Announcing the 22nd Reunion of the FWS Retirees Association

Welcome to Madison, Wisconsin, May 12 – 16, 2025

• We are excited to announce more details for the next FWS Retirees Reunion! We have a draft agenda coming together (click here to see), and it’s now time to make your lodging reservations! So, what events are causing the excitement about our reunion in Madison?   Here are a few highlights:
• Douglas Brinkley, acclaimed Presidential historian and conservation author, returns as our keynote speaker! When he was our speaker at our last Reunion at NCTC, he mentioned that he would like to attend if we were in Madison, to explore Aldo Leopold’s legacy. And so we are!
• We will take a field trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin, and meet with the folks at the Aldo Leopold Museum, Shack and Farm, of the famed Sand County Almanac.
• Also near Baraboo, we will visit the International Crane Foundation. Did you know that they have all 15 of the world’s crane species?
• Have you been to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge? Bring your binoculars!
• We will hear from the CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.
• It’s the first time that we will be meeting at the same place, same time, as the national group of FWS Law Enforcement retirees.
• Be on the lookout for a very special silent auction that will be conducted online – open to all, whether or not you attend the reunion! Our Association has been given three very special pieces of Kent Olson artwork, from the estate of John Cornely, for a fundraising opportunity. Stay tuned for more details to come, March/April, 2025.
• Our traditional Thursday evening banquet will be held in the Grand Terrace of the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Let’s fill up that room!

So, are you ready to make your lodging reservations? Our host for the week is the Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown.  They have set aside a block of 85 rooms for our Reunion attendees. The Hyatt is where it all begins on Monday, May 12th: Reunion registration table (3:00 PM); start of the traditional Greenwalt Walk for Wildlife; and then our Welcome Happy Hour during that evening (5:00 till8:00 PM). and departures for our field trips for the week.

The Hyatt has asked that we use the link below to make our room reservations, as this link has an embedded code that guarantees a special room rate for our attendees, including breakfast!  ($159 for King bed or $169 for 2 Queens, plus applicable taxes).  When you use this link, please make sure to insert your arrival and departure dates. Cancellations are fully refundable prior to 48 hours of arrival. There is a $20 per day charge for parking. The link also provides information on the amenities at this Hyatt.  We would appreciate your reservations as soon as possible, for our planning purposes.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/MSNZD/G-FISH

Should you have any trouble with this link, or have any questions for the Hyatt, please contact Katie Schelitzche (Mondays – Fridays) at (608) 316-7278, and refer to our block of rooms using the code G-FISH. Go ahead and make your lodging reservations if you know that you are coming. The Hyatt established a deadline of April 11, 2025, before rooms from this block will be released.

The next email that you receive from the FWS Retirees Association will be the actual registration form to fill out to attend the Reunion. There will be a registration fee to attend the Reunion to cover the meeting room costs, plus the field trips (bus transportation, e.g.), and banquet, of course.  We are doing our best to keep these costs as low as possible.  We will gladly accept donations from sponsors!

Are you excited yet? We are!  Hope to see you in Madison!

Cindy Uptegraft Barry, on behalf of the Board of Directors

Phone: 360-909-4501