Gary Wagenbach has taught several environmental subjects in many unique locations, including on the other side of the globe in modern-day Myanmar, which was then called Burma.
His many years of teaching and other work are a large part of how the Nerstrand resident earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on May 3.
Seeing the farmhands in Burma, he said, reminded him of the Wisconsin farming community of Barron, where he grew up and discovered his passion for nature.
“It’s a world of hand labor in large part, with some animal labor and a few diesel-powered engines here and there that are small-scale and can be used to run harvesting machines for example,” he said. “But very, very direct labor required every day by almost every member of the family to provide material support and food for a given family. You can call it the village life, if you like.”
After graduating high school among the top in his class, he served in the military for some years before heading off to college.
Going into college, he didn’t have everything figured out. He just knew he had a passion for the world around him.
“It’s about my value system, you might say,” he said. “Respect for plants, animals ... and habitat for wild animals.”
After earning degrees in biology and chemistry from River Falls, he went on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in zoology and parasitology from the Madison campus and studied marine biology at the University of Washington. He conducted research in Bermuda, Hawaii and other locations.
He said his research caught the attention of Carleton College’s biology department.
“Even though I’d barely heard of Carleton before I came to Northfield, I realized ‘Wow, this is a golden place to teach,’” he said. “Wonderful students, enough financial resources to pursue the teaching agendas and the various subject areas that I love.”
During that time, he discovered the “Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold, who was a pioneer in the conservation space and a big inspiration for Wagenbach.
“I became aware of some of the impacts of farming for corn and other crops,” he said. “… That kind of experience as a young person struck me as of deep concern. I mean, there’s something wrong with the world to handle the soil in this way.”
He served as a Rice Soil and Water Conservation District Board supervisor from 1998 to 2016. He said his proudest achievements during that time were advocating for cover crops and pollinator-friendly gardens, an effort still ongoing at the SWCD.
Rice County Commissioner Jim Purfeerst once sat on the board of the RSWCD alongside Wagenbach, and said it was a “wonderful award won by a wonderful person” and that he was “very deserving.”
“Gary has done a lot for the natural resources of our community,” he said. “… It was just an honor working alongside of Gary through the years on the Soil and Water Board. He’s forward-looking. He’s got all the right pieces to do the quality job that was required of him.”
Wagenbach retired with 39 years of teaching experience at Carleton, but has stayed busy on his 80 acres of land in rural Nerstrand, near Big Woods State Park.
The land was once farmland, but Wagenbach has spent several years utilizing various funding sources to convert it into prairie with native grasses. He also has a large area of native flowers, which support pollinators.
In the forest section of his property, part of which is being restored by the Department of Natural Resources, a small habitat known as oak savanna can be found. The habitat is among the rarest in the area.
He lives down the road from the Valley Grove and Grace Cemetery. He’s been serving on the board for the Valley Grove Preservation Society for many years.
He also restored an old log cabin that was going to be demolished when the Grinde family moved out. Instead, he brought the cabin to his land, where he sometimes hosts elementary classes for field trips to learn about early immigration by families like the Grindes.
Despite a lifetime of achievement, he was surprised to get the call and learn of the award.
“I consider my life pretty diverse, in terms of opportunities and interests, and still feel that way,” he said. “There’s all kinds of new things to learn. So why not just keep going as long as I can? I’m only 84 years young, so I hope to have a few years yet to continue exploring.”
He is still beaming from the awards ceremony.
“It was a warm fuzzy moment celebrating my career,” he said. “I had the chance to review many of the engagements I had in education and other endeavors as I prepared some remarks to give at the event.
“So that was a chance to just remember and reminisce. And wow, I’ve had a chance to work with a lot of fascinating, interesting, dedicated people in my career. Just I mean, I couldn’t ask for more engaging career, especially working with able, young, curious students. I thrive on working with students and young people. It gives me energy in 100 different ways.”
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