A Childhood Rooted in the Land
For Bonnie Lewis, stewardship began long before she ever walked a conservation property with a clipboard in hand.
She grew up on her grandfather’s farm in Hudson Lake, Indiana, where days were spent riding bikes down the barn ramp, wandering through spring woods in search of wildflowers, and gathering berries with her siblings. Those early experiences shaped a lifelong belief that land is more than scenery—it is home, history, and something we are responsible for protecting.
That belief would eventually guide her to the Land Trust for Louisiana.
Building Community for Conservation
Bonnie’s professional background as a rural sociologist focused on community development made her a natural fit for the collaborative work of land conservation.
In the early days of the Land Trust for Louisiana, she helped bring people together—organizing meetings, building partnerships, and doing the behind-the-scenes work that turns a vision into a functioning organization. As the Land Trust grew, Bonnie stepped into a deeply hands-on stewardship role, helping monitor protected properties and ensure that conservation commitments were upheld on the ground.
She often jokes about being “directionally challenged,” but what matters most is her unwavering dedication to showing up for the land.
What Stewardship Means
To Bonnie, stewardship is both practical and deeply personal.
It means keeping land as natural as possible.
It means honoring the legal commitments that protect it.
It means resisting the fragmentation of special places into subdivisions.
And it means helping landowners protect their family legacies for generations to come.
She believes conservation is for everyone—not just scientists or landowners. Her advice is simple:
- Get outside
- Appreciate nature
- Leave no trace
- Support the organizations doing the work
Stewardship begins with connection.
Protecting Land, Preserving Legacy
For many Louisiana landowners, conservation easements offer a way to ensure that farms, forests, and wildlife habitat remain intact far into the future. Bonnie sees this as one of the most meaningful aspects of the Land Trust’s work: helping families protect the places that define their history.
Through monitoring visits and relationship-building, she helps ensure that these conserved lands continue to thrive—ecologically and culturally.
Her work safeguards:
✔ Wildlife habitat
✔ Water quality
✔ Working lands
✔ Rural heritage
A Steward for the Future of Louisiana
Bonnie Lewis represents the heart of land conservation: steady, committed, and rooted in a deep love for place.
Her story reminds us that conservation is not only about acres protected—it is about people who care enough to show up, year after year, to walk the land and keep its promise.
Because of stewards like Bonnie, Louisiana’s natural landscapes will remain intact for future generations to explore, farm, hunt, bird, and call home.
Become a Steward of the Land
You can follow Bonnie’s example:
👉 Volunteer for a stewardship day
👉 Become a Steward of the Land member
👉 Connect us with a landowner interested in conservation
Together, we can protect the places that make Louisiana home.
About the Land Trust for Louisiana
The Land Trust for Louisiana works with landowners to permanently protect land, forests, wetlands, and cultural landscapes through conservation easements, stewardship, and education.