Photo By Scott Sturkol | A scene from the Army retirement for Tim Wilder with the Fort McCoy Directorate of...... read more read more
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In February 1985, Tim Wilder began a 40-year journey at Fort McCoy that he admits was a labor of love from start to finish. At that time, little did he know he would make an impact on the endangered species and natural resources programs at Fort McCoy that will last for generations.
On March 27, 2025, Wilder retired from the Army Civil Service with dozens of coworkers, friends, and family in attendance to pay tribute to his service and accomplishments. During his career, Wilder was a biological science student trainee from February 1985 to October 1987, wildlife biologist from November 1987 to June 1994, Fort McCoy’s first endangered species biologist from June 1994 to March 2018, and chief of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB) from March 2018 to March 2025.
Wilder recalled how it all started.
“I actually started out not even as a wildlife biologist, I was a student trainee when I first came in under the program,” he said. “It wasn't a full-time position or anything, it was just an opportunity to work for a certain period of time, and then when you were done, the civilian personnel office would try to find you a job within the government system for 120 days.
I just lucked out that there was an opening here at the time for a seasonal position, 10 months seasonal, so I was selected for that, and then after a year that moved into a full-time position,” Wilder said. “But again, I never expected to be here my whole career, and actually, I wouldn't have even applied for the position if it wasn’t for my girlfriend at the time who is now my wife. … I went to school at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and so it would have been the fall of 1984, we were walking through the university center, and she noticed a job posting on the wall. She said ‘you should apply for that.’
“Well, she convinced me and helped me write everything up, there was an old 171 form and everything, and I applied for it and got the position,” Wilder said. “So, I started then in that spring of ‘85, and again, never dreamt I would be here my whole career.”
A career to be proud of
With his first job, Wilder said he did mostly field work — checking wood duck boxes, using chainsaws, doing habitat work, doing rough grouse surveys in the spring, going out and finding the rough grouse.
“I’m an avid hunter, so I couldn't believe I was getting paid for that,” Wilder said. “I could go find the grouse in the spring, so I knew where most of them were to go hunt them in the fall. I was also involved with the stream fisheries projects, too, such as stream improvement and shocking streams and lakes (for fish surveys).”
That work early on also included capturing and banding juvenile osprey as part of a long-term monitoring program. He said he also maintained and monitored Eastern Bluebird and Kestrel nest boxes and banded young of the year. He also completed game and non-game habitat improvement projects through the implementation of an alder management plan.
“We used chainsaws to cut strips of alder to create uneven aged stands that benefited grouse, woodcock, and numerous songbirds,” Wilder said.
His work changed when he became the installation’s first endangered species biologist in 1994. This meant he had to build a program specifically to monitor and support listed endangered species at Fort McCoy.
In March 1995, Wilder drafted and had approved the first Fort McCoy Karner Blue Butterfly Endangered Species Management Plan.
“I eventually updated this plan several times and wrote management plans for both the bald eagle and gray wolf,” Wilder said.
From 1994-2018, Wilder also routinely conducted consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on five federally listed species; developed and implemented management plans for the Karner Blue Butterfly, gray wolf, and bald eagle; collected biological data for federal and state listed species and developed; and implemented an awareness training program for Soldiers and government and contract employees. All of these actions allowed Fort McCoy to maintain compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
“One thing I really loved about this job is … the species I got to work with,” Wilder said. “As an endangered species biologist, you got to know that species. You’re doing the research and the surveys and everything, too. Where a lot of wildlife biologists, if you’ve got a huge property you’re managing, you’re more managing habitat, but not individual species per se. So that was really neat to be able to do that.
“With the Karner program, you really got to know the butterfly,” Wilder said. “And that’s been one of the most rewarding things. I’ve got to work with a lot of different species, from the Blanding’s turtles, wood turtles, to the bull snakes. We’ve had transmitters and telemetry projects going on with the turtles and the snakes. Again, the wolves and all that, and eagles. One of the most rewarding things, I think, is the work with the butterflies.”
Thanks to his work with butterflies over the decades, he said Fort McCoy is becoming known for its thriving populations of endangered butterflies.
“McCoy’s getting to be known for its rare butterflies,” Wilder said. We’ve got one of the best populations of the Karner left under one ownership. But we’ve also got the Regal Fritillary Butterfly now that's going through the process of being federally listed. And we’ve got the best population of that left in the Upper Midwest. Monarchs are going to be listed, and we’ve got them here too.”
Heavily involved with community
As the endangered species biologist, Wilder regularly served as the NRB coordinator to support the annual Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House. Wilder often worked the NRB booth at open house. “I enjoyed educating the youth about McCoy’s natural resources including a live display of snakes and turtles,” he said.
In 1994, a Soldier was utilized to develop the first automated Permit Sales Program, and Wilder developed the user’s manual for this program.
In July 2005, Wilder coordinated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary Medical Hospital to surgically implant a transmitter within the first bull snake as part of a bull snake monitoring project. The university implanted the transmitters at a reduced cost as they used this as training for the veterinary students.
“Transmitters are still being implanted within bull snakes to learn more about how they are utilizing the habitat on Fort McCoy,” Wilder said.
From 2013 through 2018, Wilder was responsible for all aspects of the management of invasive plant species at Fort McCoy. The program prioritized invasive species into high, medium, and low priority. In addition, McCoy’s land area was divided into high, medium, and low priority areas. With limited budgets, this was a way to assist in determining which species would be treated and where they would be treated.
