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RGS

Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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Western Great Lakes

RGS & AWS Expands Into Iowa With First Forest Wildlife Specialist Hire

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RGS & AWS is excited to welcome Zach Nie as the new forest wildlife specialist for the Western Great Lakes region. Zach grew up in Iowa and earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Iowa State University. He previously worked for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as a district forester, where he partnered with private forest landowners to promote active forest management that supports forest health and wildlife habitat. An avid outdoorsman, Zach enjoys hunting, hiking, sports and spending time with his family. He will be based at Volga River State Recreation Area near Fayette, Iowa, and will work closely with...

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Remembering Glen R. Blackwood: A True Conservation Champion

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With heavy hearts, we share the news that Glen Robert Blackwood, a beloved friend, colleague and devoted conservationist, passed away on Dec. 29, 2025, at age 62. Glen’s passing leaves a profound void in the hearts of all who knew him and in the broader conservation community he served so passionately. Glen joined the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society family in 2020 as a Regional Director and in 2021 transitioned to Director of Regional Development for Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, bringing with him not only decades of experience in the outdoors but an infectious enthusiasm for the natural world....

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New Signage Installed on Lakewood-Laona Ruffed Grouse Management Areas

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In December 2024, staff from the U.S. Forest Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were looking for a way to replace deteriorating signage on four Ruffed Grouse Management Areas (RGMAs) in the Lakewood-Laona District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. At the 2024 Grouse Camp in Eagle River, Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) staff were talking with hunters when one expressed interest in donating funds toward work in the areas he hunts and has enjoyed over the years. It just so happened that he used the RGMAs on the national forest that needed new signage. Jim Woodford, RGS & AWS forest...

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Two Key Forest Parcels Added to Minnesota’s Public Lands

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This summer, with support from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and other conservation partners, RGS & AWS successfully acquired and transferred two 80-acre strategic forestland inholdings to public agencies that manage sustainable forest lands. The two parcels – one in northeast Aitkin County and another in southeast Lake County – were private inholdings within the Savanna State Forest and Lake County Forestry lands, respectively. The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) was established by the Minnesota Legislature to recommend annual funding allocations from the Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) to restore, protect and enhance Minnesota’s wetlands, prairies, forests and...

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RGS & AWS Welcomes Two New Team Members Supporting Conservation Across the Upper Midwest

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RGS & AWS is expanding its conservation and development capacity in the Upper Midwest with the addition of two new team members: Emma Belling as forest wildlife specialist in Wisconsin and Brett Edstrom as director of regional development for the Western Great Lakes. Emma Belling – Forest Wildlife Specialist, Wisconsin Belling will serve in a collaborative partnership role based in Rhinelander with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Her work within a DNR service center will support both public and private lands across northeastern Wisconsin. A Wisconsin native, Belling earned a degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and brings...

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In the Habitat Business

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by Troy Holcomb, Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry It’s a frosty 10-degree morning in early February—the perfect time to find a northern Minnesota logger in their natural habitat. “It’s a good time to be a logger,” said Gene Ruud of Timber Transport, and he has good reason. Consistent low temperatures and minimal snow cover made accessing timber harvest areas with heavy equipment easier than previous years. To loggers, cutting trees isn’t just a job– they carry out their mission with a zeal and passion akin to an experienced pointing dog in their prime. Each year across Minnesota, between two and three million...

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