Danielle Bell
Danielle graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a dual degree in Conservation and Environmental Sciences and Architectural Design. Over the past 10 years, she has gained extensive experience working in the green industry on various size restoration projects in wetlands, prairies, and woodlands. Restoring and protecting native plant communities from the attack of invasive species has given her the knowledge to understand how plants and wildlife interact. These experiences inspired her to start her own native landscape company replacing sterile lawns with beautiful, diverse, healthy landscapes. In 2019 she became certified a Wisconsin Master Naturalist and volunteers her skills and time for various citizen science programs throughout the state.
Skye Bruce
Skye Bruce recently earned her PhD in Entomology from the UW–Madison, with a research focus on butterfly conservation and ecology in Wisconsin grasslands. Her work centered on optimizing monarch butterfly habitats in both protected and pastured grasslands. She has taught undergraduate courses in biology and ecology, as well as gained experience as an Insect Ambassador at the UW–Madison, presenting to critter-curious audiences of all ages. During her academic journey, Skye led the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative’s Research and Monitoring Committee. Now, as the Coordinator of the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative, Skye translates her skills in native plant and insect research, project management, and team building into action, aligning it with the Collaborative’s goals and strategy.
Fred Clark
Fred is a career Wisconsin forester and conservationist. He was the first Executive Director of Wisconsin’s Green Fire, and he was previously the director of The Forest Stewards Guild – a national organization dedicated to sustainable forestry and forest science. He has worked as a forest ecologist for Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, as a forester for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and as a consulting forester and owner of a forestry contracting business. Fred served three terms as a Representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly between 2009-2014. Fred received a B.S. from Michigan State University in 1985, and an M.S. in Forest Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1992.
Shannon Davis-Foust
Shannon has her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from UW-Milwaukee and has widespread interests in native and invasive species, habitat restoration, and reconnecting people with nature. She presently teaches courses at UW Oshkosh in Biology and Environmental Studies, is an Affiliate of the Sustainability Institute of Regional Transformations organizing outreach events on environmental topics, and advises the Student Environmental Action Coalition and Sustainable Beekeeping Club.
Frank has his BS in Forestry UW-Madison 1994. While working on this degree, he worked on oak regeneration and fungal tree disease projects. He has volunteered at High Cliff State Park on the Board of Directors for The Friends of High Cliff and on forest and prairie restoration projects for 20 years. He has helped coordinate and plant tens of thousands of native trees, planting a prairie, controlling invasive plants, correctively pruning some of the planted trees, protecting planted trees from deer and doing other maintenance issues. While working as a DNR Forester, he worked mainly in private and public land management as well as wildland fire control and prescribed burning.
David Langner
David Langner has his associates degree from Fox Valley Technical College as a Natural Resources Technician. He began teaching edible plants programs 6 years ago at Bubolz Nature preserve for their advanced summer camp. He has also taught multiple public edible plant programs in the Fox Valley area along with having written a short edible plant cookbook.
For the past 6 years Emma has been managing terrestrial invasive plant species on Heckrodt’ s property. The management is based on the Heckrodt Habitat Management plan with hundreds of volunteers to help remove and treat these invasives. She has attended multiple Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conferences continuing to learn best management practices and is certified with DATCP in the following categories: 2.0 Forestry, 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito, and 6.0 Right of Way and Natural Areas.
Jim Perry is Campus Executive Officer and Dean Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (now UWO-Fox Cities Campus) where he was also Professor of Biological Sciences. All of his undergraduate and graduate study was in the biological sciences, with his doctoral degree in botany and plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Selected by his students as “Teacher of the Year,” he taught a wide variety of courses, including those focusing on mycology when a professor of biology, wildlife and fisheries at Frostburg State University in Maryland. He’s the author of a number of books focusing on helping students gain an understanding and appreciation of the natural world. He currently serves on the board of the statewide non-partisan Wisconsin’s Green Fire: Voices for Conservation. He and his biologist wife Joy live on a retired dairy farm in rural Winnebago County, where they have recreated native prairies on 24 acres of their forty.
Randy Powers
Randy is a reconstruction ecologist & nature photographer. He is the owner of Prairie Future Seed Company (1987 – present) and holds Masters’ Degrees in both Botany & Zoology. His educational background and 40+ years of hands-on prairie restoration experience puts him in an elite class of botanists. He has been giving educational seminars and teaching college level courses in environmental science for over 30 years. Randy has consulted on many projects for the DNR, Milwaukee Audubon Society and a variety of nature centers and other non-profit organizations over the years. He presently offers guidance on the Buffalo Speaks project at Horicon Marsh for Milwaukee Audubon Society. His company manages a privately owned sixteen-acre virgin prairie remnant with a known diversity of 326 native species, second only to Chiwaukee Prairie in diversity in S.E. Wisconsin. Randy’s most recent projects are the in-depth study of pollinator biology and documenting Wisconsin’s Moths.
Jeff Steele
Jeff has over 10 years of experience teaching nature courses around Madison, WI. His background is in Restoration Ecology from UW-Madison and he’s passionate about restoring our native ecosystems. Jeff is the secretary of the Wild Ones-Madison Chapter and Co-Chair of the Friends of Starkweather Creek.
Pat Trochlell
Patricia Trochlell is a wetland ecologist who worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for over 35 years. Her areas of expertise include wetland botany, soils, natural area restoration, site assessment and education. She is a state-licensed hydrologist and soil scientist. She currently surveys, assesses and manages wetland and upland plant communities for The Prairie Enthusiasts, other land trusts and individuals and is a Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program instructor.
Paul Whitaker
Paul is a Professor of Biology at UW Stevens Point in Wausau and is a founding board member of the Monk Botanical Gardens in Wausau. During his graduate work in entomology at UW-Madison, he studied how pest and beneficial insects in agricultural crops are influenced by the surrounding non-crop habitats. He has been a frequent presenter to Master Gardeners and other groups on topics ranging from insect biology and management, basic botany, weed biology and management, climate change, pollinator decline, biodiversity and other topics.
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