Roy and Charlotte Lukes | Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame

Roy (1929 – 2016) and Charlotte (1944 – ) Lukes
Inducted 2018

“Rarely does nature fail to produce some thrilling experiences for those who take to the out-of-doors, are eager to learn and are willing to be patient and observant. Door County…is an ideal classroom for such experiences.”

“All of us who are interested in the natural environment are faced with the same responsibility. We must learn about the world around us and take care of it.” — Roy and Charlotte Lukes, Once Around the Sun: A Door County Journal

Door County naturalists, Roy and Charlotte Lukes, have spent their lifetimes protecting the natural beauty of the peninsula and sharing its magic through their teachings, writings, and personal charm. As “Partners in Nature” they built the Ridges Sanctuary into a center for conservation education, research and advocacy. They educated and inspired citizens of Door County and the State through their many research efforts, lectures and nature walks, books and newspaper columns. Although Roy has passed on, Charlotte has continued to write the weekly column “Door to Nature” for the Door County Pulse.

They also fought for Wisconsin conservation policy and funding for the protection of Door County’s natural areas and wetlands such as Toft Point Wilderness, Newport State Park, Whitefish Dunes, Mink River Estuary and Moonlight Bay. The region is now recognized as a Ramsar Treaty “Wetland of International Importance.”

As leaders in the field of conservation and environmental education, Roy and Charlotte taught classes and led hikes at the Ridges Sanctuary, the Clearing in Ellison Bay, Lawrence University in Appleton and other venues. As a renowned nature writer, naturalist, photographer, teacher and newspaper columnist, Roy inspired millions. His numerous newspaper articles and five books on nature, including Once Around the Sun: A Door County Journal, capture the seasonal joys of time spent outdoors. He was renowned for his gentle smile, encyclopedic knowledge and story-telling ability, which could enthrall both children and adults.

Charlotte, too, excelled as a naturalist, teacher and writer. In addition to her scientific work and publications on the mushrooms of Door County, she continues to teach classes, present programs and lead nature hikes throughout the region. Spanning five decades, Roy and Charlotte wrote over 3000 newspaper columns for local papers.

Roy and Charlotte saw scientific research and the study of the natural world as a cornerstone to their work in conservation related education, policy and public leadership. Roy led much of the research effort at the Ridges focusing on its flora and fauna. He was an expert on the area’s orchids and birdlife. Charlotte’s research on the mushrooms of Door County, including the identification of over 600 species, has contributed to newspaper articles, publications, and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UW-GB) Center for Biodiversity. They also promoted “citizen science” by getting volunteers involved in projects such as the Audubon Bird Count and the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology’s Wisconsin Bird Atlas.

In recognition of their lifelong collaboration, the couple received nearly thirty awards from numerous educational, literary, civic and environmental organizations. They jointly received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Gathering Waters Conservancy, multiple awards from the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology, the Nature Conservancy, and UW-GB Center for Biodiversity.