Know a Nebraska rancher, farmer or forester who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2020 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award®.
Sand County Foundation presents the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 20 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Nebraska, the $10,000 award is presented with Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN), Cargill and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application can be found at https://www.sandcountyfoundation.org/uploads/NE-CFN-2020.pdf.
The application deadline is March 2, 2020. Applications can be emailed to judys@a-fan.org or postmarked by March 2, and mailed to:
Leopold Conservation Award: c/o AFAN, 5225 S. 16th Street, Lincoln, NE 68512
Selected recipients must be available for an Earth Day press conference, summer video production, and fall award ceremony.
The first Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award was presented to Wilson Ranch of Lakeside in 2006. The 2019 recipient of the award was Broken Box Ranch in Moorefield.
The Leopold Conservation Award Program in Nebraska is made possible thanks to the generous support of Cargill, AFAN, Nebraska Environmental Trust, Audubon Nebraska, Lyle Sittler Memorial Fund, McDonald’s, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Land Trust, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Sandhills Task Force, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund-Northern Great Plains, and Green Cover Seeds.
LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD PROGRAM
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). www.leopoldconservationaward.org
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation inspires and enables a growing number of private landowners to ethically manage natural resources in their care, so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org
AFAN (Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska)
AFAN was formed in 2005 by the leading agricultural organizations in Nebraska to conduct outreach, promotion and provide information to consumers about Nebraska agriculture and where their food comes from. In 2015, these organizations saw another need, advancing livestock development and agriculture and food processing businesses in Nebraska. Since then AFAN has been primarily focused on encouraging the development of livestock and working with communities and Nebraska leaders to create opportunities for industries that add value to Nebraska’s agricultural output and energize the economy. http://www.becomeafan.org/
CARGILL
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products, and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 149,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. We are passionate about our goal to be the global leader in nourishing people and operating responsibly across the agricultural, food, industrial and financial markets we serve. https://www.cargill.com/
NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST
The Nebraska Environmental Trust was established in 1992 to conserve, enhance and restore the natural environments of Nebraska. It was created on the conviction that a prosperous future is dependent upon a sound natural environment and that Nebraskans could collectively achieve real progress on real environmental issues if seed money were provided. http://www.environmentaltrust.org/
