Montana Conservation Shines on National Stage

The Nature Conservancy in Montana WIns Honors for Conservation Leadership

Helena, MT — October 27, 2009 — Honors are pouring in for the Montana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy these days.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bestowed its Land Leadership Award to the Conservancy for its work on the Rocky Mountain Front. After presenting a plaque with a bronze casting of a grizzly paw print, USFWS State Coordinator Gary Sullivan said,

“The Service is so fortunate to have the Conservancy as our dedicated partner in so many of Montana's treasured landscapes.”

In addition to the Front, the Conservancy has pioneered community conservation efforts with the USFWS in the Blackfoot and Centennial Valleys and the Northern Prairies.

The Conservancy was also recognized by the US Forest Service with its 2009 Regional Forester’s Honor Award for Partnership. This award was presented to team members for the Montana Legacy Project, a partnership between the Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land to conserve more than 310,000 acres of former Plum Creek timber land in western Montana. The team received a standing ovation from an audience of some 200 people during the presentation ceremony in Missoula.

“The honor and the ovation were completely unexpected to all of us and we were all completely humbled by them.” said the Conservancy’s Bee Hall.

The third honor was given to Jamie Williams, Director of the Conservancy’s Northern Rockies Initiative. Williams received the Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award from the Land Trust Alliance. Williams, an architect of the Montana Legacy Project, was cited by the national organization for “outstanding leadership, innovation and creativity in land conservation. The award celebrates individuals whose leadership has enriched the entire conservation community..."

Williams is the former State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Montana.