04/03/2026
Nancy and her family have been great friends of Garfield Farm Museum for over 40 years. No one of us could shoulder the many challenges of preserving and developing the museum but their support made our many friends’ help go so much farther and achieve more than was originally dreamt for the museum.
Openlands honors the life and legacy of Nancy Corwith Hamill Winter, one of our greatest champions for conservation. Her leadership helped shape conservation across Illinois and beyond, from Nachusa Grasslands and Emiquon to decades of stewardship in Jo Daviess County. She advanced a vision grounded in ecology, cultural heritage, and a deep respect for Indigenous stewardship and the enduring relationship between people and land.
Our relationship with Nancy was rooted in a multigenerational commitment to nature. Her father, Corwith “Corky” Hamill, was a founding member of Openlands, and her parents helped to realize the Illinois Prairie Path. Nancy began her own conservation career as Openlands’ first intern, contributing to the organizing that led to the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail.
In the years that followed, Nancy, alongside her siblings Jon Hamill and Betsy Bramsen and through the Hamill Family Foundation, helped catalyze transformative projects. These include early support for Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, pioneering investment in Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, and the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, to name a few. Her generosity and leadership made bold ideas possible.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to her children, Ethan and Sylvia, and to her family. Her legacy endures in the lands she helped protect.
