The Council of 1953 authorized this award to give recognition to an important kind of professional endeavor not covered by other honors of the Society. It had been evident for many years that important compilations and other education works did not fulfill criteria for the technical publication awards. Also, there was no way to cite outstanding films or other efforts in a field widely regarded as critical to the success of conservation programs.
It is evident that some efforts that might qualify for recognition of this kind could have taken place over a period of several or many years. Accumulative accomplishment is quite appropriately considered in determining the eligibility of a nomination. On the other hand, single work of great significance can with equal propriety be cited.
It is notable that this award is aimed primarily at the work of individuals, institutions such as publishing houses and units of government being more properly qualified under the Group Achievement Award.
The Conservation Education Award encompasses the broad field of renewable resources management and conservation, although it is to be expected that wildlife will be included in the purview of recognized works. In other words, projects devoted exclusively to soils, or restrictive phases of water, range, or forest conservation are unlikely to be considered.
Criteria
Experience has shown what the principal problems and opportunities are. Conservation education covers a wide diversity of activity. It encompasses particular works of great merit and also programs representing sustained effort that can achieve great significance over the years.
Presumably, any kind of effort that influences public opinion in a constructive manner might be honored in this way. However, for working purposes, it has been convenient to recognize four types of candidate material. The Conservation Education Award is given in each one of the following categories on a four-year-rotation basis.
Writings
Authors, editors, or publishers of books, a series of articles, or other written material which effectively conveys sound conservation concepts to the public may receive the Conservation Education Award. The written material could encompass text books, compilations, bulletins, or purely popular writings, as well as outstanding philosophical or interpretive contributions. Up to two awards may be given in this category: one for books and one for articles. Articles can include any brief publication (fewer than 20 pages), such as a newspaper or magazine article, booklet, or pamphlet.
Audio-Visual Works
The award may be given to an artist, photographer, lecturer, radio commentator, songwriter, film producer, computer programmer, or other creative worker whose accomplishments are outstanding in the dissemination of conservation knowledge to the public. The recipient can also be a group of people. Materials for consideration include, but are not limited to, paintings, photographs, television shows or appearances, movies, educational or music videos, songs, audio recordings, or computer-program technologies as appropriate recipients of this category. Typically materials for the audio-visual category should be a stand-alone product, such that it does not supplement a writing or program.
Media
This award is presented to a TWS member and a journalist who have collaborated on a media report (print, radio, television, or website) that epitomizes excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The media report should have all or most of the following characteristics:
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The wildlife conservation item is objectively stated;
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The science behind the issue is explained;
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The wildlife profession is recognized;
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The Wildlife Society is recognized.
Programs
The development of appropriate conservation education programs is an activity eligible for this honor. Nominees in the program category are typically, but not exclusively, supported by either public or private organizations promoting a broad framework of goals and objectives. Unlike the writings and audio-visual works categories, the program category recognizes those people involved in long-term, continuing efforts that support conservation education. Materials reflecting programs may be similar to those submitted to the writings and/or audio-visual categories.
Nomination Instructions
The Wildlife Society is accepting nominations for the 2013 Conservation Education Award in the category of Media.
Previous Winners
2012
Kenton Vaughan, Mark Caswell, Margus Jukkum, and Travis Livieri for Return of the Prairie Bandit
2011
(Writing, Article) Nevada Department of Wildlife. 2007-2010. Southern Nevada Wild. Vol. (issue)1(1) – 4(4)
(Writing, Book) Council for Environmental Education’s Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds.
2010
AFWA’s North American Conservation Education Strategy and Conservation Leaders of Tomorrow
2007
(Writing) Milton Friend and Dale Rollins
2006
(Program) John VanNeil and William Dean for Bureau of Land Management’s publication, The Wildlife Investigator Series, Volume 1. The authors have developed educational materials to help wildlife biologists and others give presentations on various wildlife topics. These presentations are provided for students from kindergarten through high school.
2005
(Media) Christine Dorsey and Doug Inkley for the media work, organized by Ms. Dorsey with Dr. Inkley as lead spokesperson, that resulted in widespread and outstanding media coverage for The Wildlife Society's "Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America" Technical Review.
2004
(Audio-Visual) Michael Forsberg is being recognized for his outstanding achievements in the area of public education. He is a freelance writer who has contributed stories to NEBRASKAland magazine, Natural Geographic, and Nature.
2003
(Writing, Book) "Feeding Wildlife...Just Say No!" by Scot J. Williamson of the Wildlife Management Institute.
2002
(Program) "Fur Hunting and Trapping Education Program" of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and "Project HOME: Home for Wildlife on School Grounds" of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
2001
(Audio-visual) “Living with Urban White-tailed Deer-An Educator’s Guide to Involving Students in Urban Deer Management,” by Wade Nolan, Dan Bertalan, and Gary Beaton. This educational product helps students learn to think for themselves in addressing a challenging current wildlife issue.
(Writing, Article) “Environmental Education for Kids” a Wisconsin DNR electronic magazine, developed and edited by Carrie Morgan.
2000
(Writing, Book) "Wildlife Stewardship and Recreation on Private Lands" by Texas A&M University Press, 1999.
1999
(Program) "NEBRASKAland’s Trail Tales Magazine."
1998
(Audio-visual) Missouri Department of Conservation for Habitactics, a computer conservation game.
(Writing, Articles/Brochures) "Wildlife and Your Land" by the Bureau of Wildlife Management of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
1997
(Writing, Book) "Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecology and Wildlife Conservation" by Richard H. Yahner.
1996
(Program) National 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program.
1995
(Audio-visual) Glenn D. Chambers for a lifetime of artistic achievement across several media, including films, video, still photos, and paintings.
