What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 4pm Tuesday 8am - 4pm Wednesday 8am - 4pm Thursday 8am - 4pm Friday 8am - 4pm

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Home
United States
Madison, WI
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Call Directions Website

Welcome to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources! This page is for sharing your experiences recreating in Wisconsin's outdoors.

This page is not monitored 24/7. Report wildlife violations at https://dnr.wi.gov/contact/hotline.html The Department of Natural Resources is charged with sustaining and enhancing Wisconsin's natural resources and environment. A cornerstone of our mission is providing for outdoor recreation in our state. The WI DNR page is a place for the outdoor recreating community to share information about fun in Wisconsin's outdoors. If you are looking for more information about Wisconsin DNR, please visit http://dnr.wi.gov.

10/31/2026

Whooo will you be dressing up as for Halloween? This closeup of a barred owl in Sauk County comes from a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera.

Snapshot trail cameras are managed by volunteers and the photos that are collected are used for making wildlife management decisions. To learn more about the statewide wildlife monitoring project, and how you can get involved in community science, head over to the Snapshot webpage and have a safe and Happy Owl-ween!

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/research/projects/snapshot

10/30/2026

What’s black and yellow and sort of spooky?

A bumble bee visiting a ghost plant!

Ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora) is a plant without any chlorophyll, which is why their leaves, stem and flowers lack color, that taps into mycorrhizal fungi to get its food.

But that’s no problem for a bumblebee looking for nectar!

Video Credit: Nymeria Zeng, Wisconsin State Natural Areas Volunteer

10/29/2026

After you submit a CWD sample in a testing kiosk, DNR field staff collect and transport the submitted samples to our CWD processing center in Poynette.

At the central processing center, staff extract and pair each lymph node sample with the unique ID number that is connected to your Go Wild account.

Staff then ship the sample to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) in Madison, one of only 32 labs in the country certified to conduct CWD testing. Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory staff will run the diagnostic CWD test in batches of 90 samples at a time.

When this coordinated effort is complete, the results will be sent to you by email, will populate in your Go Wild account and are available online using the orange barcode from your CWD sample kit. On average, the results will be available about 2 weeks after submitting your deer at a sampling location,

Testing is voluntary and free to hunters who have taken a deer in Wisconsin.

If you hunt, consider submitting a sample of your deer for CWD testing to help the DNR better understand distribution and current levels throughout the state. Find a sampling location near you:
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/registersample

10/29/2026

A Wisconsin DNR conservation warden worked cooperatively with local law enforcement and firefighters to help rescue an injured pilot from a plane crash that occurred Monday, Oct. 12 near Sextonville.

DNR Warden Mike Williams, an experienced boat operator stationed in Richland County, used his airboat to transport the pilot from the crash scene to awaiting emergency medical personnel, only to turn around and make multiple trips ferrying Richland Center Fire Department personnel and Richland County Sheriff’s Office deputies to and from the crash site to retrieve equipment.

Williams credits the warden boat training course for his ability to maneuver an airboat in the most challenging situations. He says the instructors encouraged wardens to test their skillset with the airboat’s performance in most difficult areas – including mud-filled bogs and swampy terrains like the one he faced to rescue the pilot at the crash site.

Richland Center Fire Chief Scott Gald praised Warden Williams’ airboat response this week, noting the expert maneuvering as Warden Williams unloaded the airboat into a cornfield and got through the cattails and bog. “He got within 40 yards where our firefighters were trying to take the pilot out of that swamp – waist deep in a bog,” Gald said.

Williams said when he launched his airboat, a Richland County Sheriff's Office officer joined as a co-pilot. Warden Williams steered the airboat through the muddy, weedy swamp per the direction of the lieutenant as he eyed the drone used to locate the plane site.

The pilot was loaded into the airboat, along with a responder, and Williams got the pilot to the staging area. He was treated there and then airlifted to the hospital for treatment.

Williams turned around and returned to the crash site, where he got the three firefighters needing hospital care for dehydration as it was about 85 during the afternoon rescue from a swamp.

“We also had a lot of gear used – turnout gear, extrication gear,” Gald said, adding Williams ferried back and forth until all was retrieved. “We couldn’t thank Mike and the DNR enough to bring us that resource on that tough day.”

