Conservationist had major impact on state

Longtime Wisconsin Natural Resources Board member Herbert “Herb” Behnke, of the town of Richmond, who passed away Sunday in Shawano, left behind a long list of accomplishments in his 88-year life. “He was a busy man,” said Jim Horne, a Department of Natural Resources conservation warden for Shawano. “Actually a giant, in the natural resources/conservation field. He will be sorely missed. He was a reasonable voice for the average person out there hunting and fishing.” Behnke’s ascent to a respected leader on conservation issues statewide began when he was appointed to the Wolf River Basin Regional Planning Commission by Gov. Gaylord Nelson in 1967. A year later, the Department of Natural Resources was formed, and Gov. Warren Knowles appointed Behnke to the new Natural Resources Board, where he served until 1972. In 1989, Gov. Tommy Thompson appointed Behnke to the board for a second stint that lasted until 2007, when he became the board’s longest-serving member. He served as chair of the board from 1993-97. A unit of the Wolf River Bottomlands that Behnke lobbied the state to acquire was named in his honor in 2006. Behnke was a major proponent of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, and he helped to more than double the 803,554 acres controlled by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources during his tenure. “Herb was a genuine friend to the DNR and a shining light among Wisconsin conservationists,” DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said. “He understood that not everyone could own land and became a fearless champion of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. He was also a great friend to the DNR’s warden force.” In 2009, Behnke was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. “I never really listened much to special interest groups,” Behnke told the hall of fame when he was inducted. “To me, it was the common men and women who loved to hunt and fish, and what they wanted.” Behnke, who was born near Lena and was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked at Shawano-based Cooperative Resources International for 42 years before retiring in 1989.