Warren P. Knowles | Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame

1908 – 1993
Inducted 1994

“While I recognize the need for global support for the environment, I have always thought that the slogan ‘Think Globally, Act Locally,’ is an important plan of action for everyone.” – Warren Knowles

It’s fitting that Warren P. Knowles is remembered as the governor who established Wisconsin’s annual Governor’s Fishing Opener. Knowles was an avid hunter and fisher, and much of his legacy in Wisconsin is tied to the outdoors.

Knowles was born in River Falls, a western Wisconsin community blessed with the beauty of rolling hills and winding rivers like the Kinnickinnic. An attorney by profession, Knowles spent more than 30 years in state politics. He began his career in the state Senate in 1940. He was Wisconsin’s governor from 1964 to 1971.

Knowles believed strongly that local action was necessary to improve our natural resources. The quote on his plaque in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame takes note of that Knowles also took action at the state level to protect Wisconsin’s resources.

He is credited with expanding the Outdoor Recreation Act Program to a $200,000 million program to help cities and villages control pollution and expand recreational lands. ORAP became a well-known term in city and village halls across Wisconsin.

Efficient municipal water quality treatment facilities are taken for granted in many cities today, but Wisconsin communities didn’t always do a good job of waste treatment. Perhaps no person knows the health of a river better than someone who fishes it regularly. Knowles knew, and he encouraged cities and villages to modernize and improve their treatment facilities to help clean up our rivers.

Knowles also worked to form a comprehensive resource management agency, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Long after Warren Knowles left the office of governor, he was still active in promoting the preservation of Wisconsin’s natural resources He continued to participate in the Governor’s Fishing Opener after he left office, and his broad, warm smile was often seen in newspaper photographs the day after the annual event.