Saying Goodbye to a Conservation Leader

Aug. 30, 2019 — It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our dear friend and Wilderness Land Trust board member Jean Hocker.

In the eyes of The Wilderness Land Trust, Jean was more than a tenacious conservation leader. She was a role model who led her life by example.

There was nothing Jean liked more when exploring the outdoors than to crawl into a warm sleeping bag at the end of a long day, gaze at a million stars, and feel content with the world. She often remarked how fortunate she was to backpack, canoe and hike in many wild places because her experiences in the wilderness had a profound impact on her understanding of the natural world and our place in it.

Jean joined The Wilderness Land Trust as a board member because she wanted to participate in wilderness preservation. When asked why she chose to serve on the board, Jean said, “I love working with The Wilderness Land Trust’s dedicated directors and talented staff to protect and complete Wilderness. Seeing our often difficult and complex work succeed, sometimes after years of perseverance, is immensely rewarding! I appreciate that the Trust is laser-focused on its mission and produces such tangible, permanent results.”

Jean was an inspiration in nonprofit conservation. She was the founder of the Jackson Hole Land Trust, and as president and CEO of the national Land Trust Alliance (LTA) from 1987-2002, she helped it become a force for conservation, tripling the open space protected by its member land trusts. She was awarded the LTA’s Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award in 2014 in recognition of her outstanding leadership, innovation and creativity in land conservation. She was also a member of LTA’s elite 100 percent club, having never missed a Land Trust Alliance Rally since its inception in 1985.

Thank you, Jean, for your unwavering dedication to our mission that has forever expanded our country’s wilderness landscape. Thank you for your invaluable presence on our Board. And thank you for your friendship. You are missed.

Jean’s husband, Phil Hocker, requests that any gifts made in Jean’s honor be in the name of The Wilderness Land Trust. A memorial fund for land acquisition is being established in her name. Donations can also be mailed to:

THE WILDERNESS LAND TRUST
PO BOX 881
HELENA, MT 59624