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.
This year, 2023, marks Groundswell’s 40th anniversary. It’s truly a remarkable milestone when you consider our grassroots beginning.
In 1983, a group of concerned citizens came together to protect a small, but important piece of land along Lake Mendota. They formed the Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation. (Read more about our founding story here.) We’re guessing they had no idea that 40 years later, they and those who followed in their footsteps would protect nearly 14,000 acres of special places!
We’ve come a long way and accomplished so much in the last 40 years. As we’ve matured, we’ve evolved to be about much more than just acres protected. The land trust community is increasingly focused on building an inclusive movement in which all people benefit from conserved lands.
During our 40th anniversary year, we’re celebrating our history of conservation success and getting energized for the work that lies ahead. Let’s protect more special places and continue to tackle the environmental challenges our community faces – our climate is changing, farmland is disappearing, not everyone has good access to land, wildlife habitat is vanishing, and people are losing their connections with the outdoors.
With the help of our supporters, landowners, partners, and volunteers, we are taking on big issues with focus and resolve. This year and beyond, we’ll continue to:
- Act on climate crisis
- Connect people with nature
- Conserve wildlife habitat
- Provide equitable access to land
- Keep farmland, farmland
- Create green schoolyards
We are grateful to everyone who’s helped Groundswell make it this far. We invite you to get involved and continue supporting our mission. Let’s engage even more people in our shared vision of a world filled with green places where communities thrive.
Groundswell is growing and we have an exciting career opportunity to share! We’re hiring a full-time Outreach & Events Coordinator.
The Outreach & Events Coordinator is a new position with the Development team, responsible for managing Groundswell’s events and outreach activities. This person will connect people with nature through free community field trips and events on land Groundswell helped protect. They will also coordinate our email, social media, and website communications.
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 Monday, May 22, 2023.
Liz Pelton, who you’ve seen coordinating our outreach and events, isn’t going anywhere. She has made the decision to reduce her hours with Groundswell to spend more time with her young daughter. She’ll continue to coordinate our fundraising efforts part time.
Have you noticed that we’ve been using the term HMoob instead of Hmong lately? Throughout written work, the HMoob people and language have been categorized under the generic term “Hmong.” However, the HMoob people and language represent a diverse group of communities and identities. The term “HMoob” was created by community members as a more inclusive word that encompasses two main dialects, Green and White.
To be more inclusive of the different communities within the larger HMoob community, Groundswell will use the term “HMoob” in writing going forward. Even though the spelling is different, the English pronunciation is the same (muhng).
Exciting news! Groundswell’s Conservation Director, Tony Abate, is taking on a new role at Groundswell. While his job title will stay the same, his promotion means that he’ll take the lead on our land protection efforts going forward.
“I’m eager to expand our tradition of thoughtful, strategic land protection,” says Tony. “I look forward to creating equitable access to land, protecting farmland, preserving wildlife habitat, and more.”
Over the past seven years, Tony has established strong working relationships with private landowners and Groundswell’s agency and community partners. He’s done an incredible job of leading our Stewardship Committee and developing and implementing our green schoolyard initiatives and community projects at Patrick Marsh and Westport Prairie.
We’re excited about Tony stepping into the role and building on Groundswell’s 40 years of land protection success. His expertise and knowledge of conservation easements and land management will benefit us greatly as our organization grows. We couldn’t think of a better person for the job!
Groundswell Conservancy is kicking off the new year with some exciting news! After 40 years of conservation success, we’re growing, and we need your help.
We’re looking for four people with diverse backgrounds and experiences who are passionate about protecting special places forever to join our board of directors. We’re also seeking community members to serve on our various committees.
Since 1983, Groundswell Conservancy has protected hundreds of special places in South Central Wisconsin. We work to keep rich farm soils available for farming, help elementary schools in Madison create green schoolyards, manage natural areas to care for wildlife, and connect communities to the land.
We also improve access and land tenure for farmers of color and New American farmers. We work to remove barriers to equitable access to land and nature and strive, every day, to represent the communities we serve.
We’re seeking board and committee members who are:
- Passionate about nature and protecting the environment.
- Committed to expanding access to outdoor spaces for all people.
- Experienced in areas related to Groundswell’s operations, including non-profit management, land management and conservation, agricultural activities, public relations and/or marketing, budgets and investments, community relations, fundraising, human resources, legal issues, or other functional areas.
- Inclusive, engaged, and collaborative.
- Willing to devote time, energy and/or financial resources towards advancing the mission of Groundswell Conservancy.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out the full position description.
Apply today by emailing your cover letter and resume to admin@
Applications are due by February 17, 2023.