Blake Richard is the new reporter for The Lakeland Times and The Northwoods River News. He graduated Chequamegon High School in Park Falls in 2020 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Northland College in Ashland in 2024.
A piece and column announcing Richard joining the staff appeared in the March 24, 2026 issue of The Lakeland Times. According to the piece:
Richard studied natural resources with a dual emphasis of fisheries and wildlife and ecological restoration. That led him to work in Alaska during the summers for Ducks Unlimited and then the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife after graduation.
While Richard, age 24, has already traveled across much of the country, his most recent journey begins closer to home. Richard played basketball all four years in college and played baseball for three.
“I did quite a few sports growing up,” he said. “I wrestled for a year and played football for a little while too, and ran track. But yeah, when I got to high school, I narrowed it down pretty much to basketball and baseball.”
Richard also was a member of his high school’s trap shooting team. He competed in the high school state trap shooting tournament for four years and the high school national trap shooting tournament for three years.
Another passion of Richard’s is hunting. His passion for hunting fueled his love for photography. Richard started working for Ducks Unlimited in Alaska in 2022.
Richard decided to make the switch to newspapering for a few different reasons:
- Wanting to be closer to home;
- The opportunity at the Times and River News presented itself; and
- His passion for writing that he grew during the summer he worked for Ducks Unlimited. He already had a passion for photography.
Richard may be reached via email at blakerichard@rivernewsonline.com.
