For Wendell

Sing the song of nature’s wonder

dance with fairies in sun-speckled forest

pay tribute for our walks with Wendell

as he shared his knowledge of place and flora

Wendell answered that deep wild call

as he walked his trail

defending nature’s integrity

Up and down our state

from the Klamath to the coast

his praises will forever flow

Projecting deep knowledge

his trail tutorials will long be remembered

intermingled kindness with deep humor

his jaunty face exuding energy

Yes, in the history of conservation

Wendell dwells well

with Thoreau, Marshall and Muir

And we thank you Wendell for making our trail

so much more exciting

Jack Churchill

Agness, Oregon

September 12, 2015

My family has been blessed through the years by Wendell and Kathy's friendship.

You've heard from my daughter, Allison, who was inspired to write George Bush to save the Klamath Marsh for the eagles.  (The return letter congratulated her for being such a good reader!  We had the feeling they never read her letter...well, that was Bush and his team.)

I have many favorite memories of Wendell trips.  We met at Gold Lake where he took us hiking and kyacking to see those tiny frogs and my first kestrel.  The campsite was perfect for my small children.  It even had a dock.  Another year the smoke was thick by the cabin, so Wendell lead us to Davis Lake setting up camp after dark.  I remember climbing out of the tent in the morning in awe of the perfect campsite.  We could watch osprey fishing and launch the boats right there. River trips were memorable too.  Wendell and Kathy would lead the way to see eagle nests.  I saw my first mink along the Williamson.  I was following Kathy when she suddenly started backpaddling-- surprised a bear on the Klamath! We splashed with the harbor seals and pelicans on the Smith.

And then there were secret Darlingtonia bogs, hikes to the biggest redwoods, and our last trip poking around Lake Earl with thousands of sand pipers whooshing around us.  I knew I was being treated to the rare and beautiful.  Wendell inspired me to foster the love of nature in the children I teach.  I will do my best to carry his enthusiasm forward.  I will always remember his love and care for me and my children.

The 2013 Oregon Wild Board/Staff retreat was in Oakridge and we stayed at the Oakridge lodge. The lodge had dorm style rooms with several bunk beds. That night as we were all getting ready to retire for the night, Wendell had a big stack of hand written notes, books, printouts and a headlamp on for his night time reading. He looked at me earnestly and said, "Vik, people think I just know this stuff and it's easy for me. But it's not. It's hard work to read up on all this stuff"

Thank you Wendell for doing the hard work! Oregon's ancient forests are safer because of it.

I first met Wendell in the spring of 2000 on a birding and kayaking trip at the Klamath Marsh.  I had signed up for the trip via Portland Parks & Rec.  They contracted with a local outfitter who arranged for Wendell to lead the trip.  What a marvelous introduction to the Klamath wildlife, plants and of course the urgent refuge environmental issues.  Wendell became a wonderful friend.   He and Kathy were so generous to me and also my family. (Thank you niece, Allison, for your sharing on this site.)  

I assisted on many of the Portland area Oregon Wild wildflower hikes, and one thing that always amazed me was Wendell's patience with the rest of us re plant identification.   We often asked the name of a flower multiple times during the hike and W always responded with his usual enthusiasm--as though it was the first time he explained it.

Wendell’s joy, wit, energy, love of nature and dogged determination to protect our wildlands inspired us all.  Thank you, Wendell for Draba and Darlingtonia (and all the rest), Gold Lake, Iron Mt., Smith River and all the many adventures.  You will always be in my heart.

Wendell's been in my life for so long that I cannot remember when he, Kathy, and my Aunt Sue first met, when we first heard tell of him. But I do remember being so inspired by his love of nature that, as a kindergardener, I dictated my mother a letter to the president asking him to save the threatened eagles in the Klamath Basin. My family spent many summers up in Oregon with Wendell and Kathy camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, birding, and most of all learning. When Wendell saw something that he could share he absolutely lit up, his animation automatically grasping my and my brother's full attention and excitement. Wendell was our friend, our naturalist, our first turn when we had a question about the world. It was him that pointed out the coolest things on our journeys, and later even just through email. He told us we'd get smarter by eating the brains of the fish we caught, that must've been what he did, because we was such an intelligent, enlightened, lovely person. I have such a great appreciation for nature now, as a 20-year-old, because Wendell taught me how to be in awe of the tiniest creatures. He taught me how to appreciate even the fungi and lichon that grew on the trees, how to spot beaver dams, how to be patient and wait, watch and listen, then be rewarded with the beauty of nature. Wendell instilled in me the gift of wonder of the natural world. For that, I am forever grateful.

