Annual Natural Areas Association Awards
Nominations are now closed for NAA’s 2010 annual awards. Each year, the NAA acknowledges exceptional individuals who have demonstrated excellence in natural areas stewardship, and who have significantly advanced natural area identification, protection, and stewardship. (See the awards descriptions, below).
We invite you to take this opportunity to consider your outstanding colleagues and their work, and to mark your calendar to submit a nomination for the 2011 awards. The Call for Nominations is typically sent out by March. Email the NAA with any questions or to receive the Call for Nominations announcement next year.
Left: 2009 Fell Award Winner David Brunckhorst
Top: 2009 Fell Awardees David Brunckhorst (left) and Michael Scott (right) with NAA past president Kim Herman.
Join Us!
The annual NAA Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Mingle with friends and colleagues, enjoy a wonderful meal, have fun bidding on a wide array of silent and live auction items, and help us honor this year’s very deserving awardees.
This dinner is included with full conference registration, or separate tickets may be purchased by downloading the registration form or contacting MUCO; information is on the Registration page.
George B. Fell Award
The Natural Areas Association awards the George B. Fell Award to an individual who exhibits the highest qualities of the natural areas profession and who has significantly advanced natural area identification, protection, stewardship or research. This award is given in honor of George B. Fell, founder of the Natural Land Institute and a founding NAA member and officer who dedicated his life to the protection of Natural Areas. This is the Association's highest award, and it is reserved for exceptional achievements in any of the areas in which the Natural Areas Association is concerned. It is a top-of-career award. The award:
- Recognizes those qualities exhibited by George B. Fell such as life-long dedication and commitment, creativity, and the ability to forge new approaches that significantly advance natural area protection.
- Recognizes sustained or on-going individual achievement in the natural area profession.
- Recognizes accomplishments that have significantly advanced natural area identification, protection, stewardship or research.
- Recognizes any area of profession activity.
- Maintains a very high standard of integrity for the award.
Each nomination form should include the following information about the nominee: Name, Title, Organization/Affiliation(s), Address, Telephone number and E-mail address. The nomination should follow the guidelines below:
- Describe the achievement(s) that form the basis for this nomination.
- Describe the scope of the activity and the complexity of the resources/issue / addressed(s).
- Describe how creativity or leadership was demonstrated?
- What other decisions or actions illustrate the nominee's overall, long term commitment to natural area preservation and activities designed to restore and/or preserve natural diversity of ecosystems? How has this commitment been communicated to the public?
- To what extent has the nominee's accomplishments addressed resource preservation issues of widespread concern regionally or globally?
Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award
The Natural Areas Association each year recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated excellence in natural area stewardship. This award is given in recognition of excellence and achievement in managing the natural resources of reserves, parks, wilderness, and other protected areas. It is given in honor of Carl N. Becker, former NAA president, and a great conservation leader whose skills benefitted natural area conservation locally, regionally and nationally. This award:
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have resolved or made a significant contribution to an issue related to identification, protection, and/or management of natural areas.
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have developed creative or innovative strategies which have directly contributed to resolution of issues or otherwise greatly improved protection of natural areas.
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have made a major advance in the protection of natural areas and wildlands.
Each Nomination Form should included the following information about the nominee: Name, Title, Organization/Affiliation(s), Address, Telephone number and E-mail address. The nomination should follow the guidelines below:
- Describe the achievement(s) that form the basis for this nomination.
- Describe the scope of the activity and the complexity of the issue addressed.
- How was creativity demonstrated? What new ideas or different approaches did the nominee or group use to solve the problem(s)?
- What methods or techniques did the nominee use to overcome obstacles and how did these contribute to the success of the overall mission?
- What other decisions or actions illustrate the nominee's or group's overall, long term commitment to natural area preservation and activities designed to restore and/or preserve sustainable ecosystems? How has this commitment been communicated to the public?