Top Staff Member to Oversee The Nature Conservancy’s Prairie and Forest Conservation Programs in Western Wisconsin

Veteran Steve Richter to Direct Conservancy’s Work in Baraboo Hills, Dane and Iowa Counties

MADISON, Wis — July 8, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin announced today that Steve Richter will manage the Conservancy’s conservation work in western Wisconsin. Richter will direct the Conservancy’s efforts to conserve oak, maple and basswood forests in the Baraboo Hills area and prairie remnants in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area in Dane and Iowa counties. The Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area represents one of Wisconsin’s best opportunities to manage a large and diverse native grassland. Richter is a Conservancy veteran, most recently working for the Wisconsin program as director of conservation land management.

The Baraboo Hills of Sauk and Columbia counties are all that remain of one of North America’s most ancient rock outcrops. A forested sanctuary underlain by durable rock called Baraboo quartzite, the Hills are ecologically unique and constitute the largest block of upland forest in southern Wisconsin. The area provides habitat for more than 1,800 kinds of plants and animals.

Military Ridge includes one of the highest concentrations of native grasslands in the Midwest, comprising more than 50,000 grassland acres in Dane and Iowa counties. The area has been identified as the highest priority for landscape-scale grassland protection and management in the state by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and represents one of the best opportunities in the Midwest to protect prairie remnants and species such as grassland birds. Military Ridge provides habitat for 14 rare and declining grassland bird species and contains more than 60 prairie remnants.

“Steve's high energy, creative thinking, ability to work with partners and history with the Conservancy will help us move the Baraboo Hills and Military Ridge programs forward to the next level of conservation success,” said Mary Jean Huston, director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “We are pleased that Steve is moving into an exciting new phase of his conservation career. He will split his time between these two important programs, supervising a strong staff in Baraboo and maintaining momentum in Military Ridge as we work there to apply new conservation strategies and forge new partnerships.”

Richter started his Conservancy career in 1991, working closely with the WDNR’s Bureau of Endangered Resources on its Heritage Program and on conservation of State Natural Areas. He focused on prescribed burns and other land management activities after becoming a Wisconsin program land steward in 1992, supervising many Conservancy employees and volunteers over the years.

“I am looking forward to working with local communities in the Baraboo Hills area and in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area,” Richter said. “My goal is to ensure that both projects not only conserve rare natural areas and diverse plants and wildlife but also to ensure that these places remain a vibrant and beautiful place for people to live and work.”

Richter resides in northwestern Dane County.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In Wisconsin, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 140,000 acres since 1960. The Conservancy has more than 21,000 members in Wisconsin and offices in Madison, Baraboo, East Troy, Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org/wisconsin.