September 24, 1941 – February 28, 2026
By Heidi Habeger, Executive Director
Where do I begin? For more than 50 years, Bill Lunney held leadership roles in land conservation across Wisconsin, and we all benefit from his extraordinary dedication.
In April 1970, Bill spoke at the first Earth Day celebration at UW-Madison. His early efforts to change land use policies helped preserve wetlands including Dunn’s Marsh, the South Beltline Wetlands, and what would become the Lewis Nine Springs E-Way. Bill’s hard work can be seen across Dane County in places like the E-Way, Cherokee Marsh, CamRock County Park, Donald County Park, Patrick Marsh, and the Lussier Family Heritage Center—as well as many connecting trails that link these cherished landscapes.
At the state level, Bill was part of efforts to preserve thousands of acres in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area, Baraboo Hills, the Door Peninsula, Northern Wisconsin Forests, and the State Trails system.
Bill was one of the key figures in Groundswell Conservancy’s inaugural conservation success —Wally Bauman Woods —and the formation of our organization in 1983, then known as Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation. As Bill O’Connor put it, “As a County Board member in 1983, Bill Lunney was an indispensable ally for the newborn land trust.” Bill went on to serve as our second board president from 1988 to 1993. Under his leadership, Groundswell was the first nonprofit to receive a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program state grant.
He chaired the Dane County Parks Commission for more than 30 years and served as Board Chair of The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin and the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. He also served on the boards of Gathering Waters and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. In recognition of his lifetime of leadership, he received Gathering Waters’ Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He traced this lifelong commitment back to his days as a law student, where he was influenced by Stuart Udall and became deeply aware of social and environmental issues. “He was generous in sharing both his knowledge and his connections—invaluable to a newly founded board,” said former Groundswell board member and charter member Jean Meanwell.
But beyond his many accomplishments, Bill was a trusted advisor, a generous mentor, and a dear friend. He is deeply missed. I’ll always be grateful for the time Jim Welsh and I spent with him and his wife, Judie Pfeifer, each year—conversations filled with wisdom, perspective, and his steady encouragement. He had a remarkable ability to connect past and present, reminding us where we came from while helping us see where we needed to go. His legacy lives on not only in the lands he helped protect, but in the people and organizations he guided along the way.
“I didn’t know what a wonderful powerhouse Bill Lunney was when I was first introduced to him in 1990,” said John Hutchinson, who served as Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation (one Groundswell’s previous names) Board President during the time when Bill was active with our organization. “At that time, I was coming onto the board of The Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation, and Bill was the current President and a cofounder of the organization.”
John said Bill greeted him with “an amazing smile and enthusiasm.”
“As time passed, I began to hear of all his environmental and other accomplishments,” John said. “The more time I spent with him, the more I admired him. He mentored me from the first meeting until his passing. As a result of my association with him I have followed my love for many of the same passions. I will truly miss his smile.”
Bill was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame on April 21. Watch for a recording of the ceremony at wchf.org/2026-induction-events/