The Wisconsin Coverts Project
Note: you may also enjoy reading Denise Thornton’s blog article for My Wisconsin Woods about the Wisconsin Coverts Project: “A Conservation Camp of Landowners”
The Wisconsin Coverts Project
3 days of indoor sessions and outdoor experiences for landowners who want to enhance their woodlands for wildlife.
What is a “Covert”?
“Covert” pronounced “kuh-vert” is a 14th century English word describing a dense thicket that provides shelter for wildlife.
The Coverts Workshop:
Using sound ecological principles, this three-day workshop focuses on actions you can take to enhance your land’s wildlife abundance and diversity.
- We’ll get you on the land to show you how management can make a difference.
- You’ll learn how you can improve wildlife habitat and benefit financially from your land.
- We’ll provide you with resources (e.g. websites, publications) to help you manage your woodlands.
- You’ll find out who to contact for your woodland management needs: private, state, and university wildlife and forestry specialists.
A Cooperative Program:
In exchange for the free, 3-day workshop and materials, participants agree to become COVERTS
COOPERATORS, sharing what they have learned with their communities.
Since 1994, 879 Coverts Cooperators (representing 736 properties) have attended Wisconsin’s 34 workshops. Cooperators own or are responsible for managing 252,934 acres in Wisconsin (and the Midwest). Coverts Cooperators have reached out to more than 17,000 landowners accounting for an additional estimated 717,000 acres in Wisconsin and beyond. The total land base impacted through 30 years of the program is estimated to be nearly 1 million acres.
Cooperators Agree to…
- develop a sound woodland wildlife management plan for their land.
- reach out to and motivate other woodland owners in their community, and be available to answer questions from them.
- share resources provided by the Wisconsin Coverts Project.
You CAN make a difference in your land’s wildlife abundance and diversity.
And it’s one of the most rewarding time investments you can make.
Comments From Wisconsin Landowners:
Since 1994, private landowners statewide have taken part in Coverts workshops. How popular are the workshops? Just take a look at some participants’ comments taken right from participant evaluations.
- A great experience – I wish I had the benefit 20 years ago.”
- “Thanks for a job well done! I was very pleased with the program. I didn’t think that there were so many people who shared my enjoyment in woodland management. Now I realize that we are a powerful group.”
- “This is an excellent outreach program. Private woodland owners must be involved and this program can provide the means.”
Additional Information:
When is the Wisconsin Coverts Project?
Held annually over an extended weekend in August, from a Thursday afternoon through noon on Sunday.
What does it cost?
Costs, including lodging and meals, are paid for by the program sponsors.
Who can attend?
Any woodland owner or person responsible for managing a parcel of wooded land in Wisconsin or the Midwest is eligible to apply. There is no minimum acreage requirement; we are most interested in persons with outreach potential/influence in their community.
Where is the Wisconsin Coverts Project held?
The program has been held at various locations in the past, but most recent workshops have been held at the University of Wisconsin’s Kemp Natural Resources Station in Woodruff, WI.
Located in Oneida County, Kemp’s 135 acres support some of the last old-growth forests in the Lake states. The station provides opportunities for natural resources research, instruction and outreach amidst the lakes and forests of northern WI.
Attendees stay in this lodge overlooking Lake Tomahawk.
Click here for more information about Kemp Natural Resources Station.