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STAFF DIRECTORY
Kendra Kundinger is the Executive Director and a Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator. Kendra grew up in Central Wisconsin and earned her B.S. in Natural Science from UW-Stevens Point in 2019 and her P.S.M. degree in Conservation Biology from UW-Stout in 2021. She loves to participate in any outdoor activity such as hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, and exploring nature.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 705
Amy Thorstenson is the Advising Director and helps coordinate operations in a part-time capacity. She holds a B.S. in Water Resources and an M.S. in Natural Resources, both from UW-Stevens Point. Her thesis work on native milfoil weevils, the biological control agent for Eurasian watermilfoil, can be found in the Journal of Aquatic Plant Management.
Email Phone: (715) 346-1264 Ext. 702
Denise Hilgart is the Admin Manager / Finance Director and Sustainable Ag Coord of Golden Sands RC&D. She owns & operates an Organic certified beef farm that implements grazing, nutrient management, and conservation stewardship programs. She enjoys working with small businesses to resolve business challenges and is passionate about caring for farm animals, land and water.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6217 Ext. 703
Chris Hamerla is a Regional Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Coordinator. Chris received his B.S. in English from UW-Stevens Point. He has been working with AIS since 2008 and was one of the first Water Guard Deputy Conservation Wardens, a law enforcement position that focused on public outreach, education, and enforcement regarding WI AIS laws.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 704
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Amanda Burzynski is the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator/Administrative Assist. Amanda graduated from UW-Stevens Point with a degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation. Her passion for the outdoors comes from her childhood experiences of fishing, camping, hiking, and gardening. She wants to use that passion to inspire others through her work at Golden Sands.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 710
Kevin Munkwitz is an Administrative Assistant. Kevin graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2020 with a degree in Communication and is working on his Master's degree in Healthcare Administration at UW-Stevens Point. In addition to working for Golden Sands RC&D, he helps conserve wildlife and land resources through hunting, fishing, camping, and exploring nature.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 712
Robert Bauer is in the Prairie du Chien NRCS Service Center as our full-time Grazing Specialist/Soil Conservationist. He graduated with a Master's degree in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech. Robert worked at Southwest Badger RC&D and the Tennessee NRCS. He loves livestock grazing management, gardening, biking, and traveling abroad in Latin America.
Email Phone: (608) 326-7179 Ext. 103
Brooke Sperberg is a Grazing Specialist. She grew up on a dairy farm in Shawano, WI, and graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in Animal Science with a meat animal emphasis. For five years Brooke worked as a program technician for the Farm Service Agency in Waupaca County. In her free time Brooke enjoys camping, sewing, and spending time outside. She hopes to make a difference in the farming community by helping promote sustainable agriculture and conserving our natural resources.
Amalia Priest, TSP, is a Grazing Specialist. Amalia graduated from UW-Platteville in 2021 with a degree in Animal Science, focusing on sustainable agriculture and environmental horticulture. She has worked with all animal kinds but she mostly appreciates grazing cattle and raising poultry. She and her husband are working toward running their own small farm to raise good food for their family and others.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 714
Jacob Fluur is a Terrestrial Invasive Species and Cooperative Woodlands Assistant. Jacob graduated from UWSP with a B.S. in Natural Resources Planning in 2019 and has worked with land trusts on invasive species and restoration. It is his goal to do this as a career in the future. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys fishing, camping and foraging.
Email Phone: (715) 343-6215 Ext. 713
Adam Skadsen is a Soil Conservation Technician at the Portage County NRCS office.
He received his B.S. in Water Resources and Fisheries from UW-Stevens Point and has spent most of his career studying wetlands, managing water rights and surveying snow conditions in the Rocky Mountains and High Plains of Wyoming. Adam owns and manages a small farm in Waupaca County and in his spare time enjoys painting, backpacking and pulling parsnip.
Email. Phone: (715) 346-1313 Ext. 3815
Nicole Rayome is a Grazing Specialist working out of the Portage NRCS field office. Nicole graduated from UW River Falls in 2019 with a B.S. in Animal Science with a meat animal emphasis and a minor in AgriBusiness. She grew up raising beef cattle and now has a small herd of Gelbvieh and Red Angus cow/calf pairs that she and her husband graze on their farm. Nicole also owns a small business, which takes up most of her free time. When she does get free time, she and her husband tend to make improvements on their farm and spend time with their cattle.
Email. Phone: (608) 745-7364
Lindsey Laskowski is the Soil Conservationist at the Green Lake County NRCS office. Lindsey graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2019 with a B.S. in Soil and Land Management. Lindsey's interests include fishing, hiking, playing video games, and Dungeon & Dragons. Lindsey also enjoys training her dog and volunteering to walk dogs at the Wisconsin Humane Society - Milwaukee Campus.
Colton Wolosek is a Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator. Colton graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2020 with a degree in Environmental Resource Management with an emphasis in Fisheries. For three years he worked as a Fisheries Technician with the Wisconsin DNR. His passion for conserving Wisconsin’s outdoors began when he was 5 years old helping his grandpa with water quality indexes through the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network. In his free time he enjoys hunting, fishing, and traveling the states to go hiking.
Rick Nitz is an Urban Agriculture Conservation Specialist based out of the Union Grove NRCS office. Rick grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin and Central Oregon. He graduated with his B.S. in Conservation/Environmental Sciences at UW-Milwaukee in 2022. He has worked as a Soil Conservationist intern through the NRCS in the past. He enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, hiking, and other outdoor activities. He's passionate about using conservation to help the surrounding environment and make a difference in the world.
Jenn Chakravorty is a Resource Conservationist based out of the Wisconsin NRCS State Office. A large part of Jenn's role is helping to implement the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) across the state. Jenn received her M.S. in restoration ecology from UW-Madison and has spent most of her career in positions that merge her background in working lands with her love of conservation. Most recently Jenn worked as a conservation biologist for the WDNR State Natural Areas Program, and she now spends her free time hiking, birding, and botanizing at many of these properties.