“Over the fruitful earth and across the sea goes the bright gleam of noble deeds.” (Pindar)
Each year Montana Audubon proudly recognizes select individuals whose special achievements for birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Valuable wildlife and habitat conservation is often the result of two things—a person’s passion for wildlife and their committed action.
In 2008, Montana Audubon will acknowledge individuals who exemplify both of these qualities in an award ceremony on Saturday, June 7 at our Bird Festival in Billings. The categories for our awards include:
- Conservationist of the Year - a professional or amateur conservationist who provided significant wildlife conservation achievement in Montana for the previous year.
- Environmental Educator of the Year - a person who has shown outstanding achievement in educating others in wildlife conservation. This individual can be a school teacher, interpreter, naturalist, or any other person who educates the public about wildlife conservation.
- Special Achievement Award - an individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to birds and other wildlife.
- Lifetime Achievement Award - an Audubon volunteer who has dedicated extraordinary effort, time, and energy to shape the activities and successes of a local Audubon chapter and/or Montana Audubon.
To Nominate a Candidate for a 2008 Award:
An application for nominating a candidate for an award can be downloaded HERE. Additional supporting material such as news clippings, letters of commendation, project documents, and photographs may accompany the nomination form. Submitted materials will not be returned. All nominations and supporting material should be sent by:
Mail: AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Montana Audubon
P.O. Box 595
Helena, MT 59624
E-mail: jellis@mtaudubon.org
Or
Fax: 406-443-7144
To be considered for this year’s awards, nominations and all supporting material
must be postmarked/e-mailed no later than:
Friday, May 16, 2008
Awards will be presented at the banquet on Saturday, June 7 at Montana Audubon's Bird Festival which will occur June 6 - 8 in Billings, Montana
2007 Awards
In 2007, Montana Audubon recognized the following individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements:
Debra Doerflinger ~ Lifetime Achievement Award, for her life-long commitment and dedication to Audubon, especially Pintler Audubon, which stretches from Deer Lodge and Butte to Dillon and Virginia City. In numerous ways, Debra’s volunteerism and leadership has been the glue that has held Pintler Audubon together, year after year: she has participated in Christmas Bird Counts, served as President and newsletter editor, recruited interesting speakers for the chapter’s monthly meetings, and spearheaded sunflower seed sales. Debra, more than any one person, has been instrumental in bringing conservation issues to the forefront for Audubon members living in southwestern Montana.
John Scheuering ~ Environmental Educator of the Year, for his 25 years of service to the community of Miles City and Rosebud Audubon. In Miles City, John was a Garfield Elementary teacher for 24 years, using environmental education extensively in his classroom. As a charter member of Rosebud Audubon, John served as president, conservation chair, local bird expert, Christmas Bird Counts coordinator, Audubon Community Naturalist Coordinator, and field trip leader. His programs have touched students, families, service clubs, and more. His bi-weekly Miles City Star article, Bird Calls, has kept the community informed about the natural history of the area’s birds.
Five Valleys Audubon ~ Conservationist of the Year, for their tenacious work to protect the Clark Fork River/Grass Valley Important Bird Area (IBA). This IBA is located west of Missoula, and includes 21,000 acres of river, cottonwood forests, wetlands, and grasslands. Over 230 bird species have been found in the area, including enough breeding pairs of Lewis’s Woodpeckers and Red-naped Sapsuckers to qualify it as a “continentally” significant IBA. The Chapter has worked with individual private landowners on habitat conservation projects, conducted numerous bird surveys, partnered with government agencies and other nonprofit organizations, and testified at hearings to advocate for IBA protection.
Angie Kociolek ~ Special Achievement Award, for her work to protect a special wetland near Bozeman and her work on behalf of Montana’s birds. As Conservation Chair, Angie spearheads Sacajawea Audubon’s work on the East Main Wetlands in Bozeman. If protected, this 14 acre privately owned urban wetland would save important open space and wildlife habitat, including habitat for 83 species of migrating and breeding birds. Angie has also volunteered on several other bird projects, including bird census work on Audubon’s Madison Valley IBA, and a (rare) Black Swift monitoring project.
We are privileged and proud to know all of these individuals—for their outstanding work for birds, Audubon, and the state of Montana.
A complete list of our past award winners can be downloaded HERE
