by Vicki Elkin — Vicki Elkin served as executive director of Gathering Waters from 1998 to 2006. She is currently working on farmland preservation issues with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
By now, I’m sure most of you have heard of the passing of Bud Jordahl, the founder of Gathering Waters Conservancy and one of Wisconsin’s greatest environmental stewards. Bud died May 11 at age 83.
Without question, Bud Jordahl’s work was legendary: helping to create the Apostle Islands National Seashore and the Namekagon–St Croix National Wild and Scenic Riverway; working with Senator Gaylord Nelson on the first Earth Day; and establishing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund.
But while the public knew that side of Bud, behind the scenes he was an inspirational teacher and mentor to a new generation of environmental leaders. Bud loved this role and Gathering Waters benefitted from his generous spirit, sage advice, and enthusiastic encouragement.
I met Bud Jordahl for the first time in 1998 at my interview for the Executive Director position at Gathering Waters. Bud was an incredibly kind, considerate, and generous person but he could also be tough as nails and he ran me through the wringer that day.
Bud focused on my Masters thesis on the Town of Dunn’s Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program, asking challenging questions about my research and questioning the validity of my findings. He was harder on me than any member of my thesis committee.
Bud ended the interview by asking me to meet him for coffee early the next morning. He had more questions about my thesis. After that first cup of coffee, I realized that Bud wasn’t testing my mettle–he was genuinely interested in what I had learned from my research. He was always thinking about new ways to preserve Wisconsin’s landscape and PDR held promise for Wisconsin’s working farms and forests.
Thus began a relationship that included weekly Wednesday morning coffee dates at McDonald’s. I discovered during those regular meetings that Bud was genuinely interested in what I had to say. Here I was, fresh out of graduate school, face-to-face with one of the great conservationists of our time, and he valued my opinions!
Gathering Waters was a lean organization in those early years. I was the only full-time staff person and Bud frequently helped share the workload. Together, we traveled the state from Ashland to La Crosse; Door County to River Falls.
We met with landowners, toured conservation projects, offered assistance to fledging land trusts, and asked donors to support our efforts.
We also found time to canoe the St. Croix River where Bud had courted his wife Marilyn decades earlier. I cooled my feet in the water as Bud reminisced about the past. Much to my horror, I ended up covered with leeches. Bud found this endlessly amusing and never let me forget!
Yet while the work was fascinating, the best part was having Bud as a friend and mentor. I learned a lot about Wisconsin’s environmental history but also learned what it meant to be a leader.
As Gathering Waters grew, Bud took a personal and professional interest in each and every staff member, including the interns and volunteers. Even with all the demands on his time, Bud always was available to lend an ear and offer advice to this young group of eager conservationists.
A frequent visitor to the office, Bud would treat the staff to milkshakes at a local diner. He hosted retreats, camping trips, and morel hunts at his beloved farm in Richland County. Bud had donated a conservation easement on the farm to Gathering Waters and our annual monitoring trip became a much-anticipated event. The trip always involved a long, bumpy tour in “Butch,” an old Isuzu Trooper “convertible.” Bud had removed the roof for a better view.
Bud would fill “Butch” to capacity with staff, interns and volunteers. Sometimes our kids even jammed into the well-worn and damp foam seats. The tour was inevitably followed by a generous spread of food and long, lively chats with Bud on his front porch.
But it was Bud’s unwavering commitment to the Gathering Waters mission and his passion for conservation that stood apart. He challenged the staff to set ambitious goals and pushed us hard to reach them. His standards were high but always just within reach. Working with Bud was rewarding and exhilarating.
Most importantly, Bud was always quick to recognize a job well-done. Our bulletin boards were filled with thank you notes and words of encouragement, forcing us to become experts in deciphering Bud’s handwriting.
In a world where it’s easy to be cynical, Bud gave us the courage to believe that we could make a difference. He saw the potential of land trusts at a time when they were barely on the radar screen in Wisconsin. Thanks in part to Bud’s vision and leadership there are now 50 land trusts in Wisconsin.
And many Gathering Waters “graduates” have carried on Bud’s vision. Some have remained here in Wisconsin. Others have moved to different parts of the country and the world. With few exceptions, all have continued their careers in conservation, applying what they learned from one of Wisconsin’s conservation legends.
We’ll miss you Bud, but we’ll never forget all you taught us.
You can read more about Bud’s accomplishments here, at the website of the Conservation Hall of Fame.
A profile of Bud in The Wisconsin State Journal is here.
Another warm tribute to Bud by outdoor writer Pat Durkin is here.
a post script — we have already received a few gifts in honor of Bud’s memory, and extend our thanks to those contributors. If you’d like to do the same, feel free to contact Mike Strigel – mike [at] gatheringwaters.org or 608-251-9131 x 14
