Gathering Waters presented Dr. Robert (Bob) Freckmann, long-time supporter of North Central Conservancy Trust (NCCT), with the 2024 Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 during a public award ceremony held at Schmeeckle Reserve in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Gathering Waters and North Central Conservancy Trust were joined by several presenters who shared their appreciation for Bob’s efforts to help protect Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife. These presenters included: UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Thomas Gibson, Stevens Point Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Department Director Dan Kremer, and Senator Patrick Testin.
Dr. Freckmann’s contributions to conservation in Wisconsin are extensive. As a founding member of NCCT in the 1990s, Bob helped residents in Portage and Marathon Counties respond to concerns over threats to natural areas. Today, NCCT serves eight counties and currently holds more than 60 conservation easements that permanently protect over 5,000 acres of land in central Wisconsin. Bob has been involved in nearly all of these transactions. He has served on various boards and committees, and continues to work with landowners who wish to protect their land.
In 2010, Bob and his late wife Sally donated a conservation easement to NCCT on their 32-acre property on the west side of Stevens Point. The land features both native and unlikely trees, shrubs, and plants from around the world, and serves as an outdoor teaching classroom for students.
In addition to his work with NCCT, Bob had a nearly 55-year career at UW-Stevens Point. Although he has been officially retired for many years, he still frequents his desk at the second-largest herbarium in Wisconsin, a collection of 230,000 plants that he started in 1968, now appropriately known as The Freckmann Herbarium.
“Bob’s commitment to land conservation is apparent through his decades-long involvement with North Central Conservancy Trust and the growth the land trust has experienced over the years,” said Mike Carlson, executive director of Gathering Waters. “Thousands of acres of land in Central Wisconsin are now permanently protected in part due to Bob’s leadership and guidance as an active board member and supporter. He has also introduced countless individuals to the importance of land conservation through his work at UW-Stevens Point and in the community. We are grateful for all of his contributions and thrilled to present him with this lifetime achievement award.”
About the Land Conservation Leadership Awards
The awards, presented annually to conservation leaders by Gathering Waters, recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of people who devote their time and talents to protecting Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife.
About the Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes a committed conservation professional or volunteer who has devoted their time, talents, and energy in support of land conservation over their lifetime, as demonstrated through extraordinary projects or other accomplishments that have permanently safeguarded Wisconsin’s natural treasures.
