A True and Dear River Rat Has Died

Dale Druckrey

The Rat learned today that a true brother in the cause, Dale Druckrey, died in a house fire in the past day.

Dale was a loveable old guy who not only kept incredibly well informed on conservation and environmental issues, he also kept track of what the various conservation and environmental groups were saying and doing on this or that issue.

Though his favorite group was probably Trout Unlimited, Dale was an investor in many local and state environmental and conservation concerns. In fact, it’s not clear anyone but Dale knows the extent of his generosity.

He was a classic bachelor farmer who had a long career in state government, and also worked for the Menominee tribe for many years. You never called Dale to leave a message, because he didn’t have an answering machine. If you wanted to talk to him, you’d better call around noon when he was in the house for lunch.

And forget email and web sites and other trappings of the modern life for Dale. He apparently kept the stuff he’d get from organizations in piles in his house. One time, he called the River Alliance to ask about something we said. He put the phone down to go this “River Alliance materials,” and came back a minute later to call us out (gently) about a position we took.

Knowing Dale Druckrey cared so deeply about the rivers and lakes and lands of Wisconsin, and the groups devoted to their protection, made doing that work so much more rewarding and easier to get up in the morning to do. He watched, he participated, he cared, he donated. From this Rat’s perspective, he was a model conservation citizen.

We should all find a hill or a riverbank or a wetland or a nature center hiking trail today, and go say a hearty “Thanks and fare well!” to Dale Druckrey.

posted by the River Rat