‘Always a conservationist.’ Man who helped preserve local natural areas has died
In 2002, newly hired mathematics professor Daniel Heath and his wife were looking for a new home in Pierce County. They were hoping to find a place where they could make a difference in conservation. Heath mentioned it to a colleague, and shortly after, he received a phone call from Kenneth Batker, a recently retired professor of mathematics.
Heath had heard of Batker and was pretty sure he might have met him at a faculty gathering at some point, but he did not know him. Batker invited Heath and his wife, Yumiko, to the Morse Wildlife Preserve to show them around.
“I wasn’t even sure what was going on,” Heath told The News Tribune. “My wife and I went there, and he took us around like a tour guide through the whole Morse Wildlife Preserve. Which we enjoyed, but I couldn’t help wondering, why are we here doing this?”
At the end of the tour, Batker unveiled the prize: a two-bedroom caretaker’s cottage that Heath and his wife could move into for reduced rent … as long as they were able to help take care of the trails, and help with general upkeep.
“It was bizarre because we were wondering why we were there until the last moment,” Heath recalled. “He hadn’t explained himself. But I guess it was a sales pitch. He said I’d have to know how to use a chainsaw.”
Heath and his wife moved in and lived at the Morse Wildlife Preserve for seven years.
“Our son said his first words there. Which were ‘bird tower,’” he said.
Heath and Batker became fast friends after that. Partly because of their love of nature, partly because of their love of math, but also because they were “twitchers,” Heath said. Which is birdwatcher slang for, well, birdwatcher.
On Nov. 8, 2025, Batker, PLU professor for over 30 years, father, grandfather, husband, long-time Pierce County conservationist, environmentalist and steward of public lands, died peacefully while surrounded by family. He was 93. His beloved wife Nell died the year before.
Together, the Batkers had a vision of Pierce County that included the acquisition and conservation of public lands. They followed through with that vision over their many decades in the South Sound.
Along with various members of the PLU faculty, the Batkers spearheaded the efforts to help save the Morse Wildlife Preserve, the Maxine G. Morse Nature Conservancy, Nisqually State Park, Snake Lake Nature Center, Clover Creek Conservation Area, Parkland Prairie Nature Preserve, the Carbon River Conservation Area and more.
“He worked on all of these environmental things with my mom and their friends,” Batker’s son, David Batker, told The News Tribune. “They would just pick parks, and they worked on what was needed to save them.”
In 1974, the Batkers helped the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge gain its declaration. Later, Batker helped found Friends of Nisqually and served on the boards of the Tahoma Bird Alliance and the Tahoma Land Conservancy (which has since become Forterra).
In all of the beautiful places around Pierce County, David Batker said, the 70-acre Bresemann Forest was his father’s favorite.
“My mom and dad bought a house right next to Bresemann Forest. It was going to be cut down and logged and turned into ball fields. They fought that. The county did surveys, and it turned out my parents were right: people wanted places in the woods to walk. So the county saved it.”
In 2024, right before Nell passed away, the Batkers received the Ernie Bay Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pierce Conservation District for their “efforts in preserving natural spaces.”
David says his father found a love of nature while growing up in rural Wisconsin. “He always ran around with his cousins in the countryside. He hunted a little and really fell in love with fishing. But, above all, he was always a conservationist.”
Kenneth Batker is survived by his children, David Batker, Carol Batker and John Roper-Batker, his many grandchildren, and all nature lovers across Pierce County, whether they are aware of his contributions or not.
“One of the greatest things about my dad was his philosophy,” David told The News Tribune. “If you put the effort out, you can make change.”
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