a great strategy to meet the need during that era. But what we really need now is more long-term, stable funding for State Natural Area management, whether it’s private, state and/or federal funding. There’s simply not enough money in the state’s budget to do all the important work that Wisconsin’s Wildlife Action Plans and the SNA implementation plans identify as critical to protecting Wisconsin’s biodiversity.”
Today, NRF continues to bring new faces into the conservation field. The Diversity in Conservation Internship program provides meaningful experiences to undergraduate students who are curious about careers in conservation. The program encourages applicants from underrepresented groups or disadvantaged backgrounds. Previous conservation or environmental science background or education is not required to apply.
Eli holding a sandhill crane while out in the field banding with International Crane Foundation supervisors. Photo courtesy of Eli Wunderlich
Eli Wunderlich was an intern from 2025 placed with the International Crane Foundation. He said, “I have a much better understanding of what it looks like to work in conservation and now know how many varied career paths there are in this field.”
Celebrating 40 years of conservation
Since 1986, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin has been on a mission to protect Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife and connect all people with nature. The Wisconservation Corps was one of our earliest programs to train up-and-coming conservation professionals. We continue to support the next generation of conservationists through programs like our Diversity in Conservation Internship.
In June 2026, NRF welcomed its sixth cohort of students into the Diversity in Conservation Internship Program, bringing the total number of participants to 50.
Written by Shelly Torkelson, director of communications