Remembering Joanne Kline

Brule River State Forest with storm clouds moving in, June 2024, photo by Ed Culhane

Remembering Joanne Kline

Blog post written by Nancy Larson

Joanne Kline was an inspiring colleague and friend. We are honored to have known her.

Joanne Kline, WGF Science Council member

In this remembrance of Joanne, we share some reflections by several Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) members on Joanne as a person, her contributions to WGF, and her overall efforts to protect Wisconsin’s wetlands.

• Joanne passed away October 18, 2024 from cancer. Read her obituary here.

Joanne was a founding member of WGF in 2017, and a key member of our Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group. She was also a member of our Science Council. Joanne’s work was the basis for WGF’s evaluation of how federal and state legislation and regulation would impact Wisconsin’s wetlands and all the benefits—including public safety—that wetlands provide to the people of the state.

Michael Cain, Co-chair of WGF’s Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group shares:

“She was a dedicated professional and her quiet, thoughtful, and professional approach to our issues will be sorely missed.”

Ron Grasshoff, Co-Chair Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group worked with Joanne at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in the water regulation program and Environmental Assessment and Transportation program. He recalls their collaboration on policy issues and projects ranging from the wetland regulatory process, wetland mitigation sites, project design, wildlife passage structures and aquatic habitat improvements as part of highway design.

“Joanne’s broad knowledge base covered wetland science, botany, policy, data analysis, and superior writing skills. She was always available to provide assistance and support. She was also a superb naturalist and an advocate for conservation through her involvement in many nonprofit organizations.  She had so much to offer and a friendship that will be greatly missed.”

Joanne played important roles in WGF’s work on climate readiness and protecting clean water. She was a major contributor to WGF’s Monroe County Climate Readiness and Rural Economic Opportunity Assessment. She led the team that developed detailed recommendations for flood zones and infrastructure protection. She also contributed to WGF’s 2023 Opportunities Now paper on PFAS in Wisconsin Drinking Water, performing GIS analysis and mapping of water systems contaminated with PFAS.

Tom Jerow, WGF Board President, shares this experience from the early days of WGF:

“When WGF was in its infancy, we analyzed some particularly harmful proposed wetland legislation. I was to present our analysis and testimony at the legislative public hearing. When I arrived at the hearing, it was packed with industry lobbyists and a wide array of environmental groups. As the first to testify, I gulped, but remembered the professionals and outstanding wetland biologists, Joanne Kline and Eric Epstein, behind our testimony. Our analysis was widely quoted in the media. Although the legislation passed, there were some significant changes that lessened the impacts. We could not have done it without Joanne.”

Joanne Kline in 1999 during a group field trip over the north branch of the Milwaukee River, photo provided by Will Wawrzyn

Tom Bernthal shared several memories and thoughts of Joanne. They met in 1990, working for the WDNR on several multi-year projects together. He describes how she was able to bring in the big picture without neglecting regulatory details. She claimed the nick name “Sarge” for tracking the “to do” lists on projects, but then mentioned “and then I’m going to go kayaking on Lake Superior.” She was also great at recruiting partners and recognizing the skills members brought to a team. One example is the Ephemeral Ponds Citizen Monitoring Network.

Tom Bernthal wrote “Perhaps the most impressive thing about Joanne was the way she dealt with her speech impediment. This would have stopped most people in their tracks. But Joanne persevered. Her writing was clear, concise and to the point. She was an incredible editor and “improver of presentations” who really knew how to cut through excess verbiage, and create great graphics. What a privilege it was to work with her and count her as a friend.”

Will Wawrzyn described his experience first working with Joanne at the WDNR’s Milwaukee office in 1990. Her broad knowledge, strong science background and pragmatic approach enabled her to save or mitigate countless acres of wetlands while in the water regulation and zoning program. She became one of the most sought-after wetland delineators.

“She was highly respected for her knowledge by her contemporaries in the private sector, academia and agencies at the Wisconsin DOT, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department. I often sought and received Joanne’s advice on fisheries stream restoration projects that included dam removal projects.

I last met Joanne in late-July 2024. It was at an event announcing the combined efforts of the Ozaukee Washington Co. Land Trust and the River (Milwaukee R.) Revitalization Foundations to manage and prioritize their efforts in the Milwaukee River Basin. Upon arriving I saw Joanne and her son Tim standing at the reception table. She looked very tired, thin and frail, with dark glasses. She smiled and we hugged. I asked her how her health was. She paused, smiled and said she’d been better.

Friend, scientist, patient teacher and mentor, generous, passionate advocate for the natural world are but a few of her qualities. I will miss her.”

Ashley Gries, WGF Board Member, sums up our thoughts of Joanne:

“She was such a beautiful energy in the world.”

Joanne was a driving force in many organizations beyond Wisconsin’s Green Fire, including the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, which have also paid tribute to Joanne in messages to their membership. The Lac Lawrann Conservancy in West Bend, where Joanne was a long-time volunteer, hosted a Remembrance Service on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.

Joanne’s thoughtful leadership has helped protect many of Wisconsin’s wetland resources and educated the public, sharing her delight about wetlands.

We wish to extend our heartfelt sympathies to all who are grieving Joanne’s death. Together, we can carry on her work to protect Wisconsin’s wetlands, waters, and communities.

Lake Superior Shoreline, Photo by Jenny Oren