Archives
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Summer Education and Outreach Program Highlights September 3, 2024
Education and outreach programs at the Arboretum never really slow down, but summer is especially abuzz with activity! From long-standing programs to newer partnerships, we… Read more
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Summer Volunteer Groups: Myriad Motivations, Many Rewards July 30, 2024
Summer is a busy time for volunteer groups at the Arboretum, with at least one service project each week from June through August. Corporate groups,… Read more
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Arboretum Restoration Team Leader Program Serves as a Model for Participatory Leadership May 1, 2024
For more than three decades, the Arboretum’s drop-in restoration work parties have engaged hundreds of community volunteers each year in restoring and caring for Arboretum… Read more
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Appreciating the 2023 Volunteers April 1, 2024
The Arboretum is a gift from past generations to the present, and in the present we pass on this gift by stewarding the land for… Read more
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April Is Citizen Science Month! April 1, 2024
Are you curious about the natural world? Do you want to make valuable collective contributions that advance scientific discovery and support initiatives locally and globally?… Read more
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Vibrancy, Energy, Collaboration – Working with Volunteers April 3, 2023
Vibrancy, energy, welcoming, dedication, caring, and collaboration – these are all ways staff described working with volunteers again in 2022. In all, at least 738… Read more
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Spring Volunteer Trainings January 30, 2023
The Arboretum is delighted to once again offer spring trainings for volunteers in essential roles that care for the land and engage with the public. Read more
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Restoring Connections, Strengthening Communities November 1, 2022
It’s been a busy autumn for volunteer engagement, with numerous organizations from campus and the broader community sending groups out to do service projects in… Read more
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On the Trails: New Stewards and Curtis Prairie Boardwalk August 30, 2022
The summer is always a busy season for the ranger unit. It is a time for assistant ranger and volunteer steward trainings, high visitation, trail… Read more
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Director's Note: Migratory Monarchs Added to IUCN Red List as Endangered Species August 1, 2022
I spent much of the last week of July talking to reporters about the recent announcement from the International Union for the Conservation of… Read more
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Celebrating Persistence and Re-emergence: Appreciating the 2021 Volunteers March 31, 2022
Spring, April: a time of rebirth and renewal in the north, a time to appreciate having endured another cold dark winter and embracing the return… Read more
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Citizen Science Spotlight: Wingra Springs Monitoring and Common Loon Migration March 31, 2022
Spring beckons us to get outside. It’s an eventful time of year to observe nature with the reappearance of many plants and animals. And it’s… Read more
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Journey North Publishes Monarch Butterfly and Hummingbird Data Packages March 2, 2022
For over twenty-five years, Journey North has tracked arrivals and departures of migratory species. And now, this volunteer-generated data is more accessible to researchers than… Read more
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Dedicated Volunteers Return in Key Roles this Fall September 1, 2021
As UW–Madison prepares to reopen campus and resume in-person classes and activities, Arboretum staff and volunteers are resuming a regular schedule of Saturday restoration work… Read more
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The Volunteer Community March 30, 2021
The Arboretum is a community, made up of many interconnected elements: forests, prairies, visitor center, wetlands – and volunteers everywhere, in Madison, Wisconsin, and across… Read more
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Connecting with the World Around Us March 15, 2021
Growing out of a desire to maintain connections between volunteers and the Arboretum throughout the pandemic, I began writing a weekly newsletter. Initially, I shared… Read more
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Reimagining Volunteer Engagement During COVID-19 July 1, 2020
A typical spring at the Arboretum brings many volunteer activities. This year, most volunteers have been on furlough since mid-March due to coronavirus. During this time, employees and volunteers are planning safe ways to resume appropriate volunteer activities and envisioning new ways to engage volunteers in conservation work. Read more
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Marian Farrior Receives Invader Crusader Award July 1, 2020
The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council has recognized Marian Farrior as a 2020 Invader Crusader. The awards are presented to individuals and groups for outstanding… Read more
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Volunteer Reading Group: Community and Connection June 1, 2020
What happens when eager, knowledgeable volunteers from different organizations are cooped up all winter and can’t work in the dirt? Book lovers coordinate a garden… Read more
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Get Involved in Citizen Science at Home April 15, 2020
Spring’s renewal is all around us as longer days, warming temperatures, and the reappearance of many plants and animals help lift our collective spirits. The… Read more