Women in Construction Week 2025: Molly Berkholtz
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The smell of burning covers and hovers over a snowy Prairie Ridge Conservation Park on the City’s south side, near the Elver neighborhood.
The prairie has some invasive shrubs in the area, so City of Madison Parks Division Conservation Technician Molly Berkholtz is leading their team to prep for prescribed burn season while hopefully establishing native grasses throughout.
“This park has a huge prairie to it—and here in the middle of the prairie is a plum thicket—unfortunately this has a bunch of buckthorn and honeysuckle in it,” Berkholtz said. “Today we’re out here burning all that brush—and using the snow to put out the fires.”
Being outside has always been a part of Berkholtz’s life, from the moment she was born growing up in Deforest, Wis.
“My mom took me on my first overnight canoe trip when I was 12 weeks old,” Berkholtz said. “My parents took me camping and canoeing my whole life. I love being outside. I love physically doing things and being able to see a distinct difference before and after I work in an area.”
As a girl scout for 10 years, Berkholtz fed their desire to learn in nature, this time from their influential troop leader who also happened to work for the Department of Natural Resources.
“We did a lot of camping, tree identification and building blue bird houses,” Berkholtz said. “We were really active outside.”
From the outside classroom, to inside, Berkholtz continued growing to love the outdoors when they took an environmental class in high school.
“My favorite teacher in high school was Mr. Kvalheim. He was a welding teacher primarily, and he also taught an environmental class,” Berkholtz said. “[The environmental class] it talked a lot about the very basic parts of the job that I do today.”
After high school, Berkholtz studied environmental science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then worked for City of Madison Forestry trimming trees for Emerald Ash Borer. Then, Berkholtz continued work at the City as a Parks Worker, Landscape Maintenance Worker and then, landed in their current position as a Conservation Technician, all positions she’s proud to have had, earned and worked in the field.
“I think Women in Construction Week is focusing on women who are doing jobs that historically haven’t been presented as options to them,” Berkholtz said. “They’re operating heavy equipment. They’re getting dirty. They’re doing work that they’ve been historically excluded from.”
Berkholtz said she’s had a good experience working in construction in the field and hopes that any other person would feel encouraged to try different things, whatever they’d like, in whichever field they want to take on in construction.
“I would love for people to take the opportunity to try different things. You don’t know if you love something or hate something until you do it,” Berkholtz said. “I think there are a lot of people who are pushed into doing things, and if there is something that sounds really interesting you think could be for you, give it a shot.”
Or in some cases, time to burn, like at the Prairie Ridge Conservation Park, smoldering under the sunshine on a perfect winter day.
“I love being able to see the transformation of an area, from something that hasn’t been managed for a long time and bringing it back to a state prior to settlement,” Berkholtz said.
The industry has transformed and created space for Women in Construction, but if you’re like Berkholtz, continue doing what you love, in spaces you enjoy, because after all, nothing can make anyone happier with life than taking a moment to breath in the fresh, albeit smokey, air.
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