The National Resources Foundation of Wisconsin: Grants from Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund will improve wildlife habitat in Dane, Green, Oneida, Ozaukee, Vilas, Washington and Walworth counties

Hunters And Other Nature Lovers Can Donate When Renewing Their Licenses

MADISON, Wis. – Thanks to donations from thousands of Wisconsin’s hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts, the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund has announced that this year it will be able to fund five habitat conservation projects totaling over $129,000.

The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund, a public-private partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the nonprofit Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, will fund habitat projects in Dane, Green, Oneida, Ozaukee, Vilas, Washington and Walworth counties this year.

The fund supports habitat management and ecological restoration projects on state-owned or managed lands in Wisconsin, including state natural areas, parks, trails, wildlife and fisheries areas, recreation areas, and forests. The DNR and NRF encourage hunters purchasing their licenses to consider donating to the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund to help support conservation around the state.

2026 Projects Selected For Funding

Walworth County

$44,500

Cherish funds will help control invasive species across globally rare oak savannas and remnant prairie in Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit: La Grange Township. The funding will also improve firebreaks for prescribed burns in the following State Natural Areas: Kettle Moraine Oak Opening SNA, Young Prairie SNA, Cliff Messinger SNA and Bluff Creek SNA.

Dane County

$26,000

At the historic battleground of the 1832 Battle of Wisconsin Heights, grant funds will support oak savanna and remnant prairie restoration. By controlling invasive species, expanding prescribed burning and sowing native seed into degraded areas, the work will improve habitat at the site for native birds, plants, insects and other wildlife.

Dane and Green Counties

$19,935

Cherish funding will support the removal of invasive brush along approximately one mile of Story Creek and the adjacent prairie and oak woodland at Brooklyn Wildlife Area. This project will create angler and trapper access to Story Creek and improve habitat for a multitude of wildlife by removing invasive species.

Oneida and Vilas Counties

$19,935

Cherish funds will create more open habitat, which is vital for many game and non-game wildlife species, in a heavily forested region of north central Wisconsin. Funds will help remove woody vegetation to create wildlife openings and plant the new openings with diverse mixes of pollinator seeds. The work will take place in Woodboro Lakes Wildlife Area, Stag and Roe State Wildlife Habitat Area, Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area in Oneida County and the Northern Highlands Legion State Forest in Vilas County.

Ozaukee and Washington Counties

$19,147

At Harrington State Park and the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Pike Lake Unit, Cherish funds will help expand prairie habitat, improve continuity of western prairie, remove competing vegetation and support education with new signage.

“Donations to the Cherish Wisconsin Fund have a profound, positive effect on the outdoors in Wisconsin,” said DNR Secretary Karen Hyun. “We are grateful for every single donation from hunters, anglers and outdoor recreators and their direct support of conservation in our state, and we are grateful for the continued partnership with the Natural Resources Foundation.”

The Cherish Fund is primarily built through voluntary contributions from the public when they purchase their hunting and fishing licenses through the DNR’s Go Wild license portal or online at WisConservation.org/Cherish. Established to protect, restore and improve habitat for Wisconsin’s plants and animals, the fund allows the public to invest in the public lands and waters where they recreate. The fund celebrated reaching the $3 million mark in 2025.

Potential projects are proposed by DNR property managers, then a grant review committee of stakeholders reviews and ranks the projects. The final distributions are approved by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin’s board of directors.

“Wisconsin’s public lands play a crucial role in conservation and outdoor recreation. Please consider adding a donation to the Cherish Fund of $5, $10 or whatever feels right to you when you’re renewing your hunting license,” said David Clutter, executive director at the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. “It’s an easy way for the public to help make sure that the places we enjoy most in Wisconsin are protected and well-managed.”

About The Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund

Created in 2012 by an act of the Wisconsin State Legislature, the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund is a public-private partnership that provides a permanent source of funding to care for Wisconsin’s public lands for generations to come.

Learn more about the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund.

About The Natural Resources Foundation Of Wisconsin

The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin protects our state’s lands, waters and wildlife by providing funding, leading partnerships and connecting all people with nature. NRF invests around $1 million annually into conservation and environmental education and leads several diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for Wisconsin’s conservation community. NRF also helps people explore the outdoors by coordinating 250+ expert-led Field Trips each year to Wisconsin’s most special places and hosts The Great Wisconsin Birdathon, the state’s largest fundraiser for bird conservation.

Learn more and get involved at WisConservation.org.