Our Board

When Allan and his family moved to La Crosse in 2004 they soon became enthusiastic hikers in the bluffs. Recognizing the importance of protecting the region’s bluffs and other natural areas, they became enthusiastic supporters of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy. In 2016 Allan was pleased to join the board of directors. He has served on the development, governance, and executive committees and has been an active volunteer helping with invasive removal, burns, and easement monitoring.

Allan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with bachelor's and law degrees. He worked as an assistant state public defender for 28 years retiring in 2015. His other volunteer involvement includes the First Congregational United Church of Christ and La Crosse Chamber Chorale.

Allan is married to Michael Ross, a retired physician's assistant. They have three grown children. Allan shares Michael’s passion for gardening. Allan is active in the Heart Strings Harp Circle and performs the lever harp occasionally in the area.

Karen grew up in the countryside near Hillsboro, Wisconsin, exploring the outdoors with her brothers and spending a lot of time on their grandparents’ farm. She is a graduate of Viterbo University with a degree in business administration-HR development. She retired in 2020 after working in human resources for 37 years with G. Heileman Brewing Company, Fleming, and Trane Technologies. Karen is now a part-time employee of the La Crosse County Historical Society and serves on the board of the Coulee Region Humane Society, the Viterbo University Alumni Association Board of Directors-Emeritus, and is a member of the Town of Shelby Planning Commission. She is also a past president of the La Crosse Area Society for Human Resource Management.

In her spare time, Karen is an avid reader and pursues a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and hiking. She and her husband, Jay Heldt, live in the Town of Shelby with their 2 cats. They both love to travel and especially enjoy exploring the western states, where they’ve summited 9 Colorado 14ers.
 

Rob retired from the Biology Department at UW-La Crosse in 2015, where he taught courses in general biology, zoology, ecology and evolution for 37 years. He has been active in various sustainability-related organizations in the La Crosse community and continues to monitor bird populations in MVC’s New Amsterdam Prairie grasslands. 

Some of Rob’s fondest memories are of his childhood in southeastern Nebraska, where he explored nature on his grandparent’s small farm and developed a life-long interest in the outdoors. His hobbies include biking, car camping with family and friends, birding, backpacking, and a never-ending quest for the perfect golf swing.

His ongoing technical interests include climate change, ornithology, evolution, and EV cars.

Chris Huiras has lived in the Driftless Region for over 40 years. He recently retired after working as a surgeon for 33 years at Mayo in La Crosse, where he also served on the St. Francis Foundation Board. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he came for the training but stayed for the beauty. 

Family time in Northern Minnesota lake country and being around the Madison lakes while growing up helped develop his love of outdoor activities. With his wife Krista,(( who also is a volunteer in the MVC office,))  they raised their children here and together enjoy the woods and water with wonderment. 

Chris first became involved with Mississippi Valley Conservancy selfishly as a volunteer to learn more about managing invasives in the family’s woods. He is now pleased to be able to serve on the Board to help further preserve and protect the natural beauty and resources of our area.  

Fred Koerschner grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where he enjoyed exploring the vast forests, lakes, and streams of the “UP”. He graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and, later, earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota.

Fred worked for 3M Company in St Paul, MN for 35 years in various technical and business management positions until retiring in 2016.   After retirement, Fred, and his wife Lou Anne, moved to Madison to be closer to their children and grandchildren.  Soon after, they discovered the beauty of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region.  In 2020 they purchased property in Vernon County with an existing MVC conservation easement and continue to manage the property to enhance its wildlife population and diversity.

Fred has previous board and volunteer experience with numerous organizations including the Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve, another Wisconsin land trust.  He enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking, camping, and skiing.  

Danielle fell in love with the Driftless while attending college and has called the region home for 14 years. She taught fifth-grade science and reading for six years before pursuing a master’s in biology with a focus on environmental science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she researched native bee conservation and ecology.

Her passion for protecting the region’s native landscapes and organisms led her to an internship with Mississippi Valley Conservancy and, ultimately, to her current role with The Nature Conservancy at the Weaver Dunes Preserve. There, she works to protect native ecosystems—especially her favorite pollinators, the bees!

Daniel Sambu is an academic in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he teaches courses primarily focused on environmental conservation. His teaching emphasizes the intricate and dynamic relationship between society and ecological systems, exploring how human activities shape and are shaped by environmental feedback mechanisms.

