Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame

When visitors step through the door of the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame (WCHF), they discover how natural resource managers have shaped their environment and their lives. Most importantly, they can learn about those individuals that helped protect Wisconsin’s natural resources.

The WCHF’s mission is to advance the conservation ideal by inducting individuals who have contributed significantly to conservation in Wisconsin and the nation. The first induction ceremony, honoring Aldo Leopold and John Muir, was held in April 1985. Today there are nearly 70 individuals honored.

The WCHF Foundation, which initiated and supports the WCFH, is the only such organization in the United States. They were created to ensure the continuing knowledge and practice of the conservation ethic by engaging in “education, scientific, literary, historical and charitable pursuits which will recognize the principles of the conservation movement.”

The WCHF policy has been to induct two to three individuals each year, selected from a pool of candidates nominated by individuals or groups. To maintain objectivity in selection of inductees, a Board of Governors was created to recommend inductees to the WCHF Board of Directors, which makes the final decision.  An induction ceremony, usually with hundreds of invitees, is held annually to celebrate the conservation accomplishments of the new entries.