JDCF is pleased to announce that Chloris Lowe Jr., twice past-president of the Ho-Chunk Nation, has received the 2023 Nancy Hamill Winter Conservation Leadership Award. The award was presented to President Lowe by Nancy Winter at JDCF’s annual meeting on April 6.

For 12 years Chloris has served JDCF as a volunteer advisor and consultant on various projects, increasing JDCF’s understanding of the vast and unique collection of Native American heritage found on many of our preserves. He has helped us connect to, and form relationships with many descendant tribal communities now known as the Ho-Chunk, Winnebago, Sac and Fox, Osage, Ioway, Meskwaki, and Potawatomi.

“Chloris Lowe has brought life to landscapes that we in JDCF initially preserved for historical and archeological reasons. However, through walking in this gorgeous Mississippi River Valley area with Chloris, we now know that the Ho-Chunk heritage has not been diluted by time. Portage, Keogh, Casper Bluff, Wapello are teeming with spiritual qualities deeply felt today by Native Americans. Their ancestors were forcefully removed during the westward expansion of the settlers from Europe, but their own hearts are in the Driftless Area,” said JDCF Board Member Emeritus, Nancy Winter, for whom the award is named.

“Just as significant is that the respect which Chloris holds amongst his Native American peers has instilled in many tribal leaders’ confidence to work in harmony with JDCF to develop interpretive centers which express their connection to the Driftless Area. His sincere, humble leadership has brought to the table representatives from several Native Nations now exiled in Oklahoma, as well as his own Ho-Chunk in Wisconsin. They all are integrally involved in the future use of these properties which will be exciting to witness. Chloris can be credited as the catalyst,” Nancy added.

Chloris has spent his life bridging the understanding between tribal and non-tribal communities and people and has chosen JDCF to be the beneficiary of his knowledge and generosity for the past decade. He is a worthy recipient of this award.

The Nancy Hamill Winter Conservation Leadership Award is named after JDCF’s long-time board member and past Board President and Vice President, Nancy Hamill Winter. Formerly a Stockton resident Nancy dedicated much of her adult life to the preservation and care of natural habitats and the Native American cultural heritage of Northern Illinois.