Beyond his teaching and research, Dr. Sambu is a strong advocate for experiential learning. He has successfully led multiple study abroad programs in Tanzania, taking students on immersive field experiences. His dedication to international education and cross-cultural collaboration in conservation has earned him prestigious accolades, including a Fulbright Scholar award and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, through which he has worked extensively with institutions in Kenya to advance research and academic partnerships.

Dr. Sambu is also a passionate amateur wildlife photographer who uses photography as a tool for storytelling in conservation.

Krysten is trained as a wildlife biologist with a Master's in Fish, Wildlife, & Conservation Ecology from New Mexico State University. Krysten has worked all across the country, from New York to Oregon, researching how different habitat management practices impact local wildlife populations. She has nearly 10 years of experience in non-profit private lands conservation, including nearly 5 years working for Mississippi Valley Conservancy. She is currently the Grassland Ecologist for the National Audubon Society in Minnesota where she is responsible for bringing Audubon's premier grassland habitat program, Audubon Conservation Ranching, to the state for the first time.

Krysten lives in La Crosse with her sidekick pup Ellie, is an avid reader, and can be found on/along the Mississippi River, hiking, kayaking, and, of course, birding.
 

Tom has a bachelor’s degree from Saint Olaf College and various postgraduate studies in natural history. His formative years were spent in rural Michigan and summers at his grandfather’s cabin on Pelican Lake in Minnesota where turtles, snakes, frogs, and fish figured large. He retired from a 30-year career as a leader of a successful horticultural firm in Monterey County, CA which bred and produced Zantedeschia (calla lily) and tuberous begonias for world markets. 

In 2003, he purchased 87 acres on the West Fork of the Kickapoo in Vernon County, since protected with a conservation easement through MVC – which he says is one of the best things he has ever done. He and his partner, Pam Saunders, have planted hundreds of native trees, shrubs, and several acres of native prairie, created wetlands, and installed non-game habitat for his beloved turtles, snakes, frogs, and other wildlife. On this biodiverse property, they operate a small cabin and conference facility, Nature Nooks Retreat, where they spread the “plant natives for biodiversity” word and share what they love with others, hoping to instill a sense of awe, caring, and connection.

Following 9 years as board chair of a local watershed non-profit, Valley Stewardship Network, Tom is pleased to be actively involved with Mississippi Valley Conservancy and again be helping to protect our unique Driftless Area.

Janet came to La Crosse from Boston in 1981. Raised in a U.S. Foreign Service family, she holds a BA in literature (Hamilton College), and a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard. She has served in urban and rural parishes, and, for over 20 years, as an independent consultant in mostly non-profit organizations: congregations, social service agencies, education, public meetings, focusing on mediation, facilitation, conflict, systems, and decision design.

By 1991,Janet and her husband Dana started an organic lawn care business to provide a land friendly alternative to pervasive pesticide practices. They have been active explorers of the region with their son, and members of many area refuges and natural areas. They built a creation care team in the La Crosse Area Synod ELCA in 2018-20, volunteer for refuge activities birdwatch, and are active in current Climate Alliance initiatives.

Randy moved to the La Crosse area in 1995 and is an avid outdoorsman spending most of his free time exploring the waters and lands of the Coulee Region with his family. He has worked in the environmental field for over 30 years having positions in both the private and public sectors.  He has worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation for over 20 years developing and managing multiple environmental programs focused on water quality, air quality, brownfields, invasive species, compliance and restoration.

Randy also serves on the Lower WI State Riverway and Mt. La Crosse Ski Patrol Foundation boards and countless boards and committees related to his work with the Ho-Chunk Nation.  Randy joined the MVC Board in 2024 and serves on the MVC Land Protection and Management Committee.

Bernard “Bud” Hammes grew up in the city of La Crosse.  He spent much of his childhood falling in love with the driftless area on relatives’ farms on St. Joseph and Middle Ridge as well as the primitive family cottage in Mormon Coulee.  As an adolescent he explored the Upper Mississippi refuge – fishing the backwaters in the spring, hanging out on sandbars in the summer, ducking hunting in the fall, and ice fishing and skating in the winter.
  