I remember one time that James & Wendel were going to Portland to a meeting and I asked them to deliver a suitcase to my daughter Bethany at Louis & clark Collage.  They left late so they were running the errand after the meeting.  It was late probably about 11:00 pm. and as they went into the dorm searching for Bethany’s room number Wendel started giggling  he was thinking they were in the women's dorm in the middle of the night it really was a co ed dorm. Anyway they completed the errand with lots more of that famous giggling.

 I remember the first time I met Wendell, it was in the Eugene Public Library where he was presenting a slide show on the biology of the “Ancient Forests”, explaining to the public what an indicator species is and it really means for an ecosystem. That presentation changed my life as it introduced me into the environmental activist movement, and into the life of a naturalist. Wendell's hikes, his subsequent slide shows and his writings were inspiring. Through his love of the natural world he generously shared his considerable knowledge, educating a multitude of people, enabling others to stand up for nature.

I will forever miss his friendship, his wit, his playfulness, his intelligence, his knowledge, his enormous curiosity, his tenacious perseverance that allowed him to continue to fight the various “agencies” over land management issues — beyond tolerable. He was instrumental is saving thousands of acres of wildlife habitat — for life itself. I shall carry him with me the rest of my life, as surely as the sun rises and sets on these lovely wild places. If there is any blessing in his passing, it is that he was able to die on the trail, in a place of great happiness.

Wendell was my environmental mentor and primary guide in my production of a documentary film in 1995 on the Upper Klamath Basin watershed restoration. He's the first spokesperson in the film, at:

I first meet Wendel  while I was President of OWC  I knew he was a teacher from Douglas county.  He came on to the Executive committee of the Governing council [ to simplify the Board of Directors ] for our 7 th year as we count them today.  In those days we counted from our first meeting at White Branch on the McKenzie.  Now we count from our incorporation that happened 2 years later on.
 He was our VP   I was the last President of OWC  & Wendel was the first President of ONRC as we changed our name at that conference at Malheur field station Wendel was Board President of ONRC for 2 years then Vic President for 2 more years. He was a very vocal leader speaking out frequently.  Then he volunteered on Staff for several years finally James was pressured to put him officially on staff where he was needed.
I feel it is not fair that young warriors like Tim & Wendel are gone while old farts like myself are still around

I had the great joy of spending a few days with Wendell a couple summers ago, in Jed Smith Redwoods park and Tolowa Dunes. He gave me the grand tour of Tolowa, a place I had never explored. A lovely place, and I must have asked about at least 100 different plants throughout the day, and there wasn't a single one that Wendell didn't have detailed knowledge of. By the end of the day we had a running joke where I would get ready to ask about some lovely plant I had just seen, and we'd make eye contact and he could tell me without saying that it was unfortunately invasive. I would say "it's beautiful though," and he would happily agree, with his wonderful smile.

A couple days later I had the unexpected role reversal of - at his request - taking Wendell somewhere that he had never been, in his own backyard, the famous Grove of Titans in Jedidiah Smith. Of course it was me who wound up learning the whole trip, about plants, mushrooms, pretty much anything I was curious about, Wendell knew all about it and was happy to teach. We saw five or so of the world's largest coast redwoods that day, something to remember.

Kathy, Wendell and I were part of a naturalists' group enjoying a stay at a friend's home in Baja.  I was sleeping in the living room, right next to the table where Wendell was methodically identifying and classifying hundreds of marine shells he had collected nearby.  I remember falling asleep around 10pm....and waking up at 6am, and Wendell was STILL working on those shells!  He had solid scientific skills and could base his environmental advocacy on real science.  Yet he went way beyond just identifying things - he loved and delighted in the stories and relationships in nature, and inspired so many "students" of all ages.   We must carry on his advocacy work and spirit, wherever we are.  That's the best way to honor him.