The Nature Conservancy’s Mike Grimm had quite the sendoff on Friday as he prepares to retire from his work protecting our local waterways.

Grimm was honored by Rep. Mike Gallagher on Friday at Green Isle Park in Allouez alongside the outgoing president of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies Tom Sigmund for their work protecting northeast Wisconsin’s freshwater resources.

Grimm worked for The Nature Conservancy as a conservation ecologist and is credited with creating “The Door Peninsula Project” while leading other conservation projects. Gallagher read the entry he made into the Congressional Record to commemorate Grimm and Sigmund’s accomplishments.

"Mr. Grimm has dedicated his life to conservation and ecological studies throughout Northeast Wisconsin, and he has been instrumental with my “Save the Bay” initiative since its inception," read Gallagher. "He led the first Lower Fox Watershed Workgroup meeting for the program in 2016 and has facilitated Door and Kewaunee County Watershed Workgroup meetings throughout the region for the past eight years. Mr. Grimm has invested many hours towards this collaborative program and has significantly contributed to its success. He has been instrumental with the formulation of goals and priorities for the initiative, and has played a substantial role with planning, preparation and idea generation."

The Nature Conservancy helps protect more than 7,800 acres across Door County including Kangaroo Lake, the Mink River Estuary, the North Bay-Mud Lake Preserve, and the Shivering Sands Reserve. 

Photos courtesy of the Office of Rep. Mike Gallagher