Position Update March 13, 2025: WWA has been advised by our funding source that funding for this position is uncertain. So, until that situation clears, we have paused the hiring process. You may still submit your application, and we will consider it, but do not expect a response.

The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association is seeking a motivated full-time (open to part-time as well) biologist to join the WWA Habitat team and help landowners maximize the wildlife and ecological benefits of their property.  Join a growing and talented team to apply your knowledge while gaining experience in assessment restoration of wetland and upland on public and private lands. You may even support post-graduate level research on wetlands and the critters that inhabit them!

View the full job posting here.

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s February, 2025 Newsletter edition.

WWA had a great 2024, diversifying and growing our revenue to put us in the best financial condition, maybe ever.

• We used our limited resources more efficiently than ever — over 86 cents from every WWA dollar was used to support our mission. And we shrunk even further the use of member dollars to raise funds.
  • This is extremely difficult for a small organization like WWA
• We ended the year with a surplus of $65K, simultaneously growing our reserves to the strongest level ever. Having sufficient reserves programs is important if we want to survive economic downturns, and more importantly, to grow our organization’s impact.
• For example, WWA is currently managing nearly $2 million in grant funds focused on habitat and education—the largest level ever! These grants required some “seed money” to attract donors, and they all require WWA to front the costs of restorations, and then be reimbursed.  Larger projects require more front money.
• Several years ago, WWA leaders recognized that our over-dependence on chapter revenue, coupled with the changing nature of volunteerism could put us in a hole unless we diversified to other sources of income, and we have. This chart shows that while chapter revenues were stable in 2024, WWA is reducing its dependency on chapters, even as our overall revenue goes up.
• These considerations are important to maintaining our top ratings with organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator, which help provide confidence to private and public donors who are considering investing in WWA.

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s February, 2025 Newsletter edition.

Conservationist of the Year Bart Tegen

Bart Tegen from Rhinelander, WI, is WWA’s first “Conservationist of the Year” for his work in picking up the pieces of WWA’s longstanding wood duck box program when Erich Pitz passed away several years ago.  Bart volunteered to manage the production, storage and distribution of the hundreds of WWA wood duck boxes.

He closely coordinates with the McNaughton Correctional Facility, who does a superb job taking raw lumber from Wisconsin’s Northwoods, sawyering it to specifications, kiln-drying it, and turning the resulting lumber into kits or fully assembled boxes.  Bart picks up and transports these hundreds of boxes to our storage partner (and Bart’s employer) Ponsse.  As spring approaches—and wood duck boxes need attention or installation, Bart coordinates with chapters the boxes they need for engaging the local community or hanging in local woodlands.

Volunteers place one of the hundreds of wood duck boxes Bart coordinates to get out on Wisconsin’s landscape every year

Bart has managed to make this a self-sustaining program by fulfilling online orders for our wood duck boxes.  This sales program generates about $3-4,000 annually, offsetting the manufacturing and logistics costs as well as cost of WWA internal use…. while producing even more ducklings in the backyards of the Wisconsin-only purchasers.

With over 100 boxes on average being put out every year, Bart can lay some claim to having put three thousand ducklings on the ground in the four short years he’s been managing the program.  It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Wisconsin’s record high wood duck population owes some thanks to Bart and the WWA wood duck box program.

Bart jumps into other volunteer activities with WWA as well, having worked the EXPO with his wife Becky, reporting on local habitat-related policy issues (think Pelican River) and participating in the Habitat Committee.  Bart’s “just get-r’dun” approach has made the program as vibrant as ever.

Ironically, Bart receives a miniature wood duck box, with ducklings departing on “jump day” representing the thousands of birds he’s had a significant role in putting on Wisconsin’s landscape.  Ducklings carved by nationally-awarded decoy carver Bruce Urben.

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s February, 2025 Newsletter edition.

WWA’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year Dave Elwing

Dave Elwing from Adell, WI, was unanimously selected by WWA staff as our Volunteer of the Year.  Dave epitomizes the concept of “Leadership from the front” which is entirely consistent with his career as a Marine Corps officer.

