Letter from the Land – Wisconsin

Guest Blog by Matt Amrhein, University of Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters and Anglers student chapter

My name is Matt Amrhein, and I am the recently graduated president of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) student chapter. It has come to my attention that we have an opportunity to highlight the importance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) – Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program. Collectively, BHA is a national organization dedicated to ensuring North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. It should come as no surprise that a non-profit group dedicated to public interests and conservation would work hand-in-hand with the conservation efforts of the USFWS.

UWSP BHA first partnered with USFWS in the spring of 2022. Our group first met with Brendan Woodall, Wisconsin Private Lands Biologist with the USFWS-PFW Program, at a public property that consists of wetland and prairie in New Berlin, WI. This was the first of many collaborative workday opportunities between USWP and USFWS. For many of the student members who attended, it was their first time practicing hands-on restoration work that included invasive species removal and removal of degraded barbed wire fencing. Most importantly, this workday sparked our relationship with Mr. Woodall and the USFWS-PFW program.

UWSP BHA operates under the five collegiate program pillars set in place by the national BHA program: community, stewardship, education advocacy, inclusivity, and adventure. The last three years of working with USFWS-PFW Program have provided our organization with five additional workdays, five new chainsaws for use on UWSP BHA projects, and three chainsaw safety trainings for dedicated members to develop, establish, and add to their skillset for future career positions. By participating in the workdays, we achieve our annual stewardship goals. By working with a program outside of BHA, we meet our community and inclusivity goals. By putting on chainsaw training programs every year and working on restoration sites, we meet our education goals. USFWS-PFW has been a critical supporter of the UWSP chapter and has played a significant role in allowing UWSP BHA to be successful in fulfilling our mission.

Personally, our group’s last workday in spring of 2025 is most memorable. Brian, a private landowner, contacted Brendan and PFW to work on his 600+ acre privately managed wetland, with a new addition of a forested parcel that will now be managed as a native oak savanna and woodland mosaic. As we wrapped up our day, I asked Brendan a question; “Why should a club whose focus is dedicated to public lands and waters be so invested in a privately owned property like Brian’s?” His answer was simple. Wisconsin is home to 5.6 million acres of public land, which is less than 17 percent of the 35 million total acres of land in the state. If we only managed 17% of all land, our critical wildlife populations would suffer tremendously. Many landowners don’t have the time, ability, or equipment to properly manage their properties for native wildlife habitat. The USFWS-Partners Program provides these private landowners with technical assistance, cost share, and also develops a strategic property management plan that provides benefits to all wildlife, which subsequently benefits us all.

It is my hope that when the importance of a program like USFWS-Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is questioned, the important impact the program has had on college organizations and young conservationists like UWSP is strongly considered in the conversation. I wouldn’t be writing this letter if my organization and I didn’t care about the future of our lands, waters, and the programs like USFWS-PFW that help conserve these resources for private and public landowners alike.

Matt Amrhein
Graduate UWSP Student

Photo by Brendan Woodall and University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Backcountry Hunters and Anglers