Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA) is a proud community of passionate individuals actively working to improve Wisconsin's environment.

VALUES: Everything we do is for birds and the people who love them. Birds are amazing and bring so much joy and benefit to our lives! To help advance our shared mission of bird conservation, our staff and board operates within four guiding principles: Respect… for nature, for people, for differences, Community… natural community, birding community, social community, Curiosity… in nature, in each other, in new approaches, and Accountability… to our community, to our mission, to nature.

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, formerly known as Madison Audubon Society, is your local Audubon chapter for folks living in Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, and Sauk counties.

MATT REETZ (he/him) - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

After diverse experience in academic, state agency, private and nonprofit worlds, Matt feels he now has the perfect job. In his role as Executive Director, Matt is able to combine experience in program development and partnership-building, a deep enthusiasm for applied wildlife conservation, and a genuine interest in people. Matt earned a BS from the University of Illinois, and Master’s and PhD degrees in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida. Prior to returning to his Wisconsin roots, Matt was a field technician, researcher, and professor and knows he is fortunate to have conducted work on an amazing variety of birds in the Caribbean, Chile, Australia, and the States. When not leading the world’s greatest team, Matt enjoys sharing the great outdoors with his wife, a super-smart wildlife epidemiologist, and his son, a super-smart wildlife enthusiast.

Matt’s current favorite bird is the Sharp-tailed Grouse.

BECKY ABEL - DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY

Becky is delighted to be part of the staff of Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, where she brings her passion for southern Wisconsin birds and landscapes toward securing solid funding for SoWBA’s vital programs. Prior to joining our team, Becky served in a variety of conservation nonprofit leadership roles, focusing on individual, foundation, and corporate fundraising after earlier avian field work and research positions. Becky holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Wildlife Ecology from UW–Madison. In her free time, she enjoys camping, biking, paddling, and travel—always with a pair of binoculars!

The Trumpeter Swan is the species whose every vocalization, head pump, foot clap, and flyover brings her joy, but she can’t discuss favorite birds without giving a nod to American Crows, Carolina Wrens, and Black Terns.

CAROLYN BYERS (she/her) - DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Carolyn has spent many years studying avian behavior, and loves to share her bird knowledge with the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance community. She is particularly interested in nesting ecology, chick development, and foraging behavior. Carolyn earned a BS in biology from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Carolyn loves being a part of SoWBA’s education team which brings science to local youth and our communities. Carolyn enjoys spending time being active outside gardening, camping, fishing, and (of course) birding.

Carolyn’s (current) favorite birds are Henslow’s Sparrows and other LBJs (little brown jobs)!

BRENNA MARSICEK (she/her) - DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH

Brenna began her adventure with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance as a summer ecological intern in 2007 at Faville Grove Sanctuary. That internship helped determine her career path in nature-related nonprofit work, and eventually led her back to the organization 2016. Brenna graduated from UW–Madison in 2008 with degrees in Geography, Environmental Studies, and International Studies. Prior to joining SoWBA in her current capacity, she served as the Outreach Coordinator at the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute, where she fell in love with pollinators, short-horned lizards, and open spaces. She enjoys gardening, hiking, cross-country skiing, and taking her kids on canoe and bike rides.

Brenna’s favorite bird is the Northern Flicker.

JOHN MINNICH - FINANCIAL MANAGER

Before joining Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, John performed financial work for several local businesses and nonprofits. At SoWBA, John does the books, assists the treasurer in reporting finances to the board and preparing the annual budget, and manages the membership database. He is the go-to guru on membership questions and organizational history, as he has worked at the organization for over ten years! John enjoys cooking, music, reading, and spending time with friends.

John’s favorite bird is the Gray Catbird.

LIZ PELTON (she/her) - MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Liz joined Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance after nearly 10 years of fundraising for conservation nonprofits, including the International Crane Foundation and Groundswell Conservancy. Growing up in the Madison area, Liz spent lots of time outdoors exploring Six Mile Creek and going on family camping trips at Wisconsin State Parks. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. She started her career as a medical editor in pharmaceutical research and moved to the nonprofit world in 2015. She cares deeply about local conservation and making nature more accessible for everyone to enjoy. Liz, her husband, and daughter love getting outside together and feeding their backyard birds (and squirrels).

Her favorite bird is the clever and spooky American Crow.

KAITLIN SVABEK (they/them) - DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Kaitlin is excited to share the incredible work of the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance with the community, joining the team after roles in publishing, libraries, and schools. An avid volunteer at Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center and various bird banding projects, Kaitlin holds a degree in psychology and writing from Northwestern University in addition to an MLIS and UX certificate from University of Wisconsin–Madison. When not birding or talking about birds, they love spending time outside with their spouse and dogs—hiking, biking, or gardening with native plants. Kaitlin is passionate about improving access to nature, especially in the birding world, and served as the Wisconsin Birdability Captain.

Cranes and corvids are among their favorite birds.

Fair Meadows Sanctuary

CHRIS KAPLAN - LAND STEWARD AT FAIR MEADOWS SANCTUARY

Chris was born and raised in rural southeastern Wisconsin where he fell in love with the outdoors at a young age. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Biology/Ecology degree in 1998. His first day on the job was removing non-native trees from a 380 acre property in Milton, Wisconsin called Fair Meadows. For 20+ years Chris worked in the private sector providing ecological restoration services to local landowners until his heart called him home. In 2020 Chris began working as the fulltime land steward at Fair Meadows.  Chris is very excited to join Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and continue his work in stewarding this amazing and beautiful place. Chris lives in Fort Atkinson with his two sons and enjoys camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. Burr oak, little bluestem, Wood Duck, and American badger are among his favorite species.

