We're Here!

Midwest Friends of Wildlife is a non-profit conservation organization based in Kalamazoo, MI offering nature-based educational experiences that fund on-the-ground research and conservation efforts in the Midwestern United States, especially the Great Lakes Region.

There are so many ways! Right now, our biggest needs are: Volunteers to sign up for our habitat restoration and wildlife survey days. Be sure to register as a volunteer so that you're added to our email list, which will let you know about upcoming opportunities. Partner organizations that can help us with venue space and locations for our workshops Instructors willing to lend their expertise for additional nature-based workshops and experiences Donations to fund equipment purchases Advertising and social media to get the word out to our communities If you can help or you have other ideas for ways to assist, please don't hesitate to contact us!

You can check out our blog to stay up to date on our latest conservation projects. As of January 2026, our current long-term projects include: 1. Wildlife corridor construction in Cass County, MI, benefitting a cool-water stream and wetland species like trout, box turtles, spotted turtles, and Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes! 2. Rare and threatened wildlife surveys across SW Michigan, helping land managers prioritize habitat restoration and preservation activities. Upcoming or planned projects include headstarting of declining herpetofauna, possibly including Ambystoma salamanders and/or Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes!

We require 100% of donations to be used for mission-related expenses. These include staff time working on habitat restoration or wildlife research, laboratory costs, research equipment costs, etc. Basically anything that is going directly toward the mission of conserving wildlife. Earnings from workshop registration and product purchases are divided between mission-related costs and operational costs, though no more than 50% of earnings can be used for operations. Operational costs include things like materials for our free workshops, fundraising, software subscriptions, and animal care.