New Wildlife Biologist For Sheboygan And Eastern FDL Counties

MADISON – Natanya Hayden has been hired as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist for Sheboygan and eastern Fond du Lac counties.

Hayden is stationed in Plymouth and will be responsible for implementing a broad-scale wildlife program on the Sheboygan Marsh, Nichols Creek, Mullet Creek, Adell and Lutz wildlife areas, Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine, North Branch of Milwaukee River Farming and Heritage Area, LaBudde Creek fisheries area and the Onion River fisheries area.

“We are excited to have Natanya join our team and look forward to having her help us implement wildlife programs in the area,” said Dan Lekie, Lake Michigan area wildlife supervisor. “She is an excellent communicator and enjoys interacting with the public. In addition, her knowledge and experience with wetland management, habitat plantings and grant writing will benefit our constituents greatly in the upcoming years.”

Hayden transferred to Plymouth from the DNR wildlife biologist position in Mishicot, where she worked for three years overseeing property management, duck banding efforts, wetland restoration and repair projects and oak regeneration and prairie restoration on wildlife areas encompassing 16,000 acres.

“I’m excited to be working in a unique and globally significant ecosystem like the Kettle Moraine State Forest, as well as the Lake Michigan shoreline which is an important part of the flyway for waterfowl and other migratory birds,” Hayden said. “I look forward to the challenge and diversity of Sheboygan and eastern Fond du Lac counties.”

Hayden, originally from Traverse City, Mich., received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and equestrian training from Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio and her master’s degree is in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University. Prior to working for the DNR, Hayden studied endangered migratory bird populations for the U. S. Geological Survey in Jamestown, North Dakota, which involved banding whooping cranes and tracking their migratory stopovers throughout the central flyway. Previously she was a wetland biologist for The Nature Conservancy in Klamath Falls, Oregon and also spent several years as a wildlife specialist in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hayden is stationed in Plymouth and can be contacted at: 920-893-8540 or by email: Natanya.Hayden@Wisconsin.gov

The DNR wildlife program covers wildlife-based recreation, protecting and managing wildlife populations, monitoring the trapping and hunting harvest and integrated land management activities like habitat restoration, forest management and prescribed burns.