PENNY & GARY SHACKELFORD - FAIR MEADOWS SANCTUARY VOLUNTEER RESIDENT MANAGERS

Penny and Gary Shackelford retired from medical careers in 2002 and moved to Wisconsin to manage their property in rural Rock County full-time. Approximately 375 acres of the property, Fair Meadows Sanctuary, is now owned by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Penny and Gary continue to live on-site and serve as volunteer resident managers. They are proud that Fair Meadows was named a Wisconsin State Natural Area in 2005. Although Penny and Gary both have backgrounds in the medical sciences, Fair Meadows provides a never-ending challenge for them to study and learn new things about native habitats, land management, and the myriad living and nonliving features of the natural world. Participation in numerous conservation organizations bolstered their understanding of and dedication to habitat restoration.

Penny loves living on the land. Her joy is to watch the natural landscape recover and native species return and flourish. Her favorite plants are the bur oak, great angelica, swamp thistle, and eastern prairie fringed orchid. Her favorite birds are the Sedge Wren, American Woodcock, Scarlet Tanager, and Indigo Bunting.

Gary has a special interest in nature photography. His close relationship with Fair Meadows has provided him with the opportunity to concentrate on making intimate portraits of its flora, fauna, and natural communities in all seasons, and the images that he creates has given him a greater understanding of its ecosystem. Going beyond the documentation of subjects, Gary strives to convey his personal response through images that inspire others with their beauty. His favorite photographic subjects are birds.

Faville Grove Sanctuary

TUCKER SANBORN - RESIDENT LAND STEWARD AT FAVILLE GROVE SANCTUARY

Tucker is thrilled to join Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance in a permanent capacity at Faville Grove after having worked with the organization in multiple seasonal positions. His start with field work was SoWBA’s Prairie Partner internship in 2019, which sparked a strong interest in restoration ecology and the phenology of prairies and oak savannas. In 2020, he graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Conservation Biology and certificate in Environmental Studies, and has since worked with the Wisconsin DNR and in National Forests in Oregon and Texas. He’s very appreciative of all the beautiful places he’s gotten to work in across the state and country, and is especially fascinated by fire-dependent communities, disturbance ecology, and parasitic plants. Outside of work, he also enjoys spending time on various projects at his family’s farm in Verona.

His favorite species include the Red-headed Woodpecker, ghost pipe, wild brook trout, and chicken of the woods mushroom.

DAVID MUSOLF - FAVILLE GROVE SANCTUARY VOLUNTEER RESIDENT MANAGER
David is a founding manager of Faville Grove Sanctuary, having contributed his energy and resources toward its development since its inception in 1998. A life-long outdoor and environmental enthusiast, David organized and planted the first prairie restoration at Faville Grove in 1994, and others most every year since then. He is an avid vegetable gardener, eating year-round from his harvests, and lives at Faville Grove in the passive solar/wood-heated home he designed and constructed in 1977. He retired from UW-Madison administration in 2013 after more than 50 years of service to the institution. 

Among the many Faville Grove native species that David finds especially compelling are the Brown Thrasher, American badger, blue-spotted salamander, Blanding's turtle, Baltimore checkerspot, and heath aster.

ROGER PACKARD - FAVILLE GROVE SANCTUARY VOLUNTEER RESIDENT MANAGER
Retired from a position in administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Roger spends as much time as possible outside restoring the ecological integrity of the land at Faville Grove, where he and his partner, David Musolf, have worked with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance since 1998 to make the sanctuary the gem that it is today. As board president from 2012 to 2021, Roger oversaw a period of tremendous growth in the organization’s capacity and effectiveness in all aspects of its mission: environmental education, advocacy and habitat protection.

Goose Pond Sanctuary

GRAHAM STEINHAUER - RESIDENT LAND STEWARD AT GOOSE POND SANCTUARY

Graham grew up wandering through Wisconsin's wild places from the northern hardwoods to southern cattail marshes. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in Forest Ecosystem Restoration, and was the Goose Pond intern during the summer of 2017. On the natural resources side, fire ecology, wetland soils, and amphibians are of particular interest to him. Graham values science communication and reconnecting the public with the natural places that they have become increasingly separated from. In his spare time, Graham likes to kayak, garden, read, and explore new countryside.

Eastern fox snake, cup plant, burr oak, and Common Goldeneye are among his favorite species.

MARK MARTIN & SUE FOOTE-MARTIN - GOOSE POND RESIDENT SANCTUARY MANAGERS

Mark and Sue have managed and expanded Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance's Goose Pond Sanctuary since 1979. Mark graduated from UW-Stevens Point where he majored in wildlife management. Mark has had a long tenure with the Wisconsin DNR, beginning work as a Wildlife Technician in 1971 and eventually working as a Conservation Biologist with the Bureau of Endangered Resource’s State Natural Areas program until December 2011. Mark is certified to conduct prescribed burns, apply herbicides, and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist.  

Sue holds associate and bachelor degrees in Marketing and Business, and worked as the education coordinator at the Wisconsin DNR’s MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette. She went on to work for DNR’s Bureau of Endangered Resources as a Conservation Biologist where she developed the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail and assisted with the design and development of five new Endangered Resource license plates until her retirement in 2009. Sue returned to the DNR for a short time to assist with listing of Wisconsin’s cave bat species as “threatened” due to white-nose syndrome.  

Mark and Sue are heavily involved with conservation groups in Wisconsin, and they enjoy restoring wetland, savanna, and prairie on their land in Columbia and Dane counties. Mark and Sue like to travel west to visit our National Parks and enjoy fishing the Boundary Waters. Mark’s favorite bird is the Wood Duck, while Sue’s favorite bird is the Greater Prairie Chicken. Mark and Sue were inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in April 2023!