Do you know a California farmer, rancher or forester who goes above and beyond to steward the natural resources under their care? Nominate them for the 2019 California Leopold Conservation Award®!
The Award
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their exemplary dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working lands. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Sand County Foundation, the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation have been presenting the award in California since 2006, and Sand County Foundation presents the award nationwide in 20 states. The California Leopold Conservation Award will be presented at the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in December. The recipient will receive $10,000 and an Aldo Leopold crystal.
Bryce Lundberg, VP of Agricultural Operations for Lundberg Family Farms, which received the award in 2018, has this to say about the award and his family’s inspiring conservation efforts:
“Aldo Leopold inspires Lundberg Family Farms to continue our family’s commitment to conservation, nutrition and innovation. We encourage other farmers, ranchers and foresters to connect with Leopold and submit an application.”
And our Executive Director Ashley Boren can look back at the many amazing recipients in over a decade of Sustainable Conservation co-sponsoring the award:
“From clean and abundant water, to breathable air, to healthy wildlife, keeping California the special place we all love requires everyone doing their part. On the front lines of conservation are many deserving, but often overlooked, landowner heroes stepping up every day to steward our environment and Californians’ quality of life. The Leopold Conservation Award celebrates these inspiring individuals and families, and co-sponsors hope farmers, ranchers and other private landowners come forward this year to be recognized.”
The Details
You can submit your own nomination, or you can nominate someone you know in your community who’s modeling the kind of resource stewardship we all aspire to! Click here for Sand County Foundation’s application form.
Reading your amazing conservation stories is one of the true highlights of our year, and we can’t wait to learn about even more amazing land and resource stewards across California. Applications must be postmarked by July 15, 2019, and you can mail your applications to:
Leopold Conservation Award
c/o Sustainable Conservation
98 Battery Street, Suite 302
San Francisco, CA 94111
You’ll receive a confirmation email from us, and we’ll notify the finalists this fall. If you have any questions about the process, including specific application questions, please feel free to reach out: [email protected].
For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.
The Leopold Conservation Award in California is made possible thanks to the generous support of Sustainable Conservation, the California Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Credit West, American Ag Credit, The Harvey L. & Maud S. Sorensen Foundation, The Nature Conservancy in California, McDonald’s, and California LCA recipient alumni.