Dave joined WWA after retiring from his service career and returning to his home state of Wisconsin with his wife, Kathy.  Being an avid duck hunter and prior Ducks Unlimited volunteer, he saw an opportunity to make a local difference with WWA and joined the board five years ago, where he was quickly elected Board Secretary, producing the quickest and most complete minutes you’ll find.

Elwing helps at the Midland Wings Chapter’s Inaugural Learn to Hunt

But that’s just the appetizer of what he brings to the WWA table.  Dave makes a point of helping local chapters, and when one of those chapters needed even more help, he volunteered to lead the chapter while maintaining his directorship role.  As a result, the chapter has produced superb fundraising and on-the-ground habitat results.  The chapter stood up its first learn-to hunt this year as well!  He tells me his heart has always been at the chapter level.

Dave leads a team of Wood Duckers

Dave’s woodworking talent, and none-too-shy attitude helped construct and gain lumber donations for a disabled accessible hunting blind — with a 100-foot boardwalk!  He was one of WWA’s first recurring donors, routinely jumps into a recurring volunteer role staffing WWA’s EXPO booth and led an outreach effort to Eau Claire’s sport show.  When WWA was in transition between wood duck box organizers, he coordinated volunteer box production at his home workshop, producing 100 boxes to fill the temporary gap.

WWA is incredibly fortunate to have Dave as a strong, energetic and talented leader!

In recognition of this honor, Dave will receive a custom made Hooded Merganser decoy and plaque, made by nationally renowned carver Bruce Urben!

Elwing’s hand-carved Volunteer of the Year award

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s October, 2024 Newsletter edition.

It continues to amaze me how much your WWA has going on.  (And I thought last month was busy as we received two national awards, and hosted an EXPO).   We just closed the books on the ’24 EXPO, and we’ve already begun meeting for the ’25 EXPO, which is going to two days.  We got a survey out to attendees, and we are hoping to get feedback to make improvements.  So far, the feedback has been uniformly positive.

Do you want to help take it to the next level?  Let me know.

Habitat work couldn’t be much busier—a gang of us got together at my cabin or camped overnight for a couple of days of rice collection to help restore rice beds in the Northwoods.  The rice was not as kind as last year, but between purchasing rice and collecting it ourselves, we were able to put over 500# of manoomin back in places where we hope it will gain a toehold and bring ducks for years. By the way, that’s a picture of WWA Ecologist, Mark Pfost, collecting rice using what our GLIFWC (Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Council) partners call “the soft hand method” (that actually employs 3’ long ricing sticks to knock the rice seeds into the bottom of the canoes). You may not recognize him because he is usually up to his neck in mud, muck or water.  Good to see you dry, Mark!

Want to help out ricing next year—email info@wisducks.org to get on the list!

Make sure to check out Mark’s article as the lead ecologist in the largest project WWA has done in decades, maybe ever.  He’ll be leading the charge on disabling an extensive network of 100-year-old ditches in the Necedah area to restore something close to 2,000 acres.  This includes land on which you can hunt on the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area!

And our Green Bay volunteers are working closely with the US Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve the waters and woods of our 143 acre Abrams property.

Our learn to hunt efforts are in full swing now that the season has started – our West Bend Chapter had a goose hunt and Prairie du Chien got a bunch of youngsters out for a duck hunt. Impressive work to start the NEXGEN waterfowlers out right.   Every student or teacher says it’s a great experience.

We could use more mentors—let me know if you want to play a role.

The best value raffle in the state¹ is now available.  Better odds, better prizes than ever before, and a chance to win a prize for every single day of the year. If we can sell this thing widely, it’ll significantly expand our ability to deliver habitat, education and hunter advocacy.  Buy one or more, or even better…

Help us sell what could be the biggest raffle in WWA recent history

And finally, I just spent a VERY long day in the capitol, advocating for a sandhill crane hunt.

I hope you’ve noticed a theme here.  WWA is expanding our efforts to fulfill our mission more effectively, and that opens up opportunities for committed individuals to make an outsized conservation impact.  But you need to raise your hand (figuratively) by letting us know you’re interested—just follow this link.

And I have gotten into the marsh for a couple of glorious mornings.  But not enough (then again, is it ever?)

See you in the marsh,

Bruce

1 – In my somewhat biased opinion, WWA’s 2024 calendar raffle at only 30 dollars, a drawing for every day of the year, and prize value over $80K