Field Trips

FIELD TRIP REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

NACCR will host ten (10) field trips during our pre and post conference days (July 11 and 17). They have been selected to showcase areas and projects of conservation and restoration interest located within and close to Milwaukee, as well as wild spaces in relatively close proximity to the city.

The guided trips are scheduled for specific dates and will have a series of planned events, talks, and activities. Spots are limited on each trip, so we recommend registering and reserving your spot at soon as possible.

Important: Please note that field trips are subject to cancellation pending minimum attendance by June 1, 2026. If a trip is cancelled, attendees will be notified well in advance, provided a refund, and given an opportunity to swap for a different field trip pending availability.

FAQ: How many field trips can I sign up for?

As many as you like! However, keep in mind that some field trips will overlap with one another, so we encourage attendees to sign up for only their top choice to allow others to attend as well.

GUIDED FIELD TRIPS

Baraboo Hills: Aldo Leopold Foundation & International Crane Foundation

Saturday, July 11

8:00am – 3:30pm CST

Facilitator(s): Aldo Leopold Foundation and International Crane Foundation

Location: Baraboo, WI

Tour two of Wisconsin’s most unique conservation sites—Leopold’s famous Shack and the International Crane Foundation! In the 1930s, Aldo Leopold lamented in his essay “Marshland Elegy” that sandhill cranes were headed for extinction, estimating only 30 pairs left in Wisconsin. In his famous book, A Sand County Almanac, he imagined a society that cared about “things natural, wild, and free,”—what he called a land ethic. Today, sandhill cranes represent a conservation success story, the result of species and habitat protections. A societal land ethic can indeed change the course of history.  The Aldo Leopold Foundation: The Aldo Leopold Foundation is the executor of Aldo Leopold’s historic property and literary legacy, and founded by the five children of Aldo and Estella Leopold. Headquartered at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, WI, the foundation attracts visitors from all over the world to Leopold’s famous shack and birthplace of the land ethic. The historic property is surrounded by the 4,000-acre Leopold-Pines Conservation Area, our own demonstration of restoration and species conservation. We use birds as indicators, conservation planning, adaptive management, restoration, invasive species control, prescribed burning, and much more help this landscape tangibly serve regional and national conservation plans. During the tour, we will weave together Aldo Leopold’s personal history, the famous Shack, the landscape of A Sand County Almanac, and the foundation’s local, regional and national advancement of a land ethic. During lunch at the Legacy Center we will share the many features contributing to the Center’s LEED Platinum certification.  International Crane Foundation.

Registration Cost: $110 USD per person includes tour cost, lunch, and transportation

Capacity: 28 (minimum 10)

Bring: Binoculars and/or camera. Proper walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water.

Accessibility: Easy to moderate; points of interest are separated by hundreds of yards for a total of ½ mile of walking; terrain is flat/rolling, surface uneven in places. Everyone likes a picture of themselves in front of Leopold’s Shack! Bring a camera, rain gear/umbrella, clothes for the weather and sturdy walking/hiking shoes.

Additional Notes: This is a full-day trip, with departure taking place at 8 AM from the Baird Center (conference venue) and arriving back at the Center around 3:30 PM.

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Havenwoods State Forest

Saturday, July 11

9:30am – 3:00pm CST

Facilitator(s): Angela Vickio (WI DNR); Lamont Smith (TNC); Mars Patterson (Land Restoration School)

Location: Havenwoods State Forest, Milwaukee, WI

Visit Havenwoods State Forest, an urban forest and nature center in the heart of Milwaukee! On this tour led by the property superintendent, you’ll learn about the unique and interesting history and management of Havenwoods – from a former Nike missile site, to a corrections facility! Today, Havenwoods protects 200+ acres of prairies, wetlands, woodlands, and waterways for Milwaukee residents to access and enjoy. Following the tour, we’ll have lunch together in the nature center, then hear from a panel of community-based conservation groups who will share their experiences with Havenwoods, and opportunities for collaborative, community-focused work at this vital place.

Registration Cost: $60 USD per person includes tour cost, lunch, and transportation

Capacity: 25 (minimum 10)

Bring: Binoculars and/or camera. Proper walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water.

Accessibility: Offers wheelchair-accessible entrances and parking. 

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Milwaukee River

Saturday, July 11

9:45am – 2:15pm CST 

Facilitator(s): Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Restoring Lands

Location: 318 South Water Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204

Experience Milwaukee like never before—from the water! Join Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Restoring Lands for a guided kayak tour along the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail. Our knowledgeable guides will point out key landmarks and share stories that connect the river to the city’s culture, environment, and revitalization efforts. We will stop for lunch and a quick hike at the Restoring Lands office and learn about their work along the Milwaukee River Greenway. Then we’ll jump back in the kayaks and return downtown.

