In Memory of Doug Walker
The conservation community lost one of our captains with the passing of Doug Walker on New Year’s Eve. All of us at the Greenway Trust send our deepest sympathies to Doug’s wife, Maggie, daughter, Kina, and all of Doug’s family and friends.
It is hard to describe how wide and deep Doug’s influence has been on conservation, both locally and nationally. It is even harder to imagine where he got the energy to serve as director, advisor, and advocate for so many organizations. Where there was a good idea, Doug was there to support and develop it. Where a good idea was needed, he had a dozen. A keen-eyed observer of changes, trends, and threats, his ideas were always rooted in adaptation and collaboration. Shining through in every conversation was his unwavering passion for one thing: making sure everyone has the chance to get out into wild places and fall in love with them – just as Doug did throughout his life.
Doug brought a spark to every interaction. He had a knack for challenging your way of thinking in the most fun and constructive ways. A half-hour conversation with him could make you rewrite a major strategic project or open your eyes to an entirely new tactic. His vision and enthusiasm made it feel like truly great accomplishments were within reach.
Doug loved the outdoors to an order of magnitude that even those of us “in the industry” found amazing. Being around him always made us want to drop everything and go climb a mountain. His mission was to make sure that possibility will always be there for all of us. To say he will be dearly missed as a person and as a partner in good work would be a vast understatement. He is irreplaceable. All we can do is honor him by working harder to carry out his beautiful vision for this place.