“I can remember when I first started working here in 1985, nobody talked about invasive species,” Wilder said. “I think it was about the summer of 1987 that we noticed a plant out in some of the oak savannah areas. What’s that pretty yellow plant out here? Well, it ended up it was leafy spurge, which is an invasive plant. And that kind of started it.”
Wilder was also heavily involved in the Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group, which is a group started by former Fort McCoy Biologist Kim Mello back in the 1990s.
“It died out for a little while, and then was resurrected about 10-15 years ago,” Wilder said. “We’ve been a big player in that again, too. With not only sharing our knowledge of invasive species management, because we do far more than anybody else in the county, but it's also then, if others are doing it outside of Fort McCoy, hopefully some of these new species never reach McCoy because they're controlling them before they ever do. That’s been a really good partnership working with them.”
In 2016, Wilder also became a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hunter education volunteer instructor to fill a need of providing hunter education courses for the Fort McCoy community. Since 2016, 16 courses have been held on Fort McCoy and 219 people have received their hunter education certificate.
Working with a great team
Wilder said lots of the many accomplishments by the NRB were because of his team he worked with. Many people within the natural resources program at Fort McCoy were coworkers with Wilder for decades.
These people include Mello, former NRB Chief Mark McCarty, former Wildlife Biologist David Beckmann, former Fisheries Biologist John Noble, former Fort McCoy Forester James Kerkman, former Environmental Division Chief Jim Hessil, current Environmental Division Chief Brent Friedl, current Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel, current Endangered Species Biologist Jessup Weichelt, current Wildlife Biologist Kevin Luepke, current Fisheries Biologist Steve Rood, Natural Resources Specialist Jessica Salesman, Archaeologist Ryan Howell, numerous contractor support staff, directorate and post leadership, and many more.
That team also were distinguished with many special awards. The Natural Resources Branch was recognized on numerous occasions for work accomplished in support of the natural resources and the military training mission.
Some awards include the 2016 Secretary of Defense Environmental Team Award; the 1995, 1998, and 1999 Chief of Staff Conservation Award; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Military Conservation Partner Award in 2019.
“Personally, I received the Superior Civilian Service Award (2001), Commander’s Award for Civilian Service (2011), and letters of appreciation from both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for management dedicated to the conservation of the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly,” Wilder said.
But his work throughout the years wasn’t about the awards. It was was about doing the best work for what was needed to be done. He also believes McCoy’s training mission has been beneficial to managing endangered species.
“I have believed for many years that most military training activities, at least at the intensity they occur on Fort McCoy, inadvertently helped manage the wildlife on Fort McCoy and are part of the reason why the installation is home to many of the rare and listed species that occur here,” Wilder said. “We always tried to manage the natural resources in a proactive rather than reactive manner. We started research and monitoring projects for numerous species — golden-winged warbler, Karner Blue Butterfly, Frosted Elfin butterfly, Regal Fritillary butterfly, Ottoe Skipper butterfly, Blandings and wood turtles, and Northern Long-eared bats — to gather biological data before they became listed in order to have the necessary data available to write biological assessments if/when they are listed. Having the data to show that the disturbances caused by military training and land management activities benefited these species was critical. Zero training days have been lost to military training as a result of endangered species being on the installation.”
Praising his service
During his retirement ceremony in building 905 at Fort McCoy, Wilder received a 40 years of service to the government plaque and pin, a retirement flag (U.S. flag) with certificate signed by Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez that was flown on Feb. 3, the Public Service Commendation Medal, a certificate of appreciation for retirement from the garrison commander with a pin, and his official Army certificate of retirement.
But in addition to having these significant items presented to him, Wilder also received praise for his exemplary career serving the Army and Fort McCoy for 40 years.
“He has done amazing things throughout 40 years of federal service,” Baez said. “Tim has been a major part of Fort McCoy, and he has helped to write Fort McCoy history. Forty years of service is a lifetime. … Thank you for everything that you have provided to this installation. I know that there have been many commanders before me, but it’s been many people who you have worked with. … We heard about the amazing partnerships that you formed with the Wisconsin DNR, that you formed with school districts.
“I know that your love for the nature helped you and guided you to do this,” Baez said. “I know that moving forward, you will continue to have that love for nature. … When he’s retired from Fort McCoy, he continues to plan to be a hunter education instructor. … He’s hoping that he can volunteer for the NRB. And of course, he wants to have all the time in the world to spend with his family.”
Baez also thanked Tim’s wife Nancy Wilder.
“I want to thank Nancy one more time, because as I look at the notes that I got here, you were the one who pushed him to apply for that position,” Baez said. “And as we look here, 40 years later, he has dedicated his life to serve Fort McCoy and serve the federal government. That is no small task, and like I said, he could not have done that without your help and without your support so thank you so much. I always say that when we work for the federal government, for the Army, we are not the only ones who serve. Our entire families serve with us, and they live our happiness, they live our struggles, and like I said, we would not be here today, Tim, if you didn't have the support from your wife.”
DPW Director Liane Haun also praised Wilder’s support for the directorate, the Army, and the installation.
“I appreciate everything that you’ve done for the DPW and for the garrison,” Haun said. “You have left a legacy here within the DPW with all the people who have come on board. And you’re pretty much irreplaceable. So, it’s going to be really hard to find somebody that is of your caliber and your experience who is going to continue to keep things going for the next 40 years. Thank you, Tim, for everything you’ve done.”
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2025 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 494393 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 213 |
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