Registration Cost: $70 USD per person includes tour cost, rentals, and lunch.

Capacity: 20 (minimum 10)

Bring: Water, sun protection, weather-appropriate clothing, and hat.

Accessibility: n/a 

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Urban Ecology Center – CANCELLED

Saturday, July 11

8:45am – 11:15am CST

Facilitator(s): Urban Ecology Center

Location:Urban Ecology Center (Washington Park location), Milwaukee, WI

Join us for a field trip to the world-renowned Urban Ecology Center. The Urban Ecology Center (UEC) was born from a neighborhood’s collective effort to tackle issues in Riverside Park. The neglected park had become plagued with crime, litter, and invasive plants. In 1991, local residents joined forces, envisioning a shift from problems to education. They started by organizing cleanups and using the park to teach nature and science to nearby students. Today, UEC operates three branches in Milwaukee, connecting people living in cities to nature. Their programs bring Milwaukee’s children and families into nature and as a result, urban parks are safe to visit, kids are acquiring the science skills they need to succeed, and adults keep on learning about how our changing world around us works. Their cornerstone program is the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project, which serves kids in 60 urban Milwaukee schools each year. This program enables students to take a walk in the woods, stand in a river in hip waders, or run along the beach at Lake Michigan when they might not have other opportunities to do so. Learn more about UEC’s innovative, community-based conservation and environmental education work during this field trip with their staff.

Registration Cost: $40 USD per person includes tour cost and transportation (no lunch)

Capacity: 25 (minimum 10) 

Bring: Proper walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water.

Accessibility: 

• Sidewalk level or ramped entrances
• Wheelchair accessible bathrooms.
• Sensory kits that provide tactile items as well as information in both large print and braille for our visitors who are blind or visually impaired (ask the receptionists for this kit when you arrive at the Center).

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Bird Conservation Tour of Milwaukee – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

9:00am – 12:00pm CST

Facilitator(s): Bryan Lenz (American Bird Conservancy), Kelsey Bell (Lake Michigan Bird Observatory, Bird City Wisconsin), Medhavi Ambardar (Lake Michigan Bird Observatory)

Location: Meet at the Deer District (1134 N Vel R. Phillips Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203) which will be the start of a walking tour of multiple buildings and sites in Milwaukee, WI.

Wisconsin is a hotspot for birds, but also bird conservation efforts! Learn more about the Lake Michigan flyway and the many partners who are working to make Milwaukee safer for birds and people. On this walking tour you’ll visit an urban state park in the heart of Milwaukee, learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly of bird-friendly buildings – what works and what doesn’t – and discover incredible programs started right here in Wisconsin, including the Bird City Wisconsin program. We will stop for bird-friendly coffee on this trip, so please bring a mug if you have one!

**Participants are responsible for arriving at the Deer District on their own. If taking public transit, please expect a 10+ min commute.**

Registration Cost: FREE

Capacity: 20

Bring: Snacks, water, coffee mug/travel mug, proper walking shoes, sun protection, and clothing appropriate for the weather.

Accessibility: This walk will proceed at a leisurely pace across paved sidewalks and urban parks, with occasional dirt/loose gravel and slight inclines. Total walking distance is 2 miles and ends at Lakeshore State Park. Participants are welcome to sightsee or visit local attractions in the area after the trip.

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Horicon Marsh – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

7:00am – 1:00pm CST 

Facilitator(s): Liz Herzmann (WI DNR) and Eric Kilburg (WI DNR)

Location: Horicon Marsh, Horicon, WI

For those who enjoy wildlife, Horicon Marsh has long been known as one of the best places in the upper Midwest to see birds. While over 300 different kinds of birds have been recorded at the marsh over the years, it is home to a number of threatened and endangered species, affording birders the occasional rare sighting. From ducks and geese to pelicans, herons, egrets and cormorants we’ll take a leisurely stroll with DNR Wildlife Educator, Liz Herzmann and Property Manager, Eric Kilburg in search of birds. After birding, Liz and Eric will take you through the creation, destruction, and revival of Horicon Marsh. Created by the glaciers yet scarred by humans, this important wetland has been restored by conservationists who had the foresight to think about the future of this wetland. Despite the degradation, Horicon Marsh was listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1990 and is one of the best of the best wetlands in the world. Though significantly changed, it is a true testament to the resiliency of nature when allowed to be preserved.  Last but not least, you’ll experience the marsh’s interactive exhibits.  At the Explorium, you can tour the Horicon Marsh through time — from the Ice Age and to present day. Guests of Horicon Marsh’s Explorium can get a glimpse of life at Horicon Marsh thousands of years before European settlement and witness how the current wetland came to be.

