MADISON, WI – Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts presents the Land Conservation Leadership Awards each year to honor individuals and organizations that devote their time and talents to protecting Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife.
The 2025 award winners are:
Terrie Cooper – Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award
Cates Family – Land Legacy Award
Jefferson County Land & Water Conservation Department – Working Lands Preservation Award
David Grusznski – Land Trust Professional of the Year
Sandy DeWalt – Land Trust Volunteer of the Year
“Every year, Gathering Waters honors conservation leaders through the Land Conservation Leadership Awards for their dedication to protecting Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife,” said Mike Carlson, executive director of Gathering Waters. “We extend our thanks and gratitude to this year’s award winners for their efforts to further land conservation resulting in lasting changes around the state. We’re excited to celebrate their accomplishments.”
Award winners will be presented with the Land Conservation Leadership Awards at local events throughout the year. Read about each of the award winners below.
Terrie Cooper – Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award
Terrie Cooper has devoted her life, talents, and boundless energy to Wisconsin land conservation. As Door County Land Trust’s second employee hired in 1999, Terrie’s leadership was instrumental in expanding the land trust’s protected areas from 800 acres to over 10,000 acres today. Terrie has also successfully co-authored over $30 million of state and federal land acquisition grants.
Recently retired after a 25-year tenure, Terrie led or played a key role in 216 land acquisition projects in Door County, including critical wetlands, rare plant habitats, shorelines, and wildlife corridors across the Door Peninsula and its islands. Terrie’s conservation knowledge, relationship-building skills, and unwavering dedication have reshaped the landscape of Door County and inspired a new generation of conservation leaders.
Prior to her work with Door County Land Trust, Terrie founded the Sheboygan Area Land Conservancy (now Glacial Lakes Conservancy) and worked at various Wisconsin nature centers. With a background in education, Terrie has inspired countless students and adults through field trips, Wisconsin Master Naturalist training sessions, graduate courses as an Adjunct Faculty at UW-Stevens Point, and community outreach. She has mentored many conservation professionals across Wisconsin. Terrie continues to lead classes and hikes in retirement, sharing her deep love for Wisconsin’s natural heritage.
Cates Family – Land Legacy Award
Richard (Dick) and Kim Cates and their family embody the spirit of conservation stewardship on their working farm in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Dick and Kim established a successful grass-fed beef operation on the Cates family’s property in 1987, following Aldo Leopold’s conservation ethic, using managed (rotational) grazing to nurture healthy pasture. In 2016, their son, Eric, and his wife, Kiley, took over the farm operation. With the help of their daughter, Shannon, and her husband, Dan, they expanded the farm by purchasing adjacent land they protected with a conservation easement through the Driftless Area Land Conservancy.
Lowery Creek flows through the Cates family’s farm pastures and directly into the Lower Wisconsin River. Their land management practices have helped elevate Lowery Creek from a Class 2 to a Class 1 trout stream. Conservation easements on their property protect natural springs, ponds, wetlands, and remnant oak savanna currently under restoration. The legacy the Cates family has created on their property demonstrates how sustainable working lands can support healthy ecosystems.
In addition to his work on the farm, Dick co-founded the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, which has assisted more than 600 beginning farmers. He has also served on the Driftless Area Land Conservancy Board and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Board, and currently serves as Chair of the Town of Wyoming. Kim served as agricultural liaison for US Senator Herb Kohl, and presently serves on the Lower Wisconsin Riverway Board.
The Cates Family regularly hosts visitors at their farm to share knowledge about working conservation, opening their land for educational events and serving as trail hosts for the developing Driftless Trail, a 50-mile footpath connecting three state parks in the region.
Jefferson County Land & Water Conservation Department – Working Lands Preservation Award
The Jefferson County Land and Water Conservation Department (LWCD) has preserved Wisconsin’s working lands through their innovative programs and partnerships. Located between Madison and Milwaukee, Jefferson County works to achieve intentional growth while maintaining a strong focus on working lands conservation and sustainable agricultural practices. Through this program, the LWCD has successfully protected 1,122 acres of agricultural land through 10 easements, which will keep 35 lots in agriculture instead of being split off for rural development.
The LWCD manages the county’s Agricultural Conservation Easement program, established in 2007, which protects high-quality farmland through donated and purchased conservation easements. The LWCD assists farmers through numerous conservation initiatives including the Farmland Preservation Program, which benefits farm owners who adopt soil and water quality standards. The department also provides landowners with funding to help implement a wide variety of conservation practices including cover crops, harvestable filter strips, pasture establishment, rain gardens, and shoreland restoration projects. After conducting a county-wide groundwater study with UW-Stevens Point, the LWCD and the county’s Health Department formed a partnership to inform rural residents about the importance of well water testing and provide education resources on groundwater quality protection and treatment options.
The LWCD has strengthened its agricultural protection efforts through strategic collaboration opportunities, including joining the Wisconsin Farmland Protection Partnership, led by American Farmland Trust. This partnership supports farmers and landowners looking to protect their legacy by slowing the loss of vital agricultural land.
David Grusznski – Land Trust Professional of the Year
David Grusznski has dedicated 22 years to land conservation during his career with The Conservation Fund, where he currently serves as Milwaukee Programs Director & Senior Field Representative. Starting as an intern in 2003, David has been instrumental in leading the Greenseams and Working Soils programs for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. David has played a big role in protecting working farmlands and natural areas with a focus on floodwater management throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Having been involved since nearly the beginning of the Greenseams program, David has worked on most of the program’s 178 land acquisitions that have protected 7,751 acres of natural areas and working farmlands across multiple counties.
Beyond this, David has served as a mentor and resource to dozens of Wisconsin conservationists. His expertise is widely sought after by local land trusts, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. David’s breadth of knowledge in land acquisition, land management, and long-standing relationships with partners have been crucial to the success of conservation efforts that are now considered national models for land conservation.
Sandy DeWalt – Land Trust Volunteer of the Year
Sandy DeWalt lived a lifetime of volunteerism and environmental education. The Land Trust Volunteer of the Year Award is presented in memoriam after her passing in 2025. Sandy was a mentor and volunteer at Caledonia Conservancy for over 30 years, serving as president for 15 years. She worked tirelessly to expand and improve protected lands and the trail system used by hikers and equestrians. Sandy helped organize Caledonia Conservancy’s annual Mane Event (welcoming equestrians to conserved lands for adventures on horseback), planned monthly work days, and led an all-volunteer trail maintenance team, which won a statewide award for pulling the most garlic mustard.
Sandy was instrumental in envisioning and creating the School to Nature outdoor education and field trip program at Caledonia Conservancy. For the past 15 years, the program has hosted school groups at the Conservancy—working with over 10,000 students from local public and private schools.
Sandy lived a life of active volunteerism with Caledonia Conservancy and is greatly missed by those who knew and worked with her.
