By Harry Peterson
Steve Born did not take up fly fishing until he was close to the age of 40. He has made up for that neglect in the next 40 years of his life by becoming a proficient fly fisher and a conserver of trout habitat. Those of us in Trout Unlimited know him as the former President of Wisconsin TU; Chair of the National Resources Board and National Leadership Council of Trout Unlimited; and President of President of the State Council of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited.
We also know him as a dedicated fly tier, who spends several weeks each year in Montana fishing for trout and who has made many trips to beautiful places throughout the world in pursuit of fish. He took the lead in re-establishing a major section of Black Earth Creek to a trout fishery. About 20 of us know Steve as the host of a wild game potluck dinner, occurring at a dark time in the winter when it seems as though Spring and fishing will never return.
Steve is also the co-author of Wisconsin’s Trout Streams: the angler’s guide. Now in its second edition, it has sold over 10,000 copies. The book teaches anglers not only where to fish Wisconsin’s trout streams, but ecology, restoration and threats to our beloved waters.
Professionally, Steve Born was a professor and chair in the department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UW-Madison for many years. While there he trained many graduate students, who carry on his work of conservation.
Steve is a founder of the River Alliance of Wisconsin; was the Director of the State Planning Office and created and served as Director of the Wisconsin State Energy Office. He was the chief advisor to former Governor Patrick Lucey on the decision to not dam the Kickapoo River in the 1970s, a dam which would have resulted in the creation of an 8,500-acre Kickapoo Reserve.
When he is inducted in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in Stevens Point on April 25, 2020, he will join Aldo Leopold, Gaylord Nelson and others who have helped preserve Wisconsin as a beautiful and precious place. Curt Meine, the biographer of Aldo Leopold, and one of 14 people who joined me to write letters of nomination wrote: “His contributions, like the guidance he provided as a teacher, have shaped the lands and waters of our state in critical ways, even as they have rippled out far beyond Wisconsin.”
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Posted: December 4, 2019 by Drew Kasel
Steve Born to be inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
Steve Born did not take up fly fishing until he was close to the age of 40. He has made up for that neglect in the next 40 years of his life by becoming a proficient fly fisher and a conserver of trout habitat. Those of us in Trout Unlimited know him as the former President of Wisconsin TU; Chair of the National Resources Board and National Leadership Council of Trout Unlimited; and President of President of the State Council of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited.
We also know him as a dedicated fly tier, who spends several weeks each year in Montana fishing for trout and who has made many trips to beautiful places throughout the world in pursuit of fish. He took the lead in re-establishing a major section of Black Earth Creek to a trout fishery. About 20 of us know Steve as the host of a wild game potluck dinner, occurring at a dark time in the winter when it seems as though Spring and fishing will never return.
Steve is also the co-author of Wisconsin’s Trout Streams: the angler’s guide. Now in its second edition, it has sold over 10,000 copies. The book teaches anglers not only where to fish Wisconsin’s trout streams, but ecology, restoration and threats to our beloved waters.
Professionally, Steve Born was a professor and chair in the department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UW-Madison for many years. While there he trained many graduate students, who carry on his work of conservation.
Steve is a founder of the River Alliance of Wisconsin; was the Director of the State Planning Office and created and served as Director of the Wisconsin State Energy Office. He was the chief advisor to former Governor Patrick Lucey on the decision to not dam the Kickapoo River in the 1970s, a dam which would have resulted in the creation of an 8,500-acre Kickapoo Reserve.
When he is inducted in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in Stevens Point on April 25, 2020, he will join Aldo Leopold, Gaylord Nelson and others who have helped preserve Wisconsin as a beautiful and precious place. Curt Meine, the biographer of Aldo Leopold, and one of 14 people who joined me to write letters of nomination wrote: “His contributions, like the guidance he provided as a teacher, have shaped the lands and waters of our state in critical ways, even as they have rippled out far beyond Wisconsin.”
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