Outdoor writer and photographer, Tim Eisele, and second place runner-up in the 2024 Federal Duck Stamp competition, Rebekah Knight, are among the speakers in the Wisconsin Center for Wildlife Spring 2025 seminar series. (Courtesy UWSP)

UW-Stevens Point to host speaker series blending arts, conservation

By Patrick Lynn

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will host a weekly speaker series exploring the connection between art and wetland conservation, beginning Thursday, Jan. 30.

Titled “The Art of Waterbird and Wetland Management,” the series will feature seven professionals in land management and naturalist artistry. The events, sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Wildlife and the College of Natural Resources, will take place Thursday evenings from 5-6 p.m. in Room 170 of the Trainer Natural Resources Building and via livestream on the College of Natural Resources YouTube channel.

The seminars are free and open to the public. Topics will include the Federal Duck Stamp and state-level stamp art contests, with a focus on how funds raised through stamp sales support waterbird habitat conservation. Attendees will also learn about the art and science of decoy carving and its role in research and management.

“This series highlights the intersection of creativity and conservation,” organizers said. Additional details and livestream links are available at www.uwsp.edu/wcw.

The series includes the following presentations:

  • Jan. 30: “Ding’s Darling: The Federal Duck Stamp and an American Conservation Hero” by Tim Eisele, freelance outdoor writer and photographer.
  • Feb. 6: “Bird Decoys from the View of a Biologist” by Chris Nicolai, waterfowl scientist, Delta Waterfowl.
  • Feb. 13: “The Artform of Functional Hunting Decoys” by Pat Gregory, waterfowler and decoy maker.
  • Feb. 20: “Managing Wetlands for Waterbirds on Horicon National Wildlife Refuge” by Sadie O’Dell, wildlife biologist, Horicon National Wildlife Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • Feb. 27: “Secrets of Secretive Marshbirds” by Auriel Fournier, director and associate research scientist, Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey.
  • March 6: “Wisconsin Waterfowl Habitat Conservation Strategy in Action” by Taylor Finger, game bird specialist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
  • March 13: “Creativity and Conservation: My Experience with the Federal Duck Stamp Competition” by Rebekah Knight, wildlife artist and second-place runner-up in the 2024 Federal Duck Stamp Competition.

For more information, visit www.uwsp.edu/wcw.