Karen Oberhauser, director of the Arboretum on the College of Wisconsin–Madison, has introduced that she’s going to retire on the finish of November 2023. Oberhauser, an internationally famend conservation biologist and professional on monarch butterflies, was chosen because the Arboretum director in 2017 after a nationwide search. As director, she supported the middle’s core mission areas of land care, analysis and training, with an emphasis on science-based participatory applications and neighborhood engagement. Photograph: Bryce Richter

Karen Oberhauser, director of the College of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum since October 2017, has introduced that she’s going to retire from the Arboretum and the college in late November.

“We’re very grateful to Karen for her sturdy management in ecological restoration and habitat preservation on the Arboretum, alongside along with her dedication to fostering biodiversity, science-based inquiry, citizen science and environmental literacy,” says Cynthia Czajkowski, interim vice chancellor for analysis and graduate training. “Karen’s promotion of partnerships has been instrumental in rising engagement with, and enhancing the connection between, researchers at UW–Madison and the general public, close to and much.”

Oberhauser, an internationally famend conservation biologist and professional on monarch butterflies, was chosen because the Arboretum director in 2017 after a nationwide search. As director, she supported the middle’s core mission areas of land care, analysis and training, with an emphasis on science-based participatory applications and neighborhood engagement.

She strengthened ties between the Arboretum and several other college departments, established an Arboretum fellowship program for graduate college students and grew citizen science programming and partnerships. She has elevated workers capability by including a number of key positions, together with an development supervisor, a communications specialist, participatory science coordinators and outreach program coordinators.

Karen Oberhauser reveals members at an Superior Schoolyard Ecology Explorations workshop a wholesome monarch caterpillar and one (vertical) that has been parasitized by a tachinid fly. As director, Oberhauser strengthened ties between the Arboretum and several other college departments, established an Arboretum fellowship program for graduate college students and grew citizen science programming and partnerships. Photograph By: Susan Day

Karen Oberhauser appears to be like on as Superior Schoolyard Ecology Explorations workshop members kind and establish macroinvertebrates present in leaf packs. Oberhauser is keen about conserving biodiversity and believes connections between people and the pure world promote significant conservation motion. Photograph By: Annie Isenbarger

She additionally steered the Arboretum by means of the pandemic and report visitation for out of doors areas; spearheaded energy-efficient initiatives together with a brand new photo voltaic panel system and LED lighting for the Customer Middle, in collaboration with campus sustainability applications and native organizations; oversaw the event of a brand new strategic plan for the Arboretum; and prioritized variety, fairness and inclusion efforts associated to profession paths in conservation fields, pay fairness for workers and organizational tradition.

Oberhauser famous that “being director of the UW–Madison Arboretum has been an honor. Arboretum workers are gifted, collaborative and dedicated to creating the world a extra sustainable place by means of their actions to protect land, foster a powerful land ethic and conduct and help analysis that makes land administration and environmental training as efficient as doable. We’ve got an unimaginable corps of volunteers who help all areas of our mission and a neighborhood of stakeholders who’re passionate in regards to the Arboretum’s mission, work and worth as a customer vacation spot. I look ahead to staying concerned as a neighborhood member.”

Oberhauser is keen about conserving biodiversity and believes connections between people and the pure world promote significant conservation motion. She is a founding officer of the Monarch Butterfly Fund and has served on state and nationwide organizations devoted to pollinator conservation and on citizen science. In 2013, Oberhauser acquired a White Home Champion of Change award for her work in citizen science. She has a bachelor’s diploma in biology from Harvard College, a level in science training from UW–Madison and a doctorate in ecology and behavioral biology from the College of Minnesota.

Plans for a director search are underway. Within the interim, Affiliate Director Josh Goldman will function administrative director.

In retirement, Oberhauser appears to be like ahead to staying concerned with monarch butterfly science and conservation applications such because the Monarch Larva Monitoring Undertaking and the Monarch Joint Enterprise. She’s additionally starting a undertaking to assist assess what steps could be taken on federal land to help monarchs and different pollinators. She’ll additionally get pleasure from spending much more time along with her rising household and turning into an energetic volunteer for conservation applications in Dane County and past. One in all her most enjoyable plans for the weekend after she retires is taking a chain-sawing class for girls to make her a extra well-rounded land steward.