Conservation Crews

Crew Leader Training – 04/29 – 05/26/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Member Training – 5/27 – 5/30/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Summer Session – 05/31- 08/15/2025 (Across the Upper Midwest)

Leader Maintenance – 8/16 – 8/20/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

*** TWO-WEEK BREAK ***

Fall Training – 9/9 – 9/12/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Fall Session  – 9/13 – 11/14/2025 (Across the Upper Midwest)

Leader Maintenance – 11/15 – 11/19/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Member Training – 5/27 – 5/30/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Summer Session – 05/31- 08/15/2025 (Across the Upper Midwest)

Fall Training – 9/9 – 9/12/2025 (La Crosse, WI)

Fall Session  – 9/13 – 11/14/2025 (Across the Upper Midwest)

A typical crew consists of two leaders and three or four members. The two leaders collaborate to lead the crew, sharing their skills and knowledge with members throughout the season. Crews also receive regular support from WisCorps Staff.

Crews stay together on the weekends to experience local culture, engage in outdoor activities, relax, or travel to their next project site. WisCorps prefers to keep its crews together for the entire session for logistical reasons and to provide an immersive conservation experience. WisCorps staff understand if an unexpected family emergency comes up or if a crew member needs to travel to an event that was mentioned during the hiring process. However, WisCorps Crew Leaders and staff do not provide logistical or travel support if someone is leaving for a weekend. In such cases, the person must be picked up and dropped off by family or friends.

Yes, but we simply ask that you immerse yourself in an unplugged experience. Our program provides an incredible opportunity to engage in a simple life of hikes, reading books, journaling, and bonding with the other people on your crew. Crew Leaders are provided with an organization phone for work purposes. If you decide to leave your cell phone at home, you can give the Crew Leader cell phone number to family, friends, or partners so that they can still reach you in case of an emergency.

Our camping crews typically engage in “car-camping” or “front country camping,” which means that you will have easy access to your campsite, lodging, and tent. Large duffel bags, suitcases, or similar options are all suitable.

All crew members must have a 20 to 30-liter day pack to carry safety gear, rain gear, lunch, snacks, and water during working days in the field.

We encourage you to use our provided shuttles to airports, bus terminals, and train stations. You will travel in a WisCorps fleet vehicle and will not be allowed to take your personal vehicle with you. We have limited availability for parking your car near the training site for the season. If you will be bringing a car during the field season, please discuss with staff beforehand.

All leaders and members must wear leather, durable work boots or hiking boots without any mesh. Some recommended brands include Timberland, Carhartt, Danner, Red Wing, Lowa, and Asolo. Steel toe boots are not required. Crew Leaders must wear work boots that are at least 6 inches tall when using a chainsaw.

WisCorps provides a leather boot library from which crew members can borrow leather boots for the season. However, availability and sizes are limited. If interested, please contact our staff before the official start day.

Crews live in single-occupancy tents or dormitory-style housing during the field season. They typically camp in a State or County Park, or a natural spot near the project site in the summer and early fall. When evening temperatures begin to plummet in the fall, we provide indoor housing for our crews.

The crews will always have access to toilets at the project site or at camp and most State Park campsites have direct access to showers. For camping without showers, crews will usually shower at a nearby community center once or twice a week. Camp showers might also include a shower that is placed inside a privacy tent near the campsite. In rare cases, like at Isle Royale National Park, showers are only accessible during off-days because the crew is located in a remote part of the wilderness area.

Our crews are equipped with an SUV or truck and they tow a trailer carrying project-specific tools and camping gear, such as tents, kitchen supplies, and food, to work sites and campsites. The project-specific tools include chainsaws, brush saws, long-handled tools (shovel, McLeod, rake, pick mattock, etc), loppers, hand saws, and herbicide treatment tools.

Our crews use a provided budget for all meals and snacks throughout the entire season. Each crew will work together to plan menus, shop for groceries, prepare meals, and clean up. It’s important for every crew to consider and accommodate any dietary restrictions. Each individual is responsible for preparing their own breakfast and lunch, while dinner is a collaborative, planned meal that the team cooks together.

You will be provided an extensive gear list during your onboarding which details out the specific work clothes, shoes, evening and recreation attire needed. You are allowed to bring personal entertainment items to supplement your experience, examples being:

• Books
• Hacky sack
• Slackline
• Binoculars
• Journal
• Cell phone

It is important to bring items that you would keep in a wallet:

• Debit Card
• ID
• Insurance
• Medical Information

Yes! We recommend you bring your tent if you have a specific tent preference and have experience using that type of tent.
We provide a basic, outfitter tent for all Crew Program participants. These tents are made by ALPS Mountaineering. Provided tents include a rain fly, guy lines, and have small vestibules.