Links to Valley Stewardship Network “Conservation Connections” Podcasts
Click on individual programs listed below to link directly to individual programs.
February 9, 2026 – “Community Conservation” – A conversation with Community Conservation Director, Teri Allendorf and Beth Summers, VSN Executive Director
Join us for a conversation with director Teri Allendorf about Community Conservation ( Community Conservation, Inc. ), the nonprofit founded by Rob Horwich that has helped catalyze conservation projects around the world. We dig into their community-centered conservation model, why lasting environmental change depends on local leadership, and what this approach looks like on the ground.
January 12, 2026 – “Freshwater Muscle Conservation and Threats” – A conversation with Ellen Voss, Valley Stewardship Network (VSN) Native Prairie Coordinator, and Beth Summers, VSN Executive Director
Ellen Voss from River Alliance of Wisconsin discusses the ecological importance of and threats to freshwater mussels. She dicusses their unique life history traits, volunteer efforts to rescue stranded mussels on the lower Wisconsin Riverway in 2023 and oppertunites to become involved in future volunteer activities.
December 8, 2025 – “Benefits of Native Prairie” – A conversation with Skye Bruce, Valley Stewardship Network (VSN) Native Prairie Coordinator, and Beth Summers, VSN Executive Director
Dr. Skye Bruce, VSN’s new Native Prairie Planting and Ecological Monitoring Coordinator, talks about the benefits of native prairie for conservation and VSN’s prairie planting programs with Beth Summers, Executive Director of Valley Stewardship Network. Hosted by Dave Krier.
November 10, 2025 – “Benefits of Managed Grazing” – A conversation with Jim Munsch, Grazing Consultant, and Beth Summers, Valley Stewardship Network, Executive Director
Jim Munsch, a grazing consultant, talks about the benefits of managed grazing for both the farmer/rancher and for conservation with Beth Summers, Executive Director of Valley Stewardship Network. Hosted by Dave Krier.
October 13, 2025 – “Learn More about the Kickapoo Bird Habitat Initiative (KBHI)” – A conversation with Connor Kotte, Stewardship Specialist with Mississippi Valley Conservancy; Craig Thompson, Wisconsin DNR; and Beth Summers, Valley Stewardship Network, Executive Director
KBHI is a public and private partnership to increase awareness, improve habitat, and engage landowners in conservation practices for birds and other wildlife within the Kickapoo-Wildcat Important Bird Area. This area encompasses the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and Wildcat Mountain State Park. It contains the most intact forestland, outside floodplains, in the whole Driftless portion of WI.
September 8, 2025 – “Chat with Aldo Leopold Senior Fellow Dr. Stan Temple” – The conversation will cover The Foundation’s transcriptions of Leopold’s Shack Journals that inspired the essays he wrote in “A Sand County Almanac.”
Even as a boy, Leopold kept records of the timing of natural events, and he maintained a keen lifelong interest in keeping his journal pages filled with his observations. The Phenology Calendar, authored by Dr. Temple, will also be discussed.
