Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA), formerly Madison Audubon, works collaboratively to protect and restore numerous local landscapes.

Rose Lake State Natural Area in Jefferson County

Between 2003-2007, Madison Audubon purchased 260 acres in Jefferson County which are now managed by Jefferson County Parks as Dorothy Carnes County Park, and by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as Rose Lake State Wildlife Area.

Photo by Joshua Mayer

Purple Martins at Rose Lake State Natural Area

Photo by Joshua Mayer

Rose Lake

Photo by Joshua Mayer

Zeloski Marsh

In 2003, Madison Audubon purchased the 1,460 acres of Zeloski Marsh in Jefferson County. In 2006, ownership was transferred to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This area is now known as the Lake Mills Wildlife Area.

Zeloski Marsh

Faville Prairie

Owned by the University of Wisconsin Zoology Department, Faville Prairie is actively managed by staff at Madison Audubon's Faville Grove Sanctuary.
Photo by Emily Meier

A tradition of Conservation

Since it's start as a bird club in 1935, SoWBA members have always seen land preservation as a vital part of bird conservation. Over the years, SoWBA and its volunteers have been integral in preserving more than 3,000 acres at multiple project sites.

Scroll through our gallery to see the impact of our organization's work — hover your mouse over the photos to see the descriptions.

Local students can get a jump-start on a conservation career with an internship in restoration ecology with Madison Audubon Society. Photo by Arlene Koziol — Local students can get a jump-start on a conservation career with an internship in restoration ecology with Madison Audubon Society. *Photo by Arlene Koziol*

Restoration Ecology Summer internship program

Each summer, the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA) works with 10 or more summer interns to share the art and science of restoration ecology. These interns are current students at the university level, or recent graduates. Throughout the summer, interns learn, work, and grow in the prairies, wetlands, and savannas of our properties.

Faville Grove Sanctuary hosts one internship program. A separate program to benefit Goose Pond Sanctuary is called the Prairie Partners.

In the Prairie Partners program, SoWBA teams up with four other local conservation groups to fund internship opportunities in restoration ecology for five students. Interns work in small groups at sites within 30 miles of Madison. Together with the Friends of Pheasant Branch, UW Arboretum, Friends of Lakeshore Nature Preserve, Groundswell Conservancy, this highly successful program provides an outstanding opportunity for students interested in restoration ecology to learn while they work.

For more information and application instructions for our internship program, and to find out about other internship opportunities, please visit our EMPLOYMENT page. Summer internship announcements are made in December, with deadlines for application in February of each year.

Banner photo by Arlene Koziol