The 33rd Natural Areas Conference, co-hosted by the Natural Areas Association and the National Park Service, was held September 20-23 in the heart of Grand Canyon country—Flagstaff, Arizona. The conference focused on changes to the natural and cultural landscape of the Grand Canyon region, and to the “Old West” in general. Over 400 people from 36 states and Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, Peru, and South Africa gathered to explore the history and diversity of this vast and dynamic ecoregion. But, as one would expect at a NAC, the locales under discussion ranged from East to West and from South America to South Africa. Concurrent sessions offered diverse topics such as the role of genetic analysis in conservation biology, ecological monitoring and assessment of natural areas, setting priorities in conservation planning, invasive species, climate change, fire ecology, and natural areas programs. Plenary talks and field trips highlighted the natural and cultural resources of the Colorado Plateau, an area nearly the size of Germany.

Among the notable events at this NAC, the 2006 George B. Fell Award was presented to Dr. Charles Van Riper III, USGS, in recognition of a lifetime of service to natural areas conservation. A hallmark of Dr. van Riper’s work has been his willingness to work with natural area managers, particularly in the National Park Service, to identify research questions most appropriate to their management needs. Indeed, Charles has gone one step further in successfully bringing together all interested parties on the Colorado Plateau to share their ideas and knowledge on the natural resources of the region and to address the challenge of maintaining its ecological diversity, integrity, and health.  

The Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award is presented in recognition of exceptional achievement in the natural areas profession. NAA recognized the Diablo Trust of Flagstaff, Arizona for creative and sustained land management of a 500,000-acre ranch. The Diablo Trust confronted several seemingly intractable issues and used the diverse skills of its membership and an open approach to consensus building to identify solutions for protecting wildlife habitat on the Colorado Plateau. The Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, Gansevoort, New York, and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, Albany, New York, received a joint award for successfully restoring hundreds of acres of Karner blue butterfly habitat, thus increasing the endangered butterfly’s distribution and abundance within the critical eastern portion of its historical range. 

For the first (but not last) time, NAA presented first and second place awards to student oral and poster presentations. Luke Evans, second year M.S. student at Northern Arizona University working with the Cottonwood Ecology Group, studies the ecologic and genetic structuring of closely related Ponderosae (ponderosa pines) in the “sky island” system of the Southwest. For his talk, Luke was awarded first place, which included a $150 monetary gift, a 1st-Place plaque, a 2007 calendar of Grand Canyon photos, and a complimentary membership to NAA. 

Jason Kilgore, a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University (W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, Department of Plant Biology), focuses on the biogeography and systematics of Ponderosae in the Santa Catalina Mountains. For his talk, Jason was awarded second place, which included a $50 monetary gift, a plaque, calendar, and NAA membership. 

Our student awards were sponsored by Ecospatial Analysts, Inc., the Arkansas Natural Heritage Program, and the Natural Areas Association. If you are a student or know of students doing research in the natural areas field, encourage them to enter our 2007 competition at the NAA conference in Cleveland, Ohio! Contact board member Lisa Smith, Student Awards Coordinator, for more information.

The awards banquet also served up the annual silent auction and a live auction of items that included lodging at Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks, an authentic Kachina doll and 

   Dr. Charles van Riper, III, receives the 2006 George B. Fell Award from NAA Awards Committee Chair Mike Scott

Ian McGaughey of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park accepts the Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award from President Kim Herman

Mandy Metzger, President of The Diablo
Trust, accepts the Carl N. Becker
Stewardship Award

Neil Gifford, Conservation Director for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, accepts the Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award from NAA President Kim Herman