Registration Cost: $70 USD per person includes tour cost, transportation, and lunch

Capacity: 25 (minimum 10)

Bring: Binoculars and/or camera. Proper walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water.

Accessibility: Horicon National Wildlife Refuge has a wheelchair accessible boardwalk and the easy hikes.

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UW-Madison Arboretum and Dane County Waste & Renewables Tour – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

7:00am – 2:30pm CST

Facilitator(s): Hanna Kohn, Kohn.Hanna@danecounty.gov

Location: UW-Madison Arboretum and Dane County Waste Site, Madison, WI

Venture to Wisconsin’s capital, Madison, for a day trip to explore the nature-filled trails of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and tour the Dane County Waste & Renewables facility. The Arboretum borders Lake Wingra and encompasses 1,260 acres of restored prairies, savannas, forest types, and wetlands. Participants will learn about the restoration efforts, recreation opportunities, and research studies conducted on the property. After the tour, participants will have the opportunity to purchase lunch near Madison’s capital square or walk around the university grounds. Our final stop is at the Dane County Waste and Renewables facility where participants will learn about the innovative and sustainable ways that waste is managed to best support the community and environment. This tour will take participants to the Trash Lab, Clean Sweep facility, Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility, Renewable Natural Gas plant, and the active landfill. After two incredible tours in Dane County, we will return back to Milwaukee by the late afternoon.

Registration Cost: $80 USD per person, includes tour cost and transportation; lunch will be purchased individually by each field trip attendee in Madison.

Capacity: 25 (minimum 10)

Bring: Closed-toe shoes are required; recommended to bring weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water.

Accessibility: n/a

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Milwaukee Water Reclamation Facility – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

9:30am – 1:00pm CST

Facilitator(s): Meredith Wittmann (Veolia Water Milwaukee)

Location: Milwaukee Water Reclamation Facility – Jones Island (700 E. Jones Street, Milwaukee, WI 53207)

Veolia Water Milwaukee offers group tours of the Jones Island Water Reclamation Plant for schools and other interested groups. Tour content can be tailored to your group’s needs, but at a minimum will include information on the wastewater treatment process, how wastewater is cleaned and returned to Lake Michigan, and how individuals can do their part to help protect this precious resource. In addition, students of all ages will learn about careers that are available within the water industry as well as the skilled trades that are necessary to support plant operations.

Registration Cost: $30 USD per person includes tour cost and transportation

Capacity: 25 (minimum 12)

Bring: “Visitors must adhere to dress code: long pants (no holes), sturdy closed-toe shoes, and appropriate layers for the weather.”

Accessibility: Visitors must be able to descend 7 flights of stairs (elevator up, but doesn’t go all the way down). Some stairs up. Passenger elevator can be arranged for less than 10 people with mobility issues.

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Science in Action at the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

9:30am – 3:00pm CST

Facilitator(s): Liz Sutton (UWM), Aaron Thiel (UWM)

Location: UW-Milwaukee Freshwater Sciences, Milwaukee, WI

This hands-on workshop explores Milwaukee Harbor as a freshwater ecosystem shaped by both natural processes and ongoing conservation and restoration efforts. Participants will enjoy an in-depth tour of the Research Vessel Neeskay, learning how scientists use the vessel to study the Great Lakes and conduct freshwater research. The workshop concludes with a behind-the-scenes tour of the UW–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, showcasing the laboratories, facilities, and projects where Great Lakes science comes to life.

Registration Cost: $50 USD per person includes tour cost, lunch, and transportation (updated cost).

Capacity: 28 (minimum 10)

Bring: Binoculars and/or camera. Proper walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, hat, snacks, sun protection, water. Closed-toe shoes required.

Accessibility: n/a

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Wehr Nature Center – CANCELLED

Friday, July 17

12:30pm – 4:00pm CST

Facilitator(s): Jeff Veglahn (Land, Wehr Nature Center)

Location: Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W College Ave, Franklin, WI

Visit Wehr Nature Center, a 220-acre Nature Preserve within Milwaukee County Park’s largest park, Whitnall Park. During the tour, participants will learn about the nature center’s history, program offerings, volunteer engagement, and the habitat restoration work within the grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands within the preserve.

Registration Cost: $50 USD per person includes tour cost and transportation

Capacity: 20 (minimum 10)

Bring: Attendees should wear clothes appropriate for hiking. Bring sun protection, bug spray, and water. Our nature center will be open, along with our Nature Store before the hike, so attendees are welcome to arrive a little early and check that out if they wish.

Accessibility: We’ll be walking through various plant communities, such as woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands. The trials will consist of wood chips, grass, bear dirt, and accessible boardwalk. The hike will be about 2 miles.