Cherish Fund Surpasses $3 Million for Wisconsin’s Public Lands

In the summer of 2025, the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund reached a big milestone: $3 million to safeguard our state’s public lands for generations to come. Learn more about the Cherish Fund’s recent on-the-ground impact in our new blog post below.

Overlook of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway where the management of oak savanna, oak woodland, bedrock glade and remnant prairie habitat was made possible through the Cherish Fund. Photo by Joshua Mayer

The Cherish Fund conserves Wisconsin’s public lands

Whether it’s the crunch of fall leaves, a tranquil fog over a favorite lake, or amazing wildlife viewing, Wisconsinites across the state can enjoy nature’s best moments at our state’s public lands. But what will it take to keep those moments happening far into the future?

Wisconsin boasts over 1.5 million acres of publicly owned forests, prairies, streams, lakes and parks. But conservation is more than just setting aside land — it requires active stewardship of that land. Managing invasive species, restoring native ecosystems, enhancing wildlife habitat and improving public access are vital. That’s where the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund comes in.

What is the Cherish Fund?

In 2013, the DNR and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin established the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund to support the conservation and management of our state’s public lands for generations to come.

This endowment fund provides a permanent source of funding for habitat improvement and ecological restoration across lands owned or managed by the state. These include state natural areas, parks, trails, wildlife and fisheries areas, recreation zones and forests.

DNR crew members conducting a prescribed burn at Bluff Creek State Natural Area, the first project funded by the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund in 2017. Photo by Nate Fayram

The fund grows when Wisconsinites make small donations while purchasing their hunting and fishing licenses or when they give directly to the fund. Most donations are $10 or less, but it adds up quickly. Every dollar helps make sure future generations can enjoy the same natural places we do today. During the summer of 2025, the Cherish Fund reached $3 million in funds for the continued protection and management of Wisconsin’s public lands!

Hunters and anglers, like NRF’s Field Trip Director Christine pictured here holding a freshly-caught trout, can make a donation to the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund while purchasing their licenses on the Wisconsin DNR’s Go WILD online system. Photo courtesy of Christine Tanzer

Impact on the ground

As the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund has grown, so has its positive impact on the lands we love.

Last year, five high-priority habitat projects came to life in Calumet, Dane, Florence, Sauk and Vilas counties. These projects are restoring habitat for rare species while enhancing recreational opportunities for all.

From removing invasive species to restoring prairie remnants along the Ice Age Trail, the work protects the state’s species of greatest conservation need and globally significant habitat.

Forest landscape lightly covered in snow in Northern Highland–American Legion State Forest, one of the project locations funded in 2024. Photo by Joshua Mayer

Meanwhile, past projects enabled by the fund continue making a difference:

Improving wildlife habitat at Leola and Buena Vista Wildlife Areas

In 2023, the fund supported habitat improvements at Leola and Buena Vista Wildlife Areas, home to the state-threatened greater prairie-chicken and many other grassland birds. A DNR crew removed invasive woody vegetation and brush across 350 acres, improving habitat for rare butterflies and grassland species.

Restoring oak savanna at Lulu Lake State Natural Area

At Lulu Lake State Natural Area just west of Milwaukee, the Savanna Enhancement Project in 2021 aided more than 200 acres of oak savanna, prairie and old field habitat. The work restored abandoned agricultural fields to prairie, increased plant diversity, controlled invasive buckthorn and improved wildlife movement between grassland and savanna ecosystems. Now, Lulu Lake has richer habitat for birds and pollinators plus improved access for hunters, anglers, birders and hikers.

Dispersing native prairie plant seeds across 22 acres to the left of the gravel road, with Lulu Lake just behind the tree line in the background. Photo courtesy of Cory Peters

Removing invasive species at Lawrence Creek Fish and Wildlife Area

In 2019, restoration crews improved 278 acres at Lawrence Creek Fish and Wildlife Area in Adams County, removing invasive plants across oak savanna, barrens and sedge meadow. The area is home to the American woodcock, eastern whip-poor-will, blue-winged warbler and several types of reptiles and butterflies along with a variety of game species and a Class 1 trout stream. The work has improved hunting opportunities and enhanced the site’s beauty and accessibility for outdoor recreation.

Graphic showing map of Wisconsin with pinned locations of projects funded by the Cherish Fund from 2021 to 2024.

Full list of projects supported by the Cherish Fund:

$3 million and counting

These projects are just a glimpse into the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund’s growing impact on public lands in Wisconsin.

Whether you fish, hunt, camp, canoe, hike, bike, birdwatch or watch your children and grandchildren experience these activities, the fund helps ensure these recreational activities can be enjoyed by everyone long into the future.

$3 million is an amazing milestone, but with all the challenges facing nature in Wisconsin, it is not yet enough to protect our biodiversity. The needs are great, but they are not insurmountable. When hunters and anglers make donations of any size to the Cherish Fund, they truly are making a difference.

Prairie landscape at Clover Valley Fen State Natural Area, a restoration site supported by the Cherish Fund. Photo by Caitlin Williamson

Written by Emma Schatz, Digital Communications Coordinator