Sara Elaine Johnson of Salem, Oregon, died on February 3, 2024, after a long battle with cancer. Good friends were holding her hands on the final stretch of her life journey.

Sara was born on the South Pacific desert island of Canton, lived as a child in Kabul, Afghanistan, then moved with her family to Washington, DC. Sara worked for National Public Radio as the National Training Coordinator, then moved to Wisconsin to complete her undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, she worked with UW-Madison’s College of Agriculture and UW-Extension in natural resource policy and outreach.

In 1993, she co-founded and was the first executive director of the River Alliance of Wisconsin (RAW), a statewide citizen-advocacy organization for rivers. Under her leadership, RAW became nationally recognized for dam removal and river restoration. The restoration of the Baraboo River to a free-flowing state was one of Sara’s most cherished achievements. She was also instrumental in a landmark settlement with Wisconsin Electric Power affecting 11 dams on the Menominee River system in Wisconsin and Michigan. Read More

A committed conservationist and highly skilled administrator, the people and natural resources of Wisconsin are better for Jim’s decades of exemplary service.

As stated in his obituary: In 1974, Jim joined the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a fisheries manager in the Southeast District. He quickly rose through the ranks, demonstrating exceptional leadership skills in various high-level administrative roles and successfully handling several complex and controversial natural resource management issues.

Jim Addis was a valued partner for SWTU and many other conservation organizations. You can read his full obituary at the Ryan Funeral Home website.