It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that Ann Vaj’s last day with Groundswell will be August 27th. We thank her for her hard work and passion in supporting HMoob farmers across Wisconsin.
This means we are looking to hire an Outreach & Technical Assistance Manager.
Bi-lingual and bi-cultural in English and HMoob is a requirement for this position.
As with all staff at Groundswell, this employee will help build lasting relationships with people and partners that enable us to create a world where everyone can enjoy nature and equitable access to land.
This is a full-time (40 hours/week), USDA-funded position with paid benefits including health and dental insurance, annual and sick leave, and retirement.
Check out the full job description to learn more. The application deadline is August 31, 2024. The position must start by October 1, 2024.
To Apply:
Please email a resume and cover letter via email in one PDF format to Yimmuaj Yang, Community Director at yimmuaj@groundswellconservancy.org. In the subject line include Outreach & TA Manager. The cover letter should summarize your interest and qualifications for this position.
Cate Harrington retired after 33 years with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2023, most recently as the Wisconsin program’s Director of Marketing and Communications. In that role, she led a great team that helped advance TNC’s work to connect people with nature and protect critical lands and waters in Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region, and beyond. Cate received her MA in Spanish language & linguistics and her MA in journalism & mass communications from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys traveling, birding, volunteering on Groundswell’s communications committee, and spending time outdoors with her husband, John, and their English springer spaniel, Tanner.
Davin Lopez has been with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) since 2005. In 2011 he joined the WDNR’s Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation (formerly Endangered Resources), where some of his main duties are to serve as the state Whooping Crane reintroduction coordinator and the state lead for the Kirtland’s Warbler conservation project. Previously, Davin was in the WDNR’s Chronic Wasting Disease program where he started as a field technician and eventually took over as the statewide coordinator. He has also worked at Colorado State University as a lab technician in a malaria research lab and as a zookeeper at the Denver and Pueblo Zoos. Davin grew up in Denver, Colorado, has bachelor’s degrees in biology and anthropology from New Mexico State University, and did his master’s degree work in population ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
For nearly three decades, Laura Hanson has worked to improve systems and organizations through various leadership roles advocating for self-determination, access, and inclusion for people with disabilities and older adults. She currently works as a project manager at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in the Bureau of Eligibility and Enrollment Policy. Laura has previously served on the Board of InControl Wisconsin for three terms and on the Board for Community Shares as a representative from Disability Rights Wisconsin. She also volunteered on Groundswell Conservancy’s Community Committee before becoming a board member. Laura has a BA in Psychology with a minor in Sociology, and she recently obtained a Graduate Certification at Edgewood College in the Social Innovation and Sustainable Leadership program. She lives in the Town of Dunn with her husband, two college-aged children, and two mischievous cats. When she’s not in her garden, she’s out hiking and foraging, studying herbalism, or going to concerts with her kids.
Rachel Snyder is the Senior Director of Gift Planning and Agreements for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to her position with UWM, she was a Senior Associate Attorney with Stafford Rosenbaum LLP where she worked with clients on estate planning, probate and trust administration, and nonprofit advising. She also served for several years as a staff attorney with the Wisconsin Legislative Council, working on a range of issues including education, family welfare, state tribal relations, tax, and tourism. Rachel received a bachelor’s degree in history and business administration from Ripon College and a J.D. from University of Wisconsin Law School. Rachel also currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Road Home Dane County and as a member of the Old World Foundation Advisory Committee.
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You might be familiar with easements outside of conservation. For example, a neighbor might grant you the right to use their driveway. This is a driveway access easement. You might grant a utility company the right to run a power line across your property. This is a utility easement. In both cases, rights are being exchanged. Sometimes those rights are exchanged for money.
For land trusts like Groundswell, a conservation easement grants rights to protect certain conservation values. These conservation values can include important wildlife habitat, wetland and stream protection, or protection of prime farm soils. Groundswell purchases these rights through voluntary legal agreements with landowners to permanently limit uses of the land to protect conservation values. Landowners retain many of their rights, including the right to own and use the land, sell it, and pass it on to their heirs. Groundswell’s conservation easement lands generally remain in private ownership.
