[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.1″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ min_height=”1027px” custom_margin=”-1px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”7px||4px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_margin=”||20px|||” custom_padding=”||11px|||”]<\/p>\n
Join us in welcoming the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin\u2019s new Grant Writer, Brenna Holzhauer! Brenna will be facilitating fundraising with institutional donors \u2013 identifying prospects, developing proposals, administering and reporting on grants, and helping to support NRF\u2019s strategic work protecting Wisconsin\u2019s natural resources and connecting all people to nature.<\/em><\/p>\n We sat down with Brenna so you could learn more about how her passion for lifelong learning has led her down many different paths in life, both personally and professionally<\/em>. Welcome to the Foundation, Brenna!<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.wisconservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Blog-post-photo-dimensions-43-2023-10-30T151838.294.png” alt=”New Grant Writer, Brenna, on a hike at Big Bay State Park.” title_text=”Welcome Brenna” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”10px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_margin=”||21px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n Brenna and her husband hiking at Big Bay State Park. Photo by Brenna Holzhauer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”6px|||||”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_margin=”-11px|||||” custom_padding=”||21px|||”]<\/p>\n One of my favorite poems is \u201cWhen I Am Among the Trees\u201d by Mary Oliver. It speaks to her need to be surrounded by nature on a daily basis in order to reconnect with her best self. As I get older, I find this poem to be more and more true, and I blame it all on my childhood.<\/p>\n I grew up around Milwaukee and regularly spent time in the Northwoods and Driftless areas of Wisconsin. My parents encouraged my brothers and me to run wild in the woods, prairies, and wetlands of each of these places. I\u2019ve come to realize how much these experiences taught me about myself, my family, and the world around me. I\u2019m now \u201cspoiled\u201d to the point that getting outside is the only way I can recharge and reconnect with my true self. Just ask my husband what I\u2019m like if I don\u2019t get my regular dose of the outdoors! Ha. But seriously, being immersed in nature as a child was such a foundational experience for me, and what I want most in this life is for my own and ALL children to have the same opportunities.<\/p>\n Realizing that these early positive experiences among the trees are a privilege not enjoyed by all, I have tried to support every person\u2019s right to reap the benefits of time outdoors connecting with nature. I am also passionate about lifelong learning, which drives me to continually try new things, learn new skills, and seek diverse experiences. This has guided my personal life and my career path as I have traveled, studied, and explored.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.wisconservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Blog-post-photo-dimensions-43-2023-10-31T085325.070.png” title_text=”Welcome Brenna” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_margin=”||21px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n Brenna standing in a forest with her mom and youngest brother. Photo by Pete Holzhauer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”1px|||||”]<\/p>\n I have lived in Milwaukee, Gays Mills, Washington DC, and Madison. I have traveled throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, and New Zealand\u2026 and there are so many more places I\u2019d like to see! I\u2019m addicted to music: listening to various genres, discovering new artists, seeing live shows, and occasionally dusting off my piano or ukelele. I also love trying new foods, exploring new places, and attempting new activities and craft projects. And of course, I am always up for anything that involves being outside\u2026biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, skiing, snowboarding, camping \u2013 you name it, I\u2019ll do it! My husband and I started our family a few years ago, and my life is very full these days with two young children. This doesn\u2019t leave much time for hobbies, but currently, my favorite thing is getting outside with them and watching as they explore our world.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.wisconservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Blog-post-photo-dimensions-43-2023-10-30T152336.141.png” alt=”New Grant Writer, Brenna, on a winter hike with her daughter.” title_text=”Welcome Brenna” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.9.2″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”0px||9px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_margin=”||21px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n Brenna and her daughter on a winter hike. Photo by Brenna Holzhauer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”0px||24px|||”]<\/p>\n My professional life has similarly run the gamut. I have developed large-scale exhibitions and educational events, overseen garden and solar panel installations at schools across the U.S., and taught all kinds of programs to all kinds of students and audiences in the halls of the Smithsonian, schoolyards and riverbanks of DC, and the prairies, forests, and wetlands of Wisconsin. Along the way, I have created interactive displays, immersive theaters, curriculum, hands-on art and science activities, and various educational programs and experiences. I have conducted prescribed burns and other land management practices and directed strategic initiatives from facility renovation to fundraising to equity & inclusion work. All told, my favorite parts of all my jobs are when my work reconnects with my environmental education roots, and I am able to spark a sense of wonder about and connection to our world in a child or adult.<\/p>\n I am so excited to be contributing to the great work of the Natural Resources Foundation as the new grant writer. The conservation and education programs are top-notch, and I already know the whole staff is working each day to include and connect Wisconsinites of all backgrounds with the incredible habitats and resources our state has to offer. I decided years ago that I must dedicate myself to mitigating the environmental crises we face in order to have hope for the future. \u00a0This work is more important now than ever before, and I\u2019m proud to be a part of the team.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.wisconservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Blog-post-photo-dimensions-43-2023-10-30T143933.285.png” alt=”Soumi hiking at Devil\u2019s Lake State Park with friends. ” title_text=”Welcome, Brenna” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”||13px|||”]<\/p>\n Brenna conducting a prescribed burn to restore oak savanna at her family’s farm. Photo courtesy of Brenna Holzhauer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″]<\/p>\n by Mary Oliver When I am among the trees, I am so distant from the hope of myself, Around me the trees stir in their leaves And they call again, \u201cIt\u2019s simple,\u201d they say, [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.wisconservation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Blog-post-photo-dimensions-43-2023-10-30T144950.539.png” alt=”Soumi in a canoe at Kemp Natural Resources Station during a weekend retreat for the NRF Diversity in Conservation internship.” title_text=”Welcome Brenna” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ custom_padding=”||13px|||”]<\/p>\nAmong the Trees<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Passions and Hobbies: Travel, Music, and Family Adventures<\/h3>\n
My Career: Connecting Education, Conservation, and Hope<\/h3>\n
When I Am Among the Trees<\/h3>\n
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especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.<\/p>\n
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.<\/p>\n
and call out, \u201cStay awhile.\u201d
The light flows from their branches.<\/p>\n
\u201cand you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n