Archived entries for Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award

Door County icons Roy & Charlotte Lukes, earn Lifetime Achievement Award

Roy and Charlotte Lukes are treasured Door and Kewaunee County naturalists and conservation icons. They have worked as a team for over 40 years educating countless children and adults on the wonders of the natural world and the tremendous importance of protecting Wisconsin’s wild places.

photo by Len Villano

The Lukes have been huge contributors to the Door County Peninsula’s educational curriculum, designed to help people better understand the area’s history, geology, plants, and wildlife.

Roy was the first Chief Naturalist and Manager of The Ridges Sanctuary, has written over 1600 nature essays for area newspapers, and five books on The Ridges, Toft Point and the flora and fauna of Door County. Charlotte has identified more than 550 species of mushrooms in Door County and is working on putting her information into a book. Together, they have led hundreds of hikes in Door County, early morning bird outings and workshops for residents and visitors. The Lukes have been huge contributors to the Door County Peninsula’s educational curriculum, designed to help people better understand the area’s history, geology, plants, and wildlife. In fact, in 2000, Roy and Charlotte founded the Friends of Toft Point, to help preserve and educate others about the Toft Point State Natural Area.

“One doesn’t have to look far to appreciate the wonderful conservation work that has occurred in Door County during the past couple of decades – and in almost every case (if not every case) Roy and Charlotte have had a positive influence on the people responsible for these accomplishments.” - Robert W. Howe, Ph.D., Professor, Natural & Applied Sciences (Biology) and Director, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, U.W. Green Bay

The Lukes are certainly deserving of the Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to them at Gathering Waters’ 12th annual Land Conservation Leadership Awards Celebration on September 25th, at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Find out more about this event or RSVP on our website!

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Giving a Voice to the Land for Over 50 Years

Howard & Nancy Mead, the winners of this year’s Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award, have been an active and abiding presence in Wisconsin’s conservation community for more than 50 years. As the publishers of ‘Wisconsin Trails’ from 1961 to 1998 they specialized in helping others tell their stories about special places and people in Wisconsin — which, in turn, that helped others to learn more about the land and how they might care for it.

Howard and Nancy on their 55th Aniversary

In addition to educating the public about the richness of Wisconsin’s resources and heritage through ‘Wisconsin Trails’ magazine, they have been extremely active in numerous conservation organizations throughout the state. Howard and Nancy were instrumental in the founding of the Sandy County Foundation, the Leopold Memorial Reserve, and the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and work closely with many other organizations (including serving on the board of GWC for many year!)

It has been said that on a good day, conservationists provide voices for the land itself. Howard and Nancy Mead have spent more than 50 years speaking for the land with eloquence, passion and commitment. They have given people the chance to form a bond with nature through the stories that they share and have been responsible for enlisting hundreds of citizens to the cause of conservation.

Please join us in celebrating and honoring the Meads’ many achievements at our annual Land Conservation Leadership Awards Ceremony on September 26th at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI.

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