Christine Thomas

 1951 –
Inducted 2017

Christine Thomas“I love the roots and romance of the American conservation movement. The founders of that movement and their followers today provided and continued to provide a rich legacy of public lands. This legacy insures that generations of citizens will have wonderful places to walk in the woods with their grandchildren.” — Christine Thomas

Christine Thomas has promoted the cause of conservation in Wisconsin and the nation through her contributions to higher education, research, natural resource policy, and the advancement of citizen participation in Wisconsin’s rich conservation heritage.

Recognized for her teaching and administrative talents, Thomas served from 2005 until her retirement in 2020 as the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation. Thomas has a B.S. in biology from Central Michigan University, an M.S. in Water Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a Ph.D. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 2005, Thomas was appointed by the Secretary of Interior during the George W. Bush administration to serve on the Sporting Conservation Council. Currently, Thomas is a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club and Senior Vice President for Conservation for Ducks Unlimited and a member of its Board of Directors. In 2010 she was appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture in the Obama administration to the position of vice-chair of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council.

She was appointed by Governor Doyle to serve on the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, serving three years as chair. She was reappointed and reconfirmed for a second term, serving as secretary, until her appointment officially ended in April 2015. Thomas has been active in the past in regional issues related to women in natural resources, having co-chaired two Midwest Regional conferences related to workforce diversity. Thomas is an emeritus member of the board of directors of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and is past vice-chair of the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Her statewide and national leadership has inspired women studying and working in the conservation profession. To promote the involvement of women in outdoor activities and conservation efforts, in 1991 she helped found the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, an educational outreach program at UWSP teaching outdoor skills in Wisconsin and many other states.

In September of 1996, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries honored Thomas with a plaque for her leadership and enduring contributions. In 1999, she was named one of the twenty most influential conservationists in Wisconsin in the 20th century by the Wisconsin Outdoor Journal. In 2002, Thomas was inducted into the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Sports Show Hall of Fame for Conservation Achievement. In 2006 Thomas was named Distinguished Alumna by the Central Michigan University College of Science and Technology. In 2010, Outdoor Life named Thomas one of the top 25 influential people in hunting and fishing in the Leaders category.

Thomas has received several other awards including the following:
2015 John Macon Award, Society of American Foresters
2011 National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Conservation Medal
1992 Outstanding Faculty Member at the UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources
1992 UW-Stevens Point Excellence in Teaching Award
1992 Special Service Award, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wildlife Management
1993 Outstanding Educator Award, Nebraska Chapter of Safari Club International
1994 Conservation Achievement Award, National Wildlife Federation.
1995 Whitetail Conservationist of the Year award, WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
1995 Woman of the Year, American Sportfishing Association
1998 Budweiser/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Outdoorsman of the Year
1998 Golden Glow Award, Great Lakes Outdoor Writers Association
1998 Award of Merit, Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited
2008 Outstanding Conservationist awarded by the Bill Cook Chapter of the Izaak Walton League

Resources

Christine Thomas speaks about WCHF Indcutee Wilhelmine La Budde:

Photo of Christine Thomas’ WCHF Plaque

Christine Thomas WCHF Indcution Ceremony presentation by Shannon Thomas (images and notes)

Christine Thomas Outdoors, her website

Wisconsin Outdoor News Conservationist of the Year: Christine Thomas, article by Dean Bortz for Outdoor News, 2020

Photos

These images may be used under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.