Papers of Dr. Orie Loucks (1931-2016), a noted ecologist and environmentalist, which date
from 1954-2007 and measure approximately 115 cubic feet. The collection documents Dr.
Loucks's work and research throughout his career, and contains records which cover topics
including his graduate studies and work with the Canada Forestry Department; his work as a
professor of botany and environmental science at UW-Madison and Miami University in Ohio;
the creation of the Institute for Environmental Studies, now the Gaylord Nelson Institute at
the University of Wisconsin; his role as director of the Holcomb Research Institute at
Butler University; and his research with governmental departments such as the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Natural Resources. Of particular note are
paper materials relating to Dr. Loucks's testimony in the successful 1968-1969 trial against
DDT in Wisconsin, as well as his work on the Lake Wingra Study and the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement.
As a whole, the collection consists primarily of paper materials, including
correspondence, class syllabi and lecture outlines, conference materials, research study
proposals, drafts, data sheets, newsletters, and handwritten notes. Also present are
multiple boxes of projector slides, as well as a number of maps and intermittent
photographs. The collection also includes two DECtapes for a VAX-11/780 computer containing
data from the Lake Wingra study.
