Biography provided by participant
President of The Wilderness Society since 1996, William H. "Bill" Meadows has been active in conservation for more than 30 years. He credits Earth Day, founded by late Senator Gaylord Nelson, as the catalyst for his involvement.
As the Wilderness Society's president, Meadows leads a staff of 175 headquartered in Washington, D.C. and nine regional offices, and acts as the key spokesperson and advocate for the organization’s work on Capitol Hill and across the country.
Recognized as a national leader in public land conservation and wilderness preservation, Meadows has played an important role in the protection of national forest roadless areas, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and America’s national monuments. Since he took the reins of the organization, more than three million acres of wilderness have been added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Meadows is committed to building partnerships and bringing new constituencies into the wilderness movement — and believes that helping empower other groups is the key to The Wilderness Society’s own success.
He is a past Chairman of the Green Group, Chairman of the Board of the Campaign for America's Wilderness and the Partnership Project, and also serves on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters and Island Press.
