The Nature Conservancy is Honored by the Utah Botanical Center

Kaysville, Utah — August 18, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy in Utah was recently honored with the 2007 Utah Botanical Center Environmental Stewardship Award in recognition of the organization’s successful preservation of many of the state’s important land and water resources and its commitment to fostering collaboration to work through complex natural resource issues.

The award ceremony’s featured speaker, Alan Matheson, executive director of Envision Utah, reflected on his experiences working on projects that involve The Nature Conservancy.

“The Nature Conservancy emphasizes people, respecting their property rights and honoring their traditions and livelihoods,” he said. “They seek collaboration, at times even with those who would rather fight. They refuse to get bogged down in dogma and, instead, simply solve problems. They rely on solid science to set their agenda. And, most importantly, they are effective.”

The Utah Botanical Center, a project of Utah State University, is committed to guiding preservation and wise use of plant, water and energy resources and annually recognizes an individual or organization that supports the UBC’s mission and represents natural resource stewardship in the Intermountain West. Utah State University President Stan Albrecht said the award screening committee defines stewardship as “more than conservation, education and environmental science, it is also a moral and spiritual obligation to the present day community and to future generations.” Award recipients must also demonstrate long-term support for protecting the environment, economic strength, and quality of life in the Intermountain West.

The Nature Conservancy has been active in Utah for more than 20 years. In that time the organization has completed more than 150 conservation projects, preserving nearly 880,000 acres of private and public land in Utah.

In presenting the award, a laser-engraved crystal obelisk provided by O.C. Tanner Company, Albrecht said, “The award itself is a reminder that issues of environmental stewardship are viewed differently from various angles and can come together beautifully with shared effort, goals and vision.”

Jim Clark, chair of The Nature Conservancy in Utah’s board of directors, and Dave Livermore, the organization’s state director, accepted the award. Clark said he was drawn to The Nature Conservancy because its activities are science based and people oriented, and especially because they take “the radical middle road” when natural resource issues tend to be very polarizing. Livermore added that although it is a challenge task, it is important to give people more gateways that connect them to the natural world and the peace that is there.

“How to blend built civilizations and the natural world is a messy process,” Livermore said. “But we believe it is not enough to sound the alarm and curse the darkness. It’s better to light a candle.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.