State Natural Areas Volunteer Program

Help us care for some of our state's most pristine public lands, State Natural Areas (SNA). Encourage native plants and animals to thrive by cutting brush, controlling invasive species, collecting seeds, monitoring rare species, and preparing fire breaks. Show up for a day or become a steward responsible for all volunteer activities at an SNA. Any level of participation is encouraged and no experience is necessary to start volunteering.

Learn more about the volunteer program

Volunteers range from individuals who help once to those who return for twenty years. In the process of helping, volunteers gain experience and can become workday leaders or site stewards.

Browse the Volunteer Handbook for more information.

Archive Annual Reports

Read stories about our work in our annual reports.

More resources

Find training opportunities for first aid, chainsaw safety and more.
Or secure volunteer gear.
Discover additional DNR volunteering opportunities.

Join us at a workday

Workdays are one of the main ways volunteers accomplish tasks. They occur throughout the year at different SNAs. They are a great way to get some exercise, have fun, learn something new and see if you’ve got what it takes to enjoy restoration. Come join us for a workday to see for yourself. You can also learn about individual volunteer opportunities.

With everything going on in the world it’s nice to take a break from it all for a couple of hours and breathe in the fresh air. I’m so glad I started volunteering because I’ve met some incredibly inspiring people who know a lot about rare and indigenous plants. I recently became certified for chainsaw use on DNR lands and have been enjoying practicing my new skills.

—Travis, SNA volunteer

Expect to do some walking off-trail, do some physical activity, and wear clothes that can be beaten up. Good items to bring are drinking water, gloves, safety glasses, sunscreen, and bug spray in summer/fall. We’ll typically have enough tools for you to use. Although different sites have different approaches to cancellation a decision is made by at least two hours before the day. You can RSVP to get updates or ask the contact person about the status 2 hours before: moderate to heavy rain, snow/ice storms, extreme cold, or extreme heat.

Upcoming Workdays

List of current available workdays in the SNA volunteer program.
Date	Site	Time	County	Activity	Location	RSVP Needed?	Email	Phone	Additional Information
April 18	Chiwaukee Prairie	9-noon	Kenosha	Brush	See webpage	No	See webpage	N/A	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
April 18	York Prairie	9-noon	Green	Brush	Map	Preferred	Shannon Roznoski	608-334-6920	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
April 18	Lulu Lake	9-noon	Waukesha	Clover and knapweed	Map	Preferred	Nancy Gloe	262-832-4573	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month in locations nearby. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
April 25	Sugar River Wetlands	9-noon	Dane	Brush and weeds	Map	Preferred	Dick Wieboldt	608-354-1730	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 1	Waubesa Wetlands	1-4 p.m.	Dane	Reed canary grass or garlic mustard	Map	Preferred	Alex Wenthe	608-282-5403	Occur on the 1st Friday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 5 and 7	Haskell Noyes Woods	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 8	Ridgeway Pine Relict	9-noon	Iowa	Garlic mustard	Map	Preferred	Mike Scheidegger	608-574-6610	Occur on the 2nd Friday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 9	Blue River Sand Barrens	9-noon	Grant	Honeysuckle	Map	Preferred	Brian McGraw	608-778-2260	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 9	Haskell Noyes Woods	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Saturdays in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 9	York Prairie	9-noon	Green	Brush and weeds	Map	Preferred	Shannon Roznoski	608-334-6920	Usually occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month, note the change this month. RSVP to receive any cancellation info.
May 12 and 14	Haskell Noyes Woods	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 16	Chiwaukee Prairie	9-noon	Kenosha	Weeds	See webpage	No	See webpage	N/A	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
May 16	Haskell Noyes Woods	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Saturdays in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 16	Lulu Lake	9-noon	Waukesha	Clover and knapweed	Map	Preferred	Nancy Gloe	262-832-4573	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month in locations nearby. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 19 and 21	Haskell Noyes Woods	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 23	Haskell Noyes Woods	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Saturdays in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 23	Sugar River Wetlands	9-noon	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Dick Wieboldt	608-354-1730	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
May 26 and 28	Haskell Noyes Woods	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
May 30	Haskell Noyes Woods	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Saturdays in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
June 2 and 4	Haskell Noyes Woods	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
June 5	Waubesa Wetlands	1-4 p.m.	Dane	Garlic mustard	Map	Preferred	Alex Wenthe	608-282-5403	Occur on the 1st Friday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 6	Haskell Noyes Woods	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Garlic mustard	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Occur on Saturdays in May. RSVP to receive cancellation information.
June 9 and 11	Spruce Lake Bog	5-7 p.m.	Fond du Lac	Reed canary grass	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Boots for walking in wetlands are helpful. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 11	Maiden Rock Bluff	9-noon	Pepin	Brush, weeds, or seeds	Map	Yes	Dean Edlin	608-792-3054	Occur on the 2nd Thursday of the month at rotating properties (except April, May). RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 12	Ridgeway Pine Relict	9-noon	Iowa	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Mike Scheidegger	608-574-6610	Occur on the 2nd Friday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 13	Blue River Sand Barrens	9-noon	Grant	Honeysuckle	Map	Preferred	Brian McGraw	608-778-2260	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 13	Spruce Lake Bog	9-noon	Fond du Lac	Reed canary grass	Map	Yes	Connie Ramthun	920-533-8939	Boots for walking in wetlands are helpful. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.

Email Updates

We have divided the state into volunteer regions. Receive email updates on upcoming volunteer workdays in the region. Sign up for as many regions as you'd like.