Since 2020, Groundswell and Linden Cohousing have partnered together to provide a unique farmers market for HMoob growers to sell their produce. The market was created to help disadvantaged growers withstand the abrupt closures of farmers markets during the pandemic. With markets in full swing again, the Linden Cohousing Market will no longer continue. Thank you to all who supported the growers over the past four years!
It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that we say goodbye to Liz Pelton this week. We wish her the best of luck in her new job with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon). We thank her for her hard work and passion these past several years.
This means we are looking to hire a Development Coordinator. The Development Coordinator works to create, renew, and strengthen relationships with financial supporters of Groundswell Conservancy. This position plays a crucial role in effective stewardship of our supporters. This person will be supervised by Groundswell’s Director of Major and Planned Gifts.
As with all staff at Groundswell, this employee will help build lasting relationships with people and partners that enable us to create a world where everyone can enjoy nature and equitable access to land.
This position is part-time (24 hours/week) salaried with paid benefits including health and dental insurance, annual and sick leave, and retirement.
Check out the full job description to learn more. The application deadline is Friday, April 12, 2024.
To Apply:
Please email a resume and cover letter via email in one PDF format to Heidi Habeger, Director of Major and Planned Gifts at heidi@groundswellconservancy.org. In the subject line include Development Coordinator Application. The cover letter should summarize your interest and qualifications for this position.
It’s CSA Week! Supporting local and sustainable businesses in our community goes hand in hand with the work we do at Groundswell. Check out how our partners at Fairshare CSA Coalition can connect you to the local farmer that fits your needs. Support local farmers today!
CSA Week is a nationwide celebration and promotion of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The 40+ organic, small-scale CSA farmers in FairShare’s Coalition work hard to grow delicious food for their communities across the Midwest. We want to lift up their work and help eaters like you get connected to a CSA share in your community.
FairShare provides information on how folks can pick the share that works best for their needs on their About CSA page. And their online Farm Search Tool is a great resource for people to find a FairShare farm near them.
CSA Week is the busiest time of year for CSA share signups. Don’t wait to sign up as shares sell out quickly! CSA is more than food – it’s about directly impacting your local community, knowing and supporting your local farmer, and building a resilient and sustainable future.
Groundswell is growing and we have an exciting career opportunity to share! Thanks to the support of our generous foundation partners, we’re hiring a full-time Farm & Land Management Specialist.
The Farm & Land Management Specialist is a new position that works with our Community Director (50% of time) and Land Management Director (50% of time). This position is responsible for helping manage our two community farms, two nature preserves, create infrastructure and partnerships at our community conservation projects, and develop and strengthen relationships with financial supporters and partners of Groundswell Conservancy.
As with all staff at Groundswell, this employee will help build lasting relationships with people and partners that enable us to create a world where everyone can enjoy nature and equitable access to land.
This position is salaried with paid benefits including health and dental insurance, annual and sick leave, and retirement.
Check out the full job description to learn more and for directions on how to apply. Applications are due by Friday, February 23, 2024.
Groundswell is excited to announce that we have been awarded the Land Transfer Navigators Program grant to help increase the transfer of agricultural land to a new generation of farmers in our community!
Forty percent of the country’s agricultural land is owned or operated by seniors. As aging agricultural landowners prepare to retire, the future of the land they steward is at a critical turning point. How and to whom the current generation of farmers transfers their land will have an enormous impact on the next generation.
The funding, provided by American Farmland Trust, will support four years of training supported by technical and financial assistance to Groundswell Conservancy. We will use that training to connect existing farmers with a diverse, new generation of farmers interested in keeping our farmland healthy and productive.
You can learn more about this grant program on the American Farmland Trust’s website.
We are so excited about this opportunity to better serve farmers in our community!
We’re excited to share that we’ve moved offices! Our new address is:
211 S. Paterson St., Suite 250
Madison, WI 53703
To better fit our growing team, we moved to a bigger space in the building next door to our old office. You might recognize it by the large metal bird sculptures (“Dreamkeepers” made by Thomas Every) out front.
In addition to having more space to work, we also have great new neighbors! We now share a building with Gathering Waters, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and Madison Audubon.
If you recently mailed something to our old address, we’ll still get it. Our mail will be forwarded to our new location for a while longer. Our phone number, 608-258-9797, remains the same.