Bud received his BA and PhD from the University of Notre Dame.  His area of specialty was the philosophy of science.  Bud is retired from Gundersen Health System where he worked as a clinical ethicist for 33 years. 
 
In retirement, Bud’s focus is on preserving and protecting natural places and the ecosystems that sustain us for the benefit of his 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and all future generations. This work includes doing whatever small part he can to slow and reverse climate change.  To support this work, Bud has created the Barb Hammes Stewardship Fund for the Driftless Lands in memory of his wife, Barb, who served on the Mississippi Valley Conservancy Board in the early 2000s and promoted hiking on Conservancy lands.  Bud recently helped found the Friends of Trempealeau Lakes, a nonprofit that is dedicated to restoring and protecting these unique, spring-fed lakes.  Bud is serving as the chair of this friend’s group.  

Bud lives on the main channel of the Mississippi and enjoys being in the natural world with friends and family.  Activities include hiking, water skiing, boating, kayaking, fishing, hunting, and bird watching.

Born and raised in La Crosse, Julie developed a great appreciation for the outdoors. As a young child, her parents managed Goose Island Campground, with the banks of the Mississippi River serving as a vast playground for her to explore. She graduated from UW‒La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and an MBA. Julie has over 20 years of advertising agency experience and is the client service and strategy principal at Vendi Advertising. Her husband, Chris, also works at Vendi as the director of web development. Vendi has been a long-time supporter of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy through it’s pro bono Vendi Share program.

Julie has a daughter and a grandchild on the way. She enjoys spending time with her family at their boathouse on the Black River, hiking with their two dogs, golfing, gardening, trout fishing and traveling.

Philip Gelatt, an avid bird watcher and CEO of Northern Engraving Corp., joined the Mississippi Valley Conservancy board of directors before the organization went public with an event on Grandad Bluff October 13, 1997. He brought both substantial financial backing and vision to the young organization. As the board huddled in the Grandad Bluff shelter after the public announcement on a windy, cold day, Gelatt asked the group to identify a project that could make a significant, immediate impact beyond the ability of the young organization to tackle. Craig Thompson told him of a 310-acre farm near Holmen in the Conservation Reserve Program that was a breeding area for rare grassland birds such as Bell’s vireo. It was likely to be developed for housing in the near future. Not long after that, Gelatt said that he would acquire and preserve the farm by swapping land that he owned next to the freeway in Onalaska. It took time, but several years later, he did just that. Gelatt had been restoring the New Amsterdam Grasslands to prairie for several years with the Conservancy's help. The Conservancy purchased it in 2007 using money from the State Stewardship Fund and a donation of a substantial part of the value by Northern Engraving.

Steve Ventura is a Yooper by birth (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and has lived in Madison since 1980. He enjoyed a long career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is now professor emeritus with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Soil Science. His expertise in remote sensing and GIS led him into many application domains, including natural resource management, environmental protection, land tenure, community and regional food systems, and biofuel production systems. Recent research and outreach focuses on land contamination and urban agriculture. 

Steve and his wife Margaret own 140 acres of land between Highland and Boscobel in Grant County. This land provides unlimited opportunity to while away the hours maintaining trails, gardening, firewood cutting, and hunting and gathering. When they bought this land three decades ago, it was over-grazed and high-graded. Land management since has been oriented to preserving remnants of oak savanna and white pine rock-faces while recognizing that a changing climate means helping much of this land adapt to a new normal.

Barbara has been involved for over 50 years with environmental protection at local, state, and national levels. Her special interests include environmental health, environmental politics, energy and climate change.

She was one of the co-founders of Mississippi Valley Conservancy and is a past board member. In addition, she has served numerous other organizations as a Board member, co-founder and financial supporter: the Hixon Forest Eco-Park, Coulee Partners for Sustainability, the Coulee Region Group of the Sierra Club and the La Crosse Community Theater. She has also been active with the League of Women Voters, the Pump House and Options in Reproductive Care. She was a member of the Minnesota- Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission.

Barbara was Board President of Lutheran Hospital at the time of their merger with Gundersen Clinic. She served two terms on the National Sierra Club Board and has been active on the Club's State Chapter ExCom. She also works with Midwest Environmental Advocates.

