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Tom Landwehr
Tom Landwehr announced that he is stepping down as executive director of the Save the Boundary Waters organization. He posted his message to the media on Friday, September 24.
“I’m announcing my retirement after more than 40 years of working to conserve Minnesota’s precious natural resources. It is a bittersweet moment. On September 30, I will step down as Executive Director of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW). It has been a tremendous honor to lead this Campaign for the last two and a half years,” wrote Landwehr.
Before coming on board with the Save the Boundary Waters organization Tom served as the Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for eight years. Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness is the lead organization and founder for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.
Landwehr said he would continue to be engaged in the effort to save the Boundary Waters as a volunteer. “My new role will be National Vice-Chair of the Campaign, working alongside National Chair Becky Rom, the staff, the board, and all of you to achieve permanent protection for America’s most popular Wilderness. As you all know, the past few years have been a challenging time in the work to protect the Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore mining, but I anticipate both near-term and long-term success. The Campaign and NMW are exceptionally strong right now and I am immensely proud of this organization.”
In the future, Landwehr said the BWCAW Campaign and NMW would continue to be the major force in protecting the Boundary Waters under the leadership of interim Executive Director Ingrid Lyons.
“Ingrid has been with the Campaign for more than five years in multiple roles and knows all facets of our work. She has most recently served as the Campaign’s Development Director and earlier worked as the Northeastern Minnesota Regional Organizer in Ely and Duluth. Ingrid is a graduate of Carleton College and has a certificate in nonprofit management from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. Northeastern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters have been a significant part of Ingrid’s life since she was four years old. Her family has a remote cabin off the Echo Trail north of Ely, which she frequents with friends, family, and her beloved pup, Coyha. Ingrid is an avid winter and summer Boundary Waters camper. She has worked with a variety of campaigns and nonprofits, including the Ely Folk School and The Gabbert Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota.
“One of Ingrid’s first decisions as interim Executive Director was to name Alex Falconer the Campaign Manager of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. Alex has been a key figure in the Campaign’s government relations at both the federal and state level for the past six and a half years. Alex and his wife and children have a cabin on Farm Lake east of Ely. It is the staging area for the Boundary Waters canoe trips that the five of them enjoy each summer. Alex is an accomplished long-distance runner. In May 2021, supported by the Campaign and some of the best ultra-distance runners in the world, Alex ran 112 miles across the Boundary Waters to raise awareness about the threat of proposed copper-nickel mining.
“The Campaign is blessed with tremendous talent in both our staff and our board. We have legions of supporters and know that Americans are solidly on our side. Under Ingrid’s leadership, there is no question that together, we will be successful in our mission to protect Minnesota’s crown jewel now and for future generations.”
What’s next?
As for Tom’s future plans, he’s looking forward to some time for fun.
“I’ve been collecting a paycheck for 52 years, and have been in conservation for 40 years. Outside of allotted vacation time, I’ve never had a significant chunk of time to do fun things. My two best buddies retired some time ago, so they are always off hunting and fishing. I intend to do much more of that, and really look forward to being able to hunt on weekdays! (Small pleasures, I know). I have been a diehard duck and pheasant hunter for many years, and really look forward to spending quality days with pals and dogs. My buddy just built a hunting shack in western Minnesota (where I opened on ducks Saturday), and it is our basecamp for birds and deer. I also bought a small RV trailer last November and look forward to using it for hunting/fishing trips, but also for summer travel with my wife. I’ve had it up to the Ely area a couple times already, and it is pretty sweet.
“Unfortunately, it is also my current abode. We sold our house on September 2 and were supposed to have the house we were building available to move into shortly after. Now, due to supply delays, we won’t be able to move in until October 22 or so. Hence, we are staying in county and state parks near my wife’s school and living in the RV. A couple weeks isn’t so bad, but seven weeks will feel pretty long… Moving into the new house, getting things set up, etc., will also occupy much of my fall.
“I will still be involved with the Save the BW Campaign and look forward to making some progress in the near future. I’m also a Board member of Delta Waterfowl and expect/look forward to spending more time on that. Of course, my bride, who will be working for several more years, also expects me to do much more cooking and cleaning (hmmmm). I’ve written a couple books (Perich carries one), and may try my hand at more writing; TBD.
“I get bored easily, so am already compiling a list of projects I want to work on (e.g., tricking out my truck for hunting/fishing/camping), but will allow myself a bit of time to see how that pans out. We are lucky in Minnesota in that there is always some outdoor activity we can pursue, and I enjoy every season and every corner of the state.”
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