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

*Swipe left to view table on mobile device.

List of current available workdays in the SNA volunteer program.
Date	Site	Time	County	Activity	Location	RSVP Needed?	Email	Phone	Additional Information
June 27	Blue River Sand Barrens	9-noon	Grant	Honeysuckle	Map	Preferred	Brian McGraw	608-778-2260	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Note the change this month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
June 27	Sugar River Wetlands	9-noon	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Dick Wieboldt	608-354-1730	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 7	Young Prairie	9-noon	Walworth	Spider-wort Seed	Map	Preferred	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 8	Empire Prairie (Ashton Unit)	9-noon	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 9	Maiden Rock Bluff	9-noon	Pepin	Spider-wort Seed	Map	Yes	Dean Edlin	608-792-3054	Occur on the 2nd Thursday of the month at rotating properties. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 10	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.
July 10	Waubesa Wetlands	1-4 p.m.	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Alex Wenthe	608-282-5403	Usually occur on the 1st Friday of the month- note the change for this month due to July 4 . RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 11	Blue River Sand Barrens	9-noon	Grant	Honeysuckle and Weeds	Map	Preferred	Brian McGraw	608-778-2260	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 11	Bluff Creek	9-noon	Walworth	Parsnip, Sweet Clover	Hickory Woods Campground	Preferred	Zach Kastern	262-903-8133	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month in locations nearby. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 16	Kohler Park Dunes	9-11 a.m.	Sheboygan	Honeysuckle	Map	Yes	Deb Lisberg	920-698-0558	Occur on 3rd Thursday of the month. RSVP with a phone number to receive any cancellation information.
July 16	Rocky Run Oak Savanna	9-noon	Columbia	Brush and Weeds	Map	Yes	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 18	Chiwaukee Prairie	9-noon	Kenosha	Weeds	See webpage	No	See webpage	N/A	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
July 18	Neda Mine	9-noon	Dodge	Burdock and Weeds	Map	Preferred	Nancy Gloe	262-832-4573	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month in locations nearby. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
July 25	Sugar River Wetlands	9-noon	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Dick Wieboldt	608-354-1730	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 6	Rocky Run Oak Savanna	9-noon	Columbia	Brush and Seeds	Map	Yes	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 7	Waubesa Wetlands	1-4 p.m.	Dane	Weeds	Map	Preferred	Alex Wenthe	608-282-5403	Usually occur on the 1st Friday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 8	Blue River Sand Barrens	9-noon	Grant	Honeysuckle and Weeds	Map	Preferred	Brian McGraw	608-778-2260	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 8	Bluff Creek	9-noon	Walworth	Parsnip, Sweet Clover	Hickory Woods Campground	Preferred	Zach Kastern	262-903-8133	Occur on the 2nd Saturday of the month in locations nearby. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 13	Lower Chippewa River	9-noon	Dunn	Brush Removal	Tyrone Canoe Landing	Yes	Dean Edlin	608-792-3054	Occur on the 2nd Thursday of the month. RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 14	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.
Aug. 15	Chiwaukee Prairie	9-noon	Kenosha	Weeds	See webpage	No	See webpage	N/A	Occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
Aug. 18	Mazomanie Oak Barrens	9-noon	Dane	Seeds	Map	Preferred	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	RSVP to receive any cancellation information.
Aug. 27	Young Prairie	9-noon	Walworth	Seeds	Map	Preferred	Jared Urban	608-228-4349	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.