Events Calendar
Learn and volunteer with the Conservancy
Want to learn to identify native and invasive plants, manage your own property, or just feel good about helping make a difference for local wildlife and community members? Looking for ways to join like-minded folks to learn more about the world we live in?
Join us for an upcoming Linked to the Land educational event or a Volunteer for the Wild work party to expand your horizons and gain a sense of satisfaction for helping wildlife in your community.
View the 2026 Linked to the Land schedule.
View the 2026 Volunteer for the Wild schedule.
Read more about the options below.
Events
Trail Trek Challenge is a free year-round hike/walk program on the nature preserves you've helped protect in Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Challenge yourself to hike at least five of the 19 designated trails to discover nature's treasures and learn what makes these places so valuable for everyone who lives, works, and plays here.
COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE AND WE WILL SEND YOU A WATER BOTTLE STICKER to commemorate your accomplishment! Add the kids' names to your Trail Guide, and we will send one for each of the kids, too!
When you sign up, you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to your downloadable Trail Guide & Hike Log with hike descriptions and a place to record your hikes throughout the year. Downloadable trail maps, an interactive map, and driving directions to each hike location are available from the Nature Preserves section of our website.
Registration kicks off at Earth Fair on April 27, 2025 with a guided marsh hike at Myrick part at 11am, and you can register at any time throughout the year.
Thank you to our sponsors, whose support helps us
- Protect trees, prairies, and clean water for plants, animals and YOU!
- Teach the value of nature through outdoor recreation and land restoration projects.
- Clear trails and provide free places for people to hike on over 7,000 acres in 9 counties.
- Inspire community members to unplug and spend more time outdoors.
2025-2026 Trail Trek Challenge Sponsors: J.F. Brennan Company, Organic Valley, Emplify Health at Gundersen,
Mayo Clinic Health System, Trust Point, People’s Food Cooperative, Altra Financial Advisors, Explore La Crosse, News 8 Now,
Powered Printing-A Service of Dairyland Power Cooperative
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Let's build firebreaks!
Join the Land Management team at Boscobel Bluffs State Natural Area were we will work on preparing firebreaks for our upcoming prescribed burns at the site. This nature preserve hosts habitats and ecosystems that thrive alongside low-intensity fire, which refreshes and renews the landscape. Bundle up and bring along a friend as we get down to business clearing brush, sticks, logs, and leaves away from the firebreak!
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Terrain difficulty: ROLLING TERRAIN
Work difficulty: MODERATE DIFFICULTY
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6.
Join us at JavaVino on January 9 from 6-7:00 p.m. for an engaging look at the role fire plays in keeping the Driftless thriving.
Did you know that the Driftless landscape you know today looked completely different just 200 years ago?
The Driftless Area was once a vibrant mosaic of sun-lit prairies, open oak savannas, and scattered woodlands shaped by the natural rhythm of wildfire. When fire disappeared from the landscape, those ecosystems changed—prairies gave way to brush and trees, and open forests closed in.
At JavaVino’s January Science Café presentation, The Science of Fire, you’ll learn why controlled burning is essential to restoring the health and diversity of the upper Midwest. Discover how burns are planned and carried out, how fire shapes habitat for countless species, and why timing and frequency are key to successful conservation.
Presenter Levi Plath is the Land Manager for Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in La Crosse, WI that services a 9-county area of southwestern Wisconsin. Levi manages 26 nature preserves totaling nearly 5,000 acres and works with his colleagues, volunteers and other partners to implement habitat management projects to benefit the land, wildlife, and YOU!
He sparked an interest and passion for the land and wildlife from a young age growing up in rural north central Minnesota where he spent his childhood exploring the woods. With degrees in Ecology and Field Biology, Levi has spent the last ten years at the Conservancy working with landowners and municipalities to create land management plans, including developing prescribed burn plans and acting as a burn boss on countless properties. Levi is married and has two boys (2 and 4) so he doesn’t have a ton of free time, but he enjoys hunting, fishing, exploring new land and “geeking out” in prairies and in the woods.
This free event is part of the Conservancy's "Linked to the Land" series of educational events, sponsored generously by Olson Solar Energy and WXOW News 19.
Sign up:
https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/ikN3x7sLN5jI8ZsuFUhQ8A
Let's protect the young trees!
Tag along with the land management team at Trempealeau Lakes to help keep invasive brush out of the new tree planting! This site was formerly a pine lumber plantation and has been restored with thousands of native river-bottom trees. We need your help to prevent the fast-growing invasive brush from taking over the habitat before the trees get big enough to hold their own. We'll clear the brush and stack it to help create enough space for the baby trees to survive.
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Work difficulty rating: LIGHT DIFFICULTY
Terrain difficulty rating: FLAT
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6
Let's protect the prairie!
