State Senator Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls has demonstrated an enduring commitment to land and water conservation in Wisconsin through her role on the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, her service on the board of the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, and her role as a board member of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT) from 1998 to 2001. Her long-time support of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program embodies Wisconsin’s strong bi-partisan legacy of land conservation. Her support of the Stewardship Program helps land trusts all over Wisconsin protect the places that make Wisconsin such a special place to live.
Gathering Waters is pleased to present Senator Harsdorf with the 2017 Policymaker of the Year Award to honor her commitment to conservation.
As a founding Steering Committee Member of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, Harsdorf helped KRLT grow to the strong organization it is today, protecting over 2,800 acres of land and 9 miles of vulnerable stream bank in the Kinnickinnic River watershed.
In addition to her work with KRLT, Senator Harsdorf has also been an ardent supporter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance and has volunteered on the Ice Age Trail numerous times over the years. Her support of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program helped the Ice Age Trail Alliance and its partners protect approximately 160 properties, 14,000 acres, and nearly 90 miles of trail. In the 2015-2017 budget, she helped secure about $1 million in funds for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to acquire lands for the Ice Age Trail.
“[The Stewardship Program] would not have been funded without the continuous and stalwart efforts of Senator Sheila Harsdorf.” — Herb & Corrine Lundberg, Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteers
