About Us
We are a partnership of public and private organizations working together to conserve the grasslands of Southwest Wisconsin through landscape-scale change. Our team consists of staff and a steering committee, which work together to support grassland conservation for people and wildlife for generations to come. Read more about our partnership, staff and steering committee below!
About SDG
Our Mission
Our mission is to actively support the conservation of grasslands in Southwest Wisconsin to benefit the region’s wildlife, water, farms, and communities.
Our Vision
We envision Southwestern Wisconsin to be a place rich with healthy grasslands, successful working farms, clear flowing streams, diverse wildlife, and people who value and enjoy this landscape.
Our History
An urgency to protect grassland birds in Southwest Wisconsin initiated the development of what we now know as "SDG". Explore the timeline to learn about the evolution of SDG.
Our Why
Southwestern Wisconsin has been recognized for many years as one of the best grassland conservation opportunities in the Upper Midwest. The area stands out for its distinct combination of resources:
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Significant populations of grassland birds, which are experiencing alarming declines across Wisconsin and range wide;
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Many scattered remnants of the area's original prairie and savanna habitat that once covered the region;
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Concentrations of rare grassland plants and animals, and spring-fed streams, all set within an expansive rural farming region of open fields, croplands, oak groves, and pastures.
The steep topography and thin soils that characterize the region are favorable for grass-based agriculture and fields enrolled in federal agricultural conservation programs.
Our Partners
In 2018 the newly minted/restored Southern Driftless Grasslands (formerly Southwest Wisconsin Grasslands Network) partnership was established with funding support from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Driftless Area Land Conservancy serving as facilitator. Since, we have grown to include support and engagement from 14 different federal, state, and county agencies, and non-profit conservation organizations and have secured funding for programming and land protection projects on private land.
Staff
Andy Bingle - SDG Project Manager
Driftless Area Land Conservancy
Andy fell in love with the Driftless while living in Baraboo and working for the International Crane Foundation where he worked as the Interpretive Programs Manager. In his spare time he was active with various local committees including the Baraboo Economic Development Commission, the library upgrade committee, and Sauk County’s Millennial Task Force which identified opportunities to attract young people to settle in small towns. He returned to his native Colorado and for five years was leading environmentally focused programs there. He co-founded the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center which teaches the benefits of agrivoltaics to landowners, policy makers, and community members. He most recently directed operations at an environmentally-driven software company called encoord. Andy and his wife have returned to Wisconsin (where she is from) and currently live in Spring Green.
Jenni Foshey - Communications & Partner Engagement Fellow
The Nature Conservancy
Jenni supports two of The Nature Conservancy’s partner organizations: the Southern Driftless Grasslands and the East River Collaborative. Her role focuses on expanding and diversifying communication materials within the SDG partnership and enhancing partner engagement through meetings, events, and workshops. Jenni possesses a strong scientific background in conservation biology and environmental conservation. Her expertise spans a wide range of areas, including restoration (invasive species removal), project management, event planning, cross-cultural conservation projects, GIS, outreach, research, fundraising, writing, blogging, website design, content creation, and social media management.
Olivia Horton-Pacana- Conservation Outreach Coordinator
Pheasants Forever
Olivia has been working in the conservation field for 10 years. Beginning in Michigan, she started her career working for the MiDNR AmeriCorps program and later transitioned to a leadership role for PlantWise, a contracting firm based out of Ann Arbor, implementing invasive species management, prairie plantings, prescribed burning and more. After moving to Wisconsin Olivia joined Dane County Parks leading staff and volunteers in field-restoration projects. Her role at Pheasants Forever focuses on increasing educational outreach and training events about prescribed fire and other conservation management practices to the Driftless Region of WI. She lives in Ridgeway with her husband, young daughter, two dogs, and two cats. As a family, they love travelling, hiking, fishing, and cooking delicious food.
Jake Pulfer- Prescribed Fire Coordinator
Pheasants Forever
Jake has worked in ecological restoration for the last 14 years within the Midwest and beyond. During this time Jake fell in love with the fire dependent habitats of the driftless region and has spent the past 10 years focused on the unique landscapes of the Driftless region in Northwest Illinois and Southwest Wisconsin. He draws on these past experiences in his role as Prescribed Fire Coordinator, where he works with private landowners and partners to increase awareness in the safe planning and implementation of prescribed fire.