Haven't explored the largest nature preserve owned by Mississippi Valley Conservancy? This is your chance! Ongoing restoration work on a remnant oak savanna and prairie at Plum Creek Conservation Area has been progressing for a year. Join the team working to clear invasive plants from a rare prairie ecosystem at the top of "Derelict Ridge" overlooking the winding Kickapoo River. Come for the conservation work, stay for the views!
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Work difficulty rating: MODERATE DIFFICULTY
Terrain difficulty rating: STEEP TERRAIN
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6.
Let's remove invasive brush together!
Missed the last Wandering Rock volunteer work party? This is your chance to come out and see the newly restored western trail. February is an excellent time to explore Wandering Rock State Natural Area, because the scenic view over the Mississippi isn't obscured by leaves on the trees. At this event, we will be working to remove more invasive brush and trees from the scenic point. Bring a friend and check out all the delicious lunch options below the bluff in Nelson after a day of restoring the bluffs.
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Terrain difficulty rating: STEEP TERRAIN
Work difficulty rating: MODERATE DIFFICULTY
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6.
Let's build fire breaks!
Happy (early) Valentines Day! Do you have a Burning Desire to restore ecosystems in the Driftless? Do you want to show how much you LOVE the Earth? Come out to build a relationship with the land. On Friday, February 13th, we will be working on preparing prescribed fire breaks at Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area. Register today and help the Land Management Team clear sticks, branches, and logs away from the firebreaks to ensure a safe and effective fire in the spring!
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Terrain difficulty rating: ROLLING
Work difficulty rating: MODERATE
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6.
Let's create fire breaks!
Itching to get rid of February cabin fever? Come out and join the Land Management team at the beautiful Boscobel Bluffs State Natural Area. This spring, we will focus on removing invasive brush and preparing for prescribed fire on the site. This site has excellent wildlife, views, and is right next to the city of Boscobel. Join us to cut down invasive honeysuckle, buckthorn, and prickly ash, but stay to meet new friends and learn new skills.
All ages and skill levels are welcome – dress appropriately for the weather, bring a water bottle and sturdy footwear and clothing to protect from brush. Events may involve full body movement on uneven ground and sometimes steep slopes. Expert instruction, protective gear, tools, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can make a big difference in a short amount of time!
Terrain difficulty rating: ROLLING TERRAIN
Work difficulty rating: MODERATE DIFFICULTY
Registration confirmation will be sent by email. Additional details are emailed two days prior to the event. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 608-784-3606 ext. 6.
Mississippi Valley Conservancy invites community members to a special presentation, Winter Feeder Birds of the Driftless Area, led by naturalist and wildlife photographer Dan Jackson. This two-hour event will take place on Saturday, February 21st at 10 a.m. at the McIntosh Memorial Library in Viroqua.
As part of the Conservancy’s Linked to the Land educational outreach program, this presentation offers a fun and accessible way for nature lovers to deepen their connection to the outdoors—right from their own backyards. Winter is an active season for feeder birds in the Driftless, and learning to identify and understand these species inspires stewardship and appreciation for the habitats that support them year-round.
Dan Jackson is a Wisconsin Master Naturalist, long-time birder, and dedicated conservation volunteer with experience in wildlife photography and citizen science. He has participated in many volunteer research activities and citizen science projects including the Wisconsin Odonata Survey, the Minnesota Odonata Survey, the Dragonfly Society of the Americas Dragonfly Survey, the Wisconsin Butterfly Survey, the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas, USGS Breeding Bird Survey, Wisconsin Owl Survey, Wisconsin Nightjar Survey, Kirtland’s Warbler surveys, Christmas Bird Counts, the Wisconsin Frog Survey, the Wisconsin Mussel Monitoring Project, and the Great Backyard Bird Count. He has also led hundreds of field trips in search of birds and Odonata, and regularly does presentations on dragonflies, butterflies, birds, bumble bees, and nature photography.
As a wildlife photographer, Dan has spent countless hours in the field and has taken pictures of hundreds of species of birds, dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, bumble bees, river mussels, and many other species of insects, plants, and animals. Some of his photos have been published in magazines, birding publications, newspapers, field guides, websites, and journals including “Dragonflies of the Northwoods”, “Dragonflies of Wisconsin”, “Damselflies of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan”, the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, the Badger Birder, Argia, the Big River Magazine, and even “The Complete Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Australia”.
Jackson’s talk will feature photos of common—and a few uncommon—winter birds that visit feeders in our region, along with engaging insights into their behavior, biology, and ecology. Whether you’re new to backyard birding or a seasoned observer, this presentation will offer tips, visuals, and stories perfect for winter nature watching.
The event is free and open to the public, with donations welcomed to support the Conservancy’s work protecting more than 27,000 acres across the Driftless Area. Support for this Linked to the Land program was also provided by WXOW News 19.
(Photo by Dan Jackson. A Lapland longspur is a frequent visitor to the Driftless Area in the winter months.)