Heroes of Conservation: September 2009

Developing the conservationists of tomorrow
Jon Hillmer, Baraboo, Wis.

Hillmer, president of an equipment rental company and vice president of his local Pheasants Forever chapter, helped start Kids and Mentors Outdoors (kamokids.org). Volunteers from KAMO's chapters, all in Wisconsin, hunt and fish with children who might not do so otherwise, teaching them outdoor skills as well as how to respect the environment. They've planted hundreds of trees and even created a stocked pond. Hillmer, 50, says, “The simplest things can mean the most to them."

Restoring the bayou's beauty
Curtis Merrell, Monticello, Ark.

Kitchen appliances were once common in Arkansas's Bayou Bartholomew. So were logjams. These, along with intense soil erosion, left the bayou a mess. Merrell, a 74-year-old retired educator, got fed up and founded the Bayou Bartholomew Alliance (arkansas.gov/bba) 14 years ago. Its purpose: to get the 375-mile-long bayou back to its natural state. The group, working with governments, landowners, and volunteers, has so far removed more than 170 tons of trash from the water.

A trophy bass caused one man to start a coalition devoted to protecting Florida's longest river
Leroy Wright, Cocoa, Fla.

In 1958, Wright caught a big bass in Florida's St. Johns and fell in love with the river. A month later, he took a position at nearby Cape Canaveral. The fishing was still great, but Wright became distressed by the deteriorating water quality. Determined to do something, in 1985 he started SAVE (Sportsmen Against Violating the Environment) St. Johns River Inc. (savethestjohns.org), which has grown to a coalition of 30 groups. In 1998, President Clinton designated the St. Johns an American Heritage River, bringing it federal assistance. This spring Wright, 77, saw a 21⁄2-mile dike removed, finally restoring the original floodplain.

See Previous Heroes from:

Finalists Howard Kern William Edwards Derek Fong Billy Sandifer Mark Taylor Jon Hillmer Previous Months November September August July June May April March February

Finalists Hod Kosman Chad Pregracke Andy Batcho Jim Tripp and Sandra Millan-Tripp Dale Rollins Charles Lane Previous Months November September August July June May April March February

Finalists Brian Maguire Joan Vernon Philip Babe Harlan Kredit Chris Scalley Robert Miles Previous Months November September August July June May April March February

Finalists Paul Morrow Jim Cummins Jeff Olson Ronnie Luster Steve Simmons Chris Tompkins Previous Months September August July June May April March February January