Center for Sustainable Systems Studies

DR. ORIE LOUCKS HONORED FOR NATIONAL CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT

The nation's largest conservation organization honored scientist and professor Dr. Orie Loucks with its prestigious National Conservation Achievement Award at its 65th Annual Meeting today in Washington, D.C. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recognized Loucks for his contributions to the fields of forestry, ecology and watershed dynamics, and for helping to educate an entire generation of scientists.

"Orie Loucks is rightfully considered 'one of the intellectual giants of the environmental movement,"' said NWF President Mark Van Putten. "With his unflagging dedication and boundless energy, Dr. Loucks has added many layers to the scientific foundation that is crucial to effective conservation, and has been a leader in putting that knowledge to use in shaping real solutions for environmental problems."

Canadian-born and a life-long resident of the Great Lakes area, Loucks has conducted research on issues affecting not only his region, but the rest of the continent, and the world. As an honored professor at the University of Wisconsin, and later at Indiana's Butler University and Miami University in Ohio, Loucks has performed extensive research on topics as diverse as forest management, air pollution, pesticides, biological diversity, and the effects of industrial and urban development on water quality. And he has consistently turned his studies into action, applying his research to critical environmental problems.

In Wisconsin's Baraboo Hills, Loucks led a grass roots effort to secure the large Hemlock Draw watershed for protection by The Nature Conservancy, of which he is a prominent member. He also spearheaded that organization's drive to protect the 500-acre Spring Green Prairie, and around the same time he became a faculty sponsor for the Madison Chapter of the organization Zero Population Growth. One of Loucks' most notable achievements dates back to the late 1960s, when he helped organize a two-year effort to outlaw the use of DDT in Wisconsin. His hands-on, day-to-day involvement in this campaign, as well as his brilliant summary at the conclusion of the trial, helped legally bring an end to the use of this toxic pesticide throughout the state, setting a precedent for the national ban of DDT two years later.

In addition, through four decades of classes, and throug the nearly 200 environmental publications he has authored, Loucks has brought a clearer understanding of ecology, forestry and other disciplines to countless students and professionals, and has taught some of his field's most preeminent scientists.

Since 1965, NWF’s National Conservation Achievement Awards have been presented each year to individuals and organizations who provide leadership in spreading the conservation message and protecting natural resources. For 2000, awards were presented in the following categories: NWF Affiliate of the Year, Communications, Corporate Leadership, Education, Government, International, Legal/Legislative, Organization, Philanthropy, Science, Youth, and Special Achievement. Dr. Orie Loucks was honored in the Science category.

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