Natalie MillerNatalie is originally from Random Lake, and spent her early life fishing, hunting, and hiking all around Southeastern Wisconsin. She is especially passionate about birds and birdwatching.
In 2005 Natalie graduated with her Bachelors of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Many summers were spent following birds and grassland bird nest predators on research projects first in New Mexico and then in the beautiful Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area of Wisconsin's Driftless Region. Following her formal education, Natalie was trained in outdoor environmental education at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri. While at WBS, Natalie learned how to handle and care for birds of prey ranging from the size of a saw-whet owl up to an Andean condor and everything in between, all while connecting with and engaging audiences at nature shows. In 2010, Natalie joined the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Biologist in the Plymouth office right here in Sheboygan County, with half of her positions funding coming from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding. Natalie took on the job of surveying the state of wildlife populations along the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, focusing on sensitive indicator species such as mink and belted kingfishers and developing novel research methods to assess how the cleanup process was impacting the wildlife along the river. The other half of Natalie’s position had her helping the wildlife management crew care for the state owned lands of Sheboygan and Fond du lac Counties. Her favorite responsibility was prescribed burning of grassland habitats and she is most proud of the prairie restoration she planted on the west side of Kohler Andre State Park in Sheboygan! Since leaving the WDNR in 2016, Natalie has bolstered her already considerable field experience with positions in Financial Advising and restaurant and retail management. Going outside her comfort zone and challenging herself to develop leadership skills and organizational financial literacy has been an important goal for Natalie, and she’s extremely excited to return to Sheboygan and to a position in conservation, with these new skills! Outside of work, Natalie enjoys fly fishing, falconry, kayaking, hiking and camping. When stuck indoors she loves ice hockey, bowling, and reading. She enjoys cups of tea and spending time with her two cats Midna and Zelda. |