February 19, 2026

How did John Muir’s formative years in Wisconsin shape and influence the wilderness evangelist? And what can 21st-century Americans learn from Muir’s immersion in wild nature? Come to ““Oh that Glorious Wisconsin Wilderness!” John Muir’s Conservation Legacy” presented by Matt Blessing to help answer some of these questions. Blessing once studied environmental history here at UW-Stevens Point and went on to work for 30 years at Marquette University Libraries and the Wisconsin Historical Society. He is now retired, studying conservation history, and publishing in The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Silent Sports, and The Leopold Outlook.

Retired Archivist
Wisconsin Historical Society

We’re sorry! We were unable to record this seminar. A recording will not be available.

February 26, 2026

Fran Hamerstrom was perhaps one of the most unlikely women of her generation to become an internationally renowned wildlife biologist. However, grit, hard work, a gift for communication, and a lot of serendipity gave her the opportunity to live a life learning about and advocating for wild things and wild places. In this Seminar, “Fran Hamerstrom: A Woman’s Voice in Wildlife Conservation,” UW-Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources Dean Emerita, Christine Thomas, will introduce new audiences to Fran’s journey and to that of her life partner, Fred Hamerstrom. Those who knew the Hamerstroms will get a trip down Memory Lane.

A voice for conservation in her own right, Thomas was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame for her own contributions to Wisconsin’s conservation legacy. She served UW-Stevens Point for 40 years as a professor and later as CNR Dean, was appointed by the Secretary of Interior during the George W. Bush administration to serve on the Sporting Conservation Council in 2005, and was appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture in the Obama administration to the position of vice chair of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council in 2010. Join us for Dean Emerita Thomas’s reflection on the life and legacy of Fran Hamerstrom and other remarkable women in Wisconsin’s conservation history.

Dean Emerita
College of Natural Resources
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

March 5, 2026

Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senator from 1963 to 1981, brought conservation to the forefront of American politics. In helping found Earth Day, he was a bridge between the conservation and environmental eras. Learn more about how Nelson navigated his career in light of the nation’s changing environmental concerns in the 1960s and 1970s.

Our presenter, Neil Prendergast Ph.D. has taught environmental history here at UW-Stevens Point since 2011. His current courses focus on environmental justice, environmental history, and modern U.S. history. His most recent research project examines the central Wisconsin activism against a nuclear power plant in Rudolph during the 1970s and a high-level nuclear waste repository in the Wolf River watershed in the 1980s.

Professor of History
UW-Stevens Point

Sorry! This seminar is cancelled due to weather! We will reschedule – check back soon!

During the Great Depression in the 1930’s, Wallace Grange and his wife, Hazel, established Sandhill Wildlife Area in Babcock, Wisconsin. Grange became the first Superintendent of Game Management of the Wisconsin Conservation Department (now the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, WDNR), and served the U.S. Biological Survey (now the US Fish and Wildlife Service) as a biologist. This seminar traces the development of nascent wildlife management in Wisconsin as it arose from ecological destruction that accompanied settlement in the state. Thiel, a retired WDNR educator, explores Grange’s career and the establishment of the largest game farm in Wisconsin, later sold to the WDNR to become Sandhill Wildlife Area.

Dick Thiel was Wisconsin’s first wolf biologist and served as the coordinator of the Sandhill Outdoor Skills Education Center at Sandhill Wildlife Area from 1990-2011.

Retired Educator
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

April 9, 2026

Having come of age at a time of rampant resource exploitation and depletion, Aldo Leopold oriented the conservation professions in a more ecological direction. In confronting the daunting realities of conservation in the 21st century, we may now recognize how the land ethic that Leopold helped to define continues to evolve. Come to “Aldo Leopold and the Arc of Wisconsin’s Conservation History,” presented by Curt Meine: conservation biologist, environmental historian, and writer. Meine is a Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Center for Humans and Nature; a Research Associate with the International Crane Foundation; and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Senior Fellow, Aldo Leopold Society
and
Adjunct Professor, UW-Madison