Sportsmen always knew Holmes had their interest at heart

Minnesota lost a giant in natural resource conservation last week when Roger Holmes died.

Holmes, 72, former director of the DNR's Fish and Wildlife Division, played a major role over the past 40 years in making Minnesota a better place to live. He died last week of prostate cancer at his home in St. Paul.

"It's the passing of an era,'' said Tom Landwehr, who worked for Holmes for 17 years at the DNR and is now associate state director of The Nature Conservancy. "He was a giant in conservation and a mentor to many of us. We'll miss his steady hand and his booming voice and his clear vision.''

What was it about Holmes that made him special?

"He had incredible standing with the sportsmen," Landwehr said. "They respected him, to a person, to an organization. They always knew he had their interest at heart. Even when he made tough choices, they stood by him.''

He was one of them, a hunter and an angler. He also was a biologist who worked as a wildlife manager, then rose up the ranks to become a leader in the agency. Holmes stood up for the state's natural resources, even if that meant standing up to DNR commissioners or legislators, Landwehr said.

"Roger never told them what they wanted to hear, he always told them the truth. Sometimes they liked it, and sometimes they didn't, but they knew that's what they would get,'' he said.

Holmes loved Minnesota, Landwehr said, and was instrumental in expanding the state's wildlife management area system and pushing the Reinvest in Minnesota program, the state pheasant and waterfowl stamp programs and even the federal farm bill, which has a huge impact on wildlife.

"He really did care about Minnesota's natural resources. I can't imagine what the state would look like if Roger hadn't been there.''

Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. today at Galilee Evangelical Lutheran Church, 145 N. McCarrons Blvd., Roseville. A memorial service is 11 a.m. Monday at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 285 North Dale St. in St. Paul

DOUG SMITH