The records of the Wisconsin Resource Conservation Council held by the Historical Society attest to the strong environmental interests of John L. Franson, who also donated the records of the Fond du Lac County Conservation Alliance and his own personal papers to the Historical Society. Indeed, the collection actually represents his files as secretary of the organization rather than the official files of the council. The division between the collections donated by Franson is not strict, and the researcher will find some additional information pertaining to the council within his personal collection.
Because of this provenance, the papers document only the period of Franson's involvement with WRCC -- 1962 through 1967. The collection also is limited in that it primarily relates to positions taken by the WRCC on various environmental issues rather than the internal organization of the group itself.
The collection reflects the meticulous organization which Franson imposed upon the papers prior to donation, a division into two broad areas -- administrative records and subject files. The ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, which are arranged functionally and thereunder in chronological order, record the beginning of the WRCC and include a transcript of Gaylord Nelson's speech calling for a People's Lobby, the WRCC constitution and periodic revisions, and organizational minutes. Later files pertain to executive and general membership meetings and contain planning correspondence, minutes and summaries, and other pertinent printed material.
Other administrative records include financial reports, bulletins on pending environmental legislation, miscellaneous printed material, and an incomplete run of the WRCC newsletter, Resource Report. Of special interest is a transcript of a speech given by Governor Warren Knowles in 1964, a paper written in 1965 on the University of Wisconsin's involvement with natural resources, and a file (and recorded proceedings) of a 1966 WRCC conference, “Implementing Our Natural Resources.”
The SUBJECT FILES, which are arranged alphabetically, address major issues with which the WRCC was involved. The files contain reports, position papers, press releases, statements and transcripts, and correspondence, much of it with senators Nelson and William Proxmire, members of the House of Representatives, and various state legislators and local officials. The coverage is very uneven, with the files on the St. Croix River and the Ice Age Preserve and Trail being most extensive and those on the Apostle Island comprising only a few position papers.