To learn about this multi-faceted career, visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WardenRecruitment

10/27/2026

Here’s the tea... New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus and Ceanothus herbaceous) is a shrub native to Wisconsin that grows in open areas with well-drained soil. The plants have deep roots that support soil structure and make it well adapted to fire and highly tolerant to drought.

Like so many native plants, this species provides benefits to many kinds of wildlife:

– Nesting habitat for small birds
– Leaves are eaten by deer and rabbits
– Seeds are eaten by wild turkeys
– Blossoms provide an early summer nectar source for native pollinating insects as well as hummingbirds
– Host plant to more than 30 moth and butterfly species, including the more common Spring and Summer Azure butterflies

Recently, state natural area crews hosted a New Jersey Tea Party to collect New Jersey Tea seed for native habitat expansion at Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area.

A huge thank you to local volunteers as well as members of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, UW-Stevens Point and the Wisconsin Rare Plant Monitoring Program who contributed to over 50 hours of effort and are part of an incredible network that supports the DNR in protecting the land we all share.

Photo Credit: Shannon Haley

10/26/2026

Anyone looking to participate in the 2027 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago needs to buy their license by Oct. 31, 2026. That’s this Saturday!

Spearers who have been awarded an Upriver Lakes tag have until the start of the 2027 spearing season, which will open on Feb. 13 and run for a max of 16 days or until the predetermined harvest caps are met.

Licenses can be purchased through Go Wild or at any license sales location.

Photo Credit: David Nevala

10/24/2026

Have you ever seen a gray fox in Wisconsin? These canids often have shorter legs compared to the more common red fox. The black stripe running down the center of its tail occasionally looks like a dramatic shadow in nighttime images, such as this one seen by a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera in Sauk County.

To learn which counties in the state have had the most detections of gray foxes on Snapshot cameras, check out the Data Dashboard. You can also explore information about 22 other wildlife species commonly spotted by the long-running community science project:
https://widnr-snapshotwisconsin.shinyapps.io/DataDashboard/

10/23/2026

Our fire danger map is showing blue and yellow, but it’s not for the Brewers – it’s to show elevated fire conditions this weekend, today through Sunday, Oct. 25.

If you’re planning to head outside this weekend to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, check on the latest fire restrictions before going out. Anyone who decides to have a campfire or warming fire should maintain at least a 3-foot clearing around the fire and keep the fire small. Always keep water and a shovel handy, and keep the fire attended. When you’re finished burning, drown and stir the fire with a shovel until the fire is out. Check the ashes with the back of your hand for any warmth and repeat the wetting process until the fire is 100% out.

Improper ash disposal is another common cause of wildfires. When disposing of ashes from a stove or fireplace, foresters recommend placing them into a steel bucket or metal garbage can. The ash should only then be disposed of by spreading on bare ground, such as a tilled garden or plowed field, when cold.
ATV and other vehicle users in the forests should check around their mufflers for dry grass, leaves and pine needles. This debris can turn into a smoldering cinder, fall off on a grassy backwoods trail and start a fire.

Check WisBurn and follow fire safety tips to enjoy the outdoors safely: https://apps.dnr.wi.gov/wisburn/ #/

10/23/2026

Bats are cool! October is a great time to get curious about these unique creatures.

Did you know Wisconsin is home to some of the largest hibernation sites for little brown bats?

Learn more about bats by attending an event! Wisconsin DNR experts, as well as Wisconsin Bat Ambassadors, educators at state parks and others, are hosting events throughout the state to help you learn more about these mysterious, marvelous mammals.

Bat Week's events page has a listing of events that you can narrow down by searching "Wisconsin" - https://batweek.org/home/event/

10/23/2026

Our Milwaukee Fish Team is World Series-ready, proudly flying Milwaukee Brewers colors while doing fisheries surveys out on Lake Michigan yesterday.

Go Brew Crew!! We're so proud of you!!💙💛

Address

Madison, WI

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4pm
Tuesday	8am - 4pm
Wednesday	8am - 4pm
Thursday	8am - 4pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Telephone

+18889367463

Website

http://dnr.wi.gov/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.