For Stevens Point News

STEVENS POINT — The Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA) is excited to announce the first winner of the recently established Forestry Leader Scholarship as Travis Wollenberg. A native of Navarino, Wis.

Wollenberg is a Forest Management major currently finishing his junior year at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (UWSP).

The Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association Forestry Leader Scholarship is designed to recognize forestry students attending UWSP who have demonstrated a passion for sustainable forestry, practiced a commitment to professionalism and academia, and clearly exercised service above self.

The 45 acres his family owns provided the ideal backdrop for Wollenberg to develop his appreciation of the natural world growing-up. It offered space to explore and trees to climb. Some of his fondest memories spent on the land are cutting firewood with his dad. Having spent so much time in nature, it was not surprising when Wollenberg ended up in the College of Natural Resources.

Besides classes, being a member of both the UWSP Cross Country and Track and Field teams keeps Wollenberg busy during the school year. In some of the time he does have free he participates in the UWSP Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters. Additionally, this last year he was invited to be part of Phi Kappa Phi, an academic honor society on campus.

Keeping busy is nothing new to Wollenberg. In high school he participated in Explorer Posts with the Shawano County Police Department for 4 years. He was also selected to participate in Badger Boys State.

Though classes are still shaping his interests and plans for after graduation, Wollenberg currently has his sights set on something dealing with rural forest management or wood utilization and procurement.

On Friday, April 6 Wollenberg was recognized along with other scholarship recipients and award winners at UWSP’s annual College of Natural Resources Celebration Evening.

The Forestry Leader Scholarship is an annual $5,000 scholarship available to Wisconsin residents studying Forest Management at UWSP. The scholarship is awarded to one student of junior or senior status each year and split over two semesters. Applications for the 2019 year will be accepted November 1, 2018 through January 1, 2019. Information about the scholarship can be found at www.wisconsinwoodlands.org/scholarship.