The Boulder Junction Public Library presents conservationist and local author, Joe Hovel, on Thursday, August 3 at 7 pm at the Boulder Junction Community Center, 5392 Park Street.
Joe Hovel is more than the craftsman who constructed the Big Bear Hideaway in Boulder Junction. He has practiced sustainable forestry and land conservation for decades and has led by example as head of Partners in Forestry Cooperative, where he has been a tireless advocate for others. Joe currently manages 3500 acres of family-owned forest land, including 2300 acres in the Forest Legacy Program, and he has been instrumental in the conservation of several thousands of additional acres in the Northwoods, all with multiple types of public benefits.
Individually and in partnerships, he has supported, negotiated, acquired and transferred land toward conservation solutions. He also works to support a culture and infrastructure around conservation. Joe was leading author and organizer of the Northwoods Forest Conservation handbooks, and recently followed up with an inspiring memoir to share this journey.
Joes’ new memoir, From Barbells to Spruce Grouse: A 50-Year Journey of Land Conservation, is a candid chronical of living out a social conscience, with displays of joy, outrage, occasional despair, hard work, tenacity, eventual triumphs, and deep friendships. Most of the story is based in the Northwoods and the land discussed benefits area residents and visitors.
Local author John Bates joined conservation icons Tia Nelson and Mike Dombeck in writing praise for the journey Hovel details in the book. According to Bates, “…he’s the bulldog we all wish we were when fighting for the land and water we love.”
The Wisconsin Humanities “Love Wisconsin” project did a story about Joe which can be read here: https://www.lovewi.com/joe/.
The program is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing with the author. Refreshments will be served. For questions and further information, please call the library at 715-385-2050 or email [email protected].