Donald Louis Hey

Don was relentless and selfless in his pursuit of environmental solutions. His creative and pragmatic approach impressed all who worked with him. We need more people like Don. May he rest in peace.

Don was a creative thinker who expanded knowledge about how we might put the earth back together for the benefit of everyone. He was kind enough to share his wisdom with me during my Chicago River years and we even got to work on a project or two together. What great fortune I had to work with him. Thank you, Donald

Donald improved the lives of so many people here in Hennepin with his untiring work to create the wildlife refuge. On top of that he was a first class gentleman. May he Rest In Peace.

I did some writing for Donald over the past few years and not only learned a great deal about all things wetlands (and more), but so enjoyed his congeniality and generosity of heart and of thought. Deeply missed.

A real visionary

So sad; he´s was great wetland ecological engineering and a. Great role model for me. RIP, Don!!

Donald Hey was a dear and long-time friend, with whom my late husband, Suhail, and I shared our deep commitment to our work; and to enjoying our time away from it. Donald introduced us to sailing the Great Lakes - with a search for the perfect sailboat and the formation of a five-person ownership of it. As he recounted in his farewell to Suhail, "The Windswept was a wonderful boat to sail in fair and foul weather. It was well balanced and rode the steep waves of Lake Michigan with little effort. Suhail provided the spirit of adventure and the enthusiasm necessary to acquire the boat and to sail the beautiful Lake Michigan."

And, you, Donald, provided the impetus to all of us to test our mettle on it. Sailing the Windswept was the perfect metaphor for our strong friendship - we often battled the wind and the waves; but, always respected the Lake and our encounter with it. Thank you, Donald. I will miss you.

Donald's commitment and passion for environmental conservation has been an inspiration to many. I am grateful to have learned from Donald and his life's work and legacy will endure.

Donald was an inspiration. His energy and his commitment to the preservation and restoration of wetlands were boundless. He will be deeply missed.

I am providing our deepest sympathies on behalf of the Harza Engineering Alumni. I met Don in 1971 when I joined Harza and was happy to see him most recently at the Harza Alumni Luncheon in 2017. He was a great guy.

A great competitor in sport and a loyal friend. I will greatly miss Donald my friend.

50 years of friendship and professional collaboration, knowing you Donald has been a blessing.

I met Don way back in my composting industry days in the 1990s. His passion for all things wetlands was inspiring, and I joined The Wetlands Initiative, which he co-founded with Al Pyott, about a decade later as a board member. Don will always be remembered a national leader in wetlands conservation and restoration. An early article about his restoration work in Wadsworth can be found here: https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/tag/donald-hey/

Rest in peace, Don.

Donald will be Greatly missed!