Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy Annual Membership Meeting
January 7, 2023
9 AM
Pre-registration is required to attend the webinar: Please click here to register via Zoom. Registration is free and open to all members.
Keynote
Christopher Kilgour | “Color in the Outdoors”
Christopher Kilgour is the founder of Color in the Outdoors, an organization dedicated to making the outdoors more accessible to marginalized communities. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks, and individuals with different abilities have been actively and passively excluded from natural spaces. Color in the Outdoors seeks to actively include everyone in the outdoors – from wilderness adventures to exploring nature in the backyard.
Christopher just completed his tenure as Tribal Programs Manager with UW-Madison’s Information Technology Academy and will soon be joining the Nelson Institute as their Outreach Manager.
You’ll often find Christopher appreciating the outdoors: hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, foraging, kayaking… and always inviting others to join him.
Business Meeting
Members of the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy will gather virtually to celebrate their accomplishments in 2022 and learn about upcoming events and opportunities over the next year. The business portion of the meeting will consist of a celebration of our accomplishments in 2022, our plans for 2023, an organizational financial report, and finally the election of the Board of Directors for terms that are expiring. The meeting will conclude with an opportunity for questions from members.
Slate for election of Board of Directors
The following individuals currently serving on the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy Board of Directors are seeking an additional term:
- Kaya Freiman
- Chris Kubiak
- Carl Sinderbrand, and
- Peter Witucki
In addition to the current directors, the Board unanimously supports the nomination of Rick Eilertson to join the Board.
Rick Eilertson | Project Manager/Engineer, AECOM
Rick earned his Bachelor of Science degree from UW-Madison in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 1993 and has worked in the municipal engineering field since 1990. Rick’s early interest in community involvement and environmental issues began in 1972 when, as a child, he helped his parents (Orie & Kit) create a recycling drop off program through their church in the Village of Mukwonago. Rick absorbed much of his interest in environmental conscience and responsibility through his parents and grandparents as he grew up on a Sand County Farm in Wisconsin, practicing first hand Aldo Leopold’s land ethic of striving to live on a piece of land without spoiling it.
Above and beyond the day-to-day activities that go along with his current and past civil and environmental engineering roles, Rick spends many of his nights and weekends hosting educational events including waterway cleanups, paddling events, watershed tours, as well as electronics recycling and shred-day events. He is a Director of the American Public Works Association – Wisconsin Chapter (APWA WI) and has chaired APWA WI’s Water Resources Committee and Solid Waste Committee. He serves as the Wisconsin Chapter’s liaison to APWA’s Center for Sustainability (C4S) and is currently chair of APWA WI’s Sustainability Committee. 
Rick’s greatest pleasure and source of pride is his wife, Yenti, with whom he’s been happily married since 1995. They have two boys, Erik (22) and Evan (13), who excel in finding “teachable moments” for Rick to continue learning from nature and helping others to share his vision of people working together for healthy generations to come. Past awards that Rick is especially proud of are the 2013 APWA National Community Involvement Award and 2015 Rock River Protector Award.
Rick has increasingly enjoyed being able to spend time and energy volunteering for various non-profit groups that align with his vision for a healthy community. They include: Powered Up Baraboo, Baraboo Kiwanis, Baraboo Rotary, Friends of the Baraboo River, Foundation for Dane County Parks and last, but not least Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy.