Martin Hanson | Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame

1927 – 2008
Inducted 2009

“It’s the hand of man that destroyed it (the natural environment); the hand of man can bring it back far greater by management.” – Martin Hanson

Martin Hanson lived in a secluded retreat near Mellen in northern Wisconsin for most of his life. But for a man who preferred the backwoods to board rooms, he earned quite a reputation. Newspapers in major cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis took note of his passing in October 2008. “Martin Hanson, a lover of the outdoors, worked quietly at the grass-roots level for environmental causes,” wrote the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Hanson will long be remembered for his efforts to protect Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, but he was also involved in dozens of conservation causes. In addition to his passion for conservation, Hanson had a deep interest in politics. He counted the late U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (WCHF Inductee) and U.S. Rep. David Obey of Wausau among his closest friends.

Born in 1927 in Oak Park, Ill., he was one of three children of a Chicago furniture manufacturing family. Their father, also named Martin, purchased more than 1,200 acres of cutover land in Ashland County in the early 20th century. It eventually became home to all the Hanson children. Brother Louis was onetime chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and helped assure the election of politicians like Nelson and Obey.

Hanson’s role in protecting the Apostle Islands includes an iconic story. Supporters of an effort establish the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore arranged for a helicopter flight to show the islands to President John F. Kennedy in September 1963. Hanson served as JFK’s guide aboard the helicopter as the president toured the islands. Hanson is said to have piqued JFK’s interest in the project when he pointed out to the accomplished sailor that the Apostles provided prime sailboat waters. Official protection for the islands came seven years later.

Hanson worked tirelessly at the grass-roots level for environmental causes, reading everything he could about his subject, then attending town and county meetings to secure the support of local public officials. He was a generous financial supporter of many of those causes.

Hanson advocated for and financially supported reintroducing elk into the North Woods. He also opened up his Mellen property to wildlife researchers and students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Stevens Point. He was a supporter of Northland College’s Sigurd Olson Institute for Environmental Studies, and he helped lead the effort to endow the Gaylord Nelson Chair at UW-Madison’s Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. His support of the Great Lakes Northern Visitors Center near Ashland led to the naming of its theater for him.

Hanson was ever an outdoors lover. In 1956, he killed a 550-pound Alaskan brown bear that stood as a world record among bow hunters for two years. He and Louis also rounded up some Dall sheep in Alaska for the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. He played a central role in establishing the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge at the head of Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. He also led fundraising efforts that supported Trout Unlimited’s Coaster brook trout restoration efforts.

He was an accomplished wildlife filmmaker, capturing thousands of hours of rare footage on animals ranging from polar bears and bobcats to beavers and cormorants. Even when Hanson had a houseful of guests, which was frequent, he would interrupt his chores as host to photograph a wild beast or bird as it passed in front of the tripod-mounted video camera that was aimed out the windows at the water and forest beyond.

“Conservation filled his life,” said longtime friend Harold “Bud” Jordahl, (WCHF Inductee) of Madison. Jordahl headed the Wisconsin Department of Resource Development under Nelson. He and his family became regular visitors to Hanson’s “Camelot North.” So did dozens of other conservationists and politicians.

Beloved by friends, Hanson had a mischievous streak. He was known for carrying a squirt gun and furtively spraying people at public meetings and other gatherings. While Hanson often worked behind the scenes, he also provided key leadership to causes. He was named the first chair of the Wisconsin Council for Resource Development and Conservation, serving from 1962-72. He also served as Obey’s home secretary for 13 years.