Barbara was honored by Gathering Waters as their 2003 Conservationist of the Year and in 1998 received a Special Service Award from the National Sierra Club. Her hobbies and interests include art, especially painting; reading, she's a member of 3 book groups; canoeing, loves the Boundary Waters; and cooking, which she finds very creative.  She and her husband Donald have been happily married since 1960. They have 2 married children and 4 grandchildren.

Craig Thompson is a recovering birder. For the past 30 years, he has held various positions with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, specializing in migratory bird conservation and landscape scale protection efforts. He holds adjunct faculty appointments in the Biology Departments of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Viterbo University and provides technical support for conservation initiatives in Costa Rica and Peru. He’s never met a motmot he didn’t like.

Pat Caffrey grew up in rural northwestern Wisconsin and spent much of his youth in the woods. He got his master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. He worked for one year for the University of Wisconsin Institute of Environmental Studies as a research specialist. The balance of his working career was with the City of La Crosse as a design engineer, superintendent of wastewater and director of public works. Pat retired in 2005. 

He is the site steward for the Conservancy's La Crosse River Conservancy and the New Amsterdam Grasslands and also serves on the boards of Friends of the Blufflands, Friends of McGilvray Road, Coulee Region Humane Society and Friends of Perrot State Park. Pat and his wife Peg Zappen (a Mississippi Valley Conservancy founding member) live near the village of Trempealeau.

Pat's special interests include land management, prairie restoration, invasive species and habitat protection.

Pam Thiel grew up on a farm in north central Illinois and developed a strong sense of place.  One of her early childhood memories is walking down to Covel Creek and collecting water striders with her shoes because she was not fast enough to catch them with her hand.  The die was cast for a developing biologist.
She studied at Illinois Wesleyan University, Florida State University and received a MS from UW-L in aquatic biology.  Her entire professional career was spent on various aspects of management and research on the Upper Mississippi River System in the 5-state area of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri while working for the Illinois State Water Survey, the Wisconsin DNR, and the US FWS.  Pam held leadership positions in several professional organizations.

Pam has a long affiliation with the American Association of University Women where she served as the local and state president, regional director, and on the national board for two terms.   She was also on the local boards of Audubon and the League of Women Voters.  
Pam and her husband, also a retired biologist, have lived in the La Crosse area for nearly 50 years.   Pam loves to garden, fish, hike, read, and enjoy nature.

Born in Maine Tim moved to Wisconsin in 2002 and to the Driftless region in 2014. An IT professional by trade, Tim is a lifelong outdoorsman new to conservation. In addition to the Mississippi Valley Conservancy, Tim is also on the committee for the La Crosse Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the board of West Salem's Blackhawk Archers.

In Tim's free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking the Conservancy Nature Preserves. 

Drake Hokanson is an author, photographer, editor, largely recovered college professor. Current job title: independent, organic, free-range scholar. Poor pay but great benefits.

He has taught at the college level for some 30 years at several institutions, most recently at Winona State University, in journalism, photographic communication and aviation, where he is Professor Emeritus, which provides a free parking space.

He is the author or coauthor of three books and the photographer of several photographic exhibits which have traveled nationally. He has new projects underway.

He likes nature. He’s a lousy birder and enjoys misidentifying them to the amusement of children. Two memorable nature experiences: hiking in the Himalayas and stepping in a mud dauber wasp nest in Iowa.

He is a traveler, having visited several odd corners of the globe, always with his beloved wife of several decades, Carol Kratz. He also likes airplanes, splitting firewood, prairies, the Mississippi River, and tent camping most anywhere.

He really likes Mississippi Valley Conservancy and its devotion to critical land protection

Ross has been an attorney in La Crosse since 1987, with a general practice, but focused on employment law for a number of years.  Growing up in the Madison area, he attended the University of Wisconsin both as an undergraduate and for law school.  Needing to get the heck out of Dane County, he moved to La Crosse and began practicing law.

Shortly after moving to La Crosse, he met his wife of 30 years, Julie Nelson, and had two children.  

Ross is an avid outdoor person.  He has bicycled nearly every road in a 30-mile radius of La Crosse.  Recently he took up hiking and backpacking.  He backpacked in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado, as well as the Superior Hiking Trail.  Also, he loves to cross country ski, kayak and camp.
Ross has had a lifelong love of the Driftless Area and looks forward to assisting the Conservancy in its preservation.