Outside of work, Jake enjoys exploring the beauty of nature with his wife, Bridget, and their dog, Malcolm. Together, they spend their free time hiking, backpacking, canoeing, and immersing themselves in the great outdoors.
Steering Committee
Jennifer Filipiak - Steering Committee Chair
Driftless Area Land Conservancy
Jennifer is the Executive Director of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy (DALC). Filipiak brings more than 15 years of project management experience in conservation and sustainable agriculture having previously worked with organizations such as the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, The Nature Conservancy of Iowa, and the Lake County (Illinois) Forest Preserve District.
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Marty Moses - Steering Committee Co-Chair
Pheasants Forever
Marty is a native of Ohio but has been working as the Wisconsin State Coordinator for Pheasants Forever over the past seven years. Prior to this role, he delivered Farm Bill conservation programs to private landowners for eight years in Wisconsin and Colorado. Marty has a M.S. in wildlife ecology from New Mexico State University and received his B.S. in natural resource ecology from the University of Idaho. Marty lives at Cliffbrake Farm on the edge of the Driftless in Sauk County with his wife and son where they can be found hiking, tramping, hunting, foraging, gardening, clearing, burning, or just plain sitting around.
Katherine Abbott
Iowa County Land Conservation Department
Katie has dedicated her career to conservation and the belief that profitable farms and businesses can coexist with healthy soil, water, and wildlife. In her words “everyone in a community is better off when they do. It’s a privilege to be able to work with the great people in this area to protect our shared natural resources and find creative solutions to challenges.”. She has worked in Iowa County for over 15 years helping farmers and landowners with conservation programs, and currently serves as the County Conservationist for the Iowa County Land Conservation Department.
Debra Behrens
The Prairie Enthusiasts
Debra has been the Executive Director of The Prairie Enthusiasts since 2020. She brings more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership and development experience. Debra has an entrepreneurial approach to solving problems, focusing collective energy and building momentum. She’s passionate about saving the rare biodiversity and beauty of ecosystems in the Upper Midwest, and is actively restoring prairie and oak savanna at her homestead outside of Viroqua.
Jim Giocomo
American Bird Conservancy
Jim is the Central Region Director at the American Bird Conservancy. He leads and coordinates ABC's conservation programs and projects in the region and works to build high level relationships with public and private partners and conservation stakeholders.
Sara Kehrli
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Sara has worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the past 18 years. For 16 of those years, she was a field wildlife biologist, and responsible for habitat management on 25,000+ acres of state-owned lands in Columbia Co. She grew to really love prairie and oak savanna habitat restoration during her time as a wildlife biologist. Currently, Sara is the Southern Area Field Operations Team Leader for the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, and oversees field staff managing State Natural Areas and rare species for approximately the southern 1/3 of Wisconsin.
Michele Kille
The Nature Conservancy
Michele is the Strategic Partnerships Manager for Wisconsin and a member of TNC’s Land Strategy Team. She works collaboratively to support planning and strategy development aimed at increasing the pace and scale of protection of climate-resilient lands and waters across the state. She also assists colleagues and partners in identifying and evaluating Local, State, and Federal public funding opportunities and leads the development of grant proposals for priority land protection projects. In addition, Michele currently serves the Vice Chair of the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Management Board. She is excited about helping to advance regional migratory bird habitat conservation goals and to strengthen connections with a more diverse set of partners implementing habitat projects on the ground.
Kelly VanBeek
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Kelly VanBeek serves as the first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Grassland and Native Seed Strategy Coordinator. In this role, Kelly supports collaborative grassland conservation and management actions across multiple sectors, including habitat, agriculture, and ecosystem services, and will provide coordination around native seed development, distribution, and use across the region. Kelly’s position is a result of the shared visions of both the Midwest Landscape Initiative and the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture, who worked together to develop the position in response to growing interest for more coordinated grassland conservation and native seed strategies in the Midwest. Kelly is a member of the Midwest Landscape Initiative team, working alongside expertise from across USFWS programs while partnering extensively with people from many agencies and organizations across the Midwest, championing the diverse grassland conservation and native seed strategies already underway and advancing the goals and priorities identified at the 2024 Midwest Grassland Summit.