Fifteen years ago, a Vilas County husband and wife sold more than a thousand acres of their land to the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest to ensure it would be conserved.
That sale sparked a journey in land conservation projects for Joe and Mary Hovel.
They’ve now helped conserve, both directly and through their advocacy, tens of thousands of acres in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula.
For their work, the Hovels were named this year’s winners of the Land Legacy Award by Gathering Waters, a leading Wisconsin conservation organization.
“At Gathering Waters, I think that we believe it’s important to take time to celebrate success and really to share gratitude with individuals who pour their hearts and souls into protecting and restoring Wisconsin’s environment,” said Mike Carlson, the executive director of Gathering Waters.
“[Joe and Mary have] been just tremendous leaders…really just getting an incredible amount of conservation done on the ground.”
Carlson said the Hovels have exhibited remarkable creativity and persistence in working on conservation projects. For example, when the project to protect Wildcat Falls near Watersmeet was completed about four years ago, the process had taken more than a decade.
“What’s ten years when we’re talking about old-growth forest or billion-year-old rock outcrops? What’s ten years?” Joe Hovel said in an interview. “For as impatient as I was as a younger adult, dwelling on conservation has really taught me the virtue of patience, because this stuff just does not happen overnight. It just does not happen fast.”
The Hovels use land deals, government designations, and advocacy to achieve conservation of special places in the region.
WXPR profiled Wildcat Falls and the Upper Wisconsin River Legacy Forest, two of their projects, in 2020. Other major accomplishments include the projection of the Headwater Cedars Community Forest and the Pilgrim River Watershed Project.
“In the case of Joe and Mary, I think there’s no question that you would describe this as sort of a lifelong partnership and collaboration, so it’s a nice opportunity when we can find couples or families to be able to recognize and celebrate,” Carlson said.
In addition to on-the-ground work, the Hovels hope they are setting an example for the future.
“We’re at a point in our lives where we need to do everything we can to inspire others, especially a younger generation, to care for the land and to look at conservation as a part of their daily lives,” Joe Hovel said.
Gathering Waters will formally honor Joe and Mary Hovel at a local event later this year.
