Barry Bidwell
It’s taken three months to get to this post because it’s just not an easy one to write. On June 21st we lost the last of the three stalwarts of prairie restoration, Barry Bidwell, just a week or two before his 86th birthday.
Barry was literally in on the restoration of Glacial Heritage from day one. He and Pat Dunn went out to look over the property when the Nature Conservancy was looking at restoring it. He, his wife, Darlene and Howard and Sue Selmer did the first butterfly survey on Glacial Heritage and on the Mima Mounds preserve. He was a member of the “Scotch Broom Attach Team” doing the first clearing of the forest of “old growth” broom that almost literally covered Glacial Heritage at the time. He followed that up with active participation in the “second Saturday of the month” work parties as well as acting as Steward (with Darlene) of the Rocky Prairie preserve. When the every Tuesday work parties were formed, He and Darlene were regulars. When the volunteers took over organizing Prairie Appreciation Day, he was in the forefront and he and Darlene would run the butterfly information station.
The Triumvirate of the title came about through Doug Whitlock, Cliff Snyder, and Barry deciding that it was necessary to this the Douglas Firs that had invaded parts of the prairie on Glacial Heritage to allow the young oaks underneath to flourish. Together, they removed or girdled substantial stands of first and let the oaks beneath develop. You can easily find the areas where they worked.
Even after he developed Parkinson’s disease, he continued to do anything he was able for until the disease prevented it.
My wife says that every woman loved Barry and I would add that every man I know who worked with him, loved him as well.
He was a wonderful, utterly selfless, giving man and all who knew him miss him dearly.