1994
(Writing) "About Mammals and How They Live" by Charles and Elizabeth Schwartz, published by the Missouri Department of Conservation, 1993.
1993
(Program) "Chesapeake Bay Public Awareness Program," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for engendering a land and water ethic in the people of the Chesapeake Bay area.
1992
(Audio-visual) "California's Tule Elk," by the California Department of Fish and Game, a video about how the Tule elk were nearly extirpated by the gold rush and the ensuing race to develop California's natural resources.
1991
(Writing) "America's Neighborhood Bats," by Merlin D. Tuttle, published by University of Texas Press, 1988.
1990
(Program) "Teach About Geese," by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, an educational program that addresses the decline in geese populations in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Western Alaska.
"Restless Ribbons of Sand," by Ken Varden, a booklet on the function and importance of coastal barrier ecosystems.
1989
(Audio-visual) "Sagebrush Country," by Jim and Elaine Larison, a video on the need for balanced solutions to provide healthy rangelands for wildlife.
1988
(Writing) "Bay Country", by Tom Horton, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987.
1987
(Program) The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Conservation Education Program for their educational effort, despite cultural and language differences, on behalf of Arctic Geese.
1986
(Audio-visual) "Home Free: Return of the Bald Eagle," by Christopher G. Knight. The film chronicles 12 months of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's bald eagle restoration effort, with an emphasis on raising and releasing young birds to the wild.
1985
(Writing) The Nature Conservancy News, November/December 1983 issue entitled "What's a Species Worth."
1984
(Program) Project WILD, a joint project of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Western Regional Environmental Education Council, an interdisciplinary, supplementary environmental and conservation education program, emphasizing wildlife, for educators of kindergarten through high school age students.
1983
(Audio-visual) "Colorado Wildlife," by Art Shomo and the Colorado Chapter of The Wildlife Society, a slide show accompanied by a tape recorded narrative and lesson plans for teachers in the Colorado school system.
1982
(Writing) Tracks Magazine, edited by Catherine Mullhaupt Rustem, printed monthly by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Lansing, Mich., distributed to grade schools.
1981
(Program) Delwin E. Benson, Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Co., for outstanding achievement in hunter, wildlife, and conservation education.
1980
(Audio-Visual) Parks Canada, Department of the Environment, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for their film, "Bears and Man."
1979
Oscar "Ozz" Warbach of Haslett, Michigan, for his book, "Mother Nature's Michigan," Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1976, published by Hillsdale Educational Publishers, Inc., Hillsdale, Mich.
1978
William R. Hernbrode of the Arizona Game and Fish Department for continuing teacher education and volunteer conservation instructor programs in Arizona.
1977
Karl Maslowski and Stephen Maslowski of Cincinnati, Ohio, for their film, "Ohio's Wild Places," produced for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
1976
James A. Trefethen. "An American Crusade for Wildlife," Winchester Press, New York, N.Y., 1975.
University of Maine Student Chapter, The Wildlife Society, for outstanding environmental education community programs.
1975
California Department of Fish and Game for outstanding agency public education programs.
1974
Missouri Department of Conservation for its film "Wild Chorus."
1972
Bruce E. Cowgill for "The Nebraskaland Acres for Wildlife Program."
1971
Glenn D. Chambers, fo his film, "The Return of the Wild Turkey."
1970
David A. Munro for "A Place for Everything."
1969
Raymond F. Dasmann for "Environmental Conservation," and "A Different Kind of Country."
1968
"New Mexico Wildlife Management," by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
1967
Robert Scott Ellarson
John Madson for writing "Benefiting public understanding of aims and objectives of professional wildlife management."
1966
Ernest H. Linford, for conservation editorials in a prominent newspaper.
Dr. Douglas L. Gilbert for his book, "Public Relations in Natural Resources Management."
1965
Robert W. Hines, authorship and art work on booklet, "Ducks at a Distance."
1964
Dr. Joseph P. Linduska and Remington Farms for their publications and fine demonstration areas.
1963
Rachel Carson, for "Silent Spring."
1962
Ray Dale Sanders for his film "Land of the Prairie Duck" produced by Minnesota Foundation of St. Paul, Minn.
1961
Byron S. Asbaugh and Muriel Beuschlein, for "Things to do in science and conservation," sponsored in 1960 by the Conservation Education Association in cooperation with the American Nature Association.
1960
Richard W. Westwood, for work of the nature study society and the establishment and growth of the International Union for the Protection of Nature (now International Union for Conservation) and as editor of Nature Magazine.
1959
Fred J. Schmeeckle, for developing a model conservation program at the Wisconsin State College, begun in 1945.
1958
David A. Arnold and Oscar Warbach, for "Red foxes of Michigan," Michigan Department of Conservation, 48 pp., 1956.
1957
Michael Hudoba, for "Report from Washington," a monthly presentation in Sports Afield
New York Sportsmen's Conservation Workshop, Cornell University.
Benjamin Draper and Earl S. Hearld, for "Science in action," a television program produced live in California, 39 weeks of the year.
1956
Ralph A. MacMullan and Oscar Warbach, for "The life and times of Michigan pheasants," Game Division, Michigan Department of Conservation, 63 pp., 1954.
Durward L. Allen, for "Our Wildlife Legacy," Funk and Wagnalls Co., N.Y., 422 pp., 1954.
1955
Ted S. Pettit, for "Conservation good turn," a Boy Scout program, 1954.
1954
Charles Schwartz and Jack Stanford, for "Bobwhite Through the Year," a motion picture and "Whirring Wings," a booklet, Missouri Conservation Commission, 96 pp., 1952.
