Tag: conservation

Marc J. Stern, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, was recently honored with the William C. Everhart Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of sustained achievements that provide creative insights and that foster an appreciation of our natural and cultural heritage.

The Institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. The awards are named for visionary leaders who make significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

In addition to his role as professor, Stern is a senior fellow of the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, scholar of the Institute for Parks, and serves as co-editor in chief for the Journal of Interpretation Research and associate editor for Society and Natural Resources. He is a prolific researcher and author whose contributions have impacted environmental initiatives, relationships between protected areas and local communities, natural resource planning processes, climate adaptation efforts and other elements of environmental governance.

“Marc has dedicated his career to research that improves human processes and equips leaders with the information and skills they need to manage and maintain protected areas,” said Bob Powell, director of Clemson University’s Institute for Parks. “His extensive research has led to notable changes in environmental education, interpretation and training across local and national agencies – and our lands are better for it.”

His research was the basis for a major revision to the U.S. Forest Service’s approach to training for planning processes associated with the National Environmental Policy and for revisions to the National Park Service’s approach to environmental education and interpretation.

Stern’s teaching and scholarship focus broadly on the human dimensions of natural resource management, environmental education and sustainability. He teaches courses in environmental education and interpretation at the undergraduate level and social science research methods and sustainability at the graduate level.

His recent book, Social Science Theory for Environmental Sustainability: A Practical Guide, published by Oxford University Press, translates decades of advancements in social science theory for everyday practitioners working in the environmental field.  His work on trust development and other theoretical advancements have been well-recognized in the field and were recently the focus of a keynote presentation for the International Association for Society and Natural Resources.

His current work focuses on improving environmental education and interpretation for diverse audiences, advancing collaborative processes associated with climate adaptation and enhancing planning processes for interpretation across the National Park Service.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and its recipients.

Linda Lanterman, State Parks Director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, was recently honored with the Fran P. Mainella Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of her long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in our nation’s parks.

The institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical, and cultural heritage.

The Fran P. Mainella Award is named in appreciation of the dynamic career of Fran Mainella, the first female director of the National Park Service. The award recognizes sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of America’s natural, historic and cultural heritage.

Lanterman serves as the current president of the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers (NASORLO) and former president of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD), both organizations in which Director Mainella held leadership positions.

“Linda was a natural choice for this award as her passion and charismatic leadership are reminiscent of Director Mainella,” said Bob Powell, director of Clemson University’s Institute for Parks. “She is devoted to making our nation’s parks a place of beauty, refuge and solace to everyone who wishes to visit.”

Lanterman has long been a champion for the re-authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and was active in the Great American Outdoors Act efforts, as well.  She spent time in Washington, DC, educating Congress on the importance of the re-authorization and was one of the point persons for America’s State Parks in the successful negotiations.

As President of the NASPD, she provided leadership for the organization and was instrumental in establishing NASPD’s partnership with Clemson University for the implementation of a webinar series for State Park professionals around the nation. Lanterman is a strong believer in education and training opportunities and has served at the State Park Leadership School for two terms.

In 2006, Lanterman was assistant director of Kansas State Parks when they hosted the NASPD conference that Director Mainella attended. During the event, Lanterman and Mainella spent time together, and Lanterman credits that experience for having a lasting impact on her life and career trajectory.

“Director Mainella made an impact on a young lady who never thought she could be a park director,” Lanterman said. “After that, I went on to become not only a park director, but also president of the NASPD.”

Linda is still in awe of Fran to this day, as she has made an impact on all parks and the people she has inspired.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.

CLEMSON — Drew Lanham, Ph.D., award winning author, poet and Distinguished Alumni Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University will deliver a call to action for considering conservation more broadly at the 2021 George B. Hartzog Jr. Lecture at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson University. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The Clemson University Institute for Parks presents the annual lecture and an accompanying awards program to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. The lecture and awards program are named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service.

As an author, poet and public intellectual, Lanham’s work addresses the confluence of race, place and nature. A conservation and cultural ornithologist, he has mentored nearly fifty graduate students, published extensively in scientific literature and taught courses in conservation biology, forest ecology, wildlife policy, ornithology and environmental literature and nature writing.

Lanham’s lecture is titled, “Our Ecology – Mercy, Mercy Me and Thinking Like a Mountain. A New and Louder Call for Considering Conservation More Broadly.”

He is an eco-social advocate, activist and progressive rural southerner intent on making a difference for his home place. His goal is to bend hearts and minds towards a more progressive region where lost cause will be remanded to memory and museums as nature stewardship expands through prisms of multiple ethnic hues. At heart, Lanham is a man in love with nature. He is a lifelong bird watcher, avid hunter, gatherer and conservationist and works to bridge his passions among the nature-loving public. His favorite birds are the ones with feathers.

Bob Powell, director of the Institute for Parks, says that Lanham’s lecture continues a long-standing tradition.

“The Hartzog Lecture Series brings park professionals and conservationists from all walks of life together to share ideas and explore topics that are critical to the future of our nation’s parks,” he says. “Drew is a visionary, and I know everyone who attends his lecture will be inspired.”

Earlier that same day, several other esteemed leaders in the field of conservation will be honored during the George B. Hartzog Jr. Awards Luncheon. Award winners include:

• Joel Berger, world-renowned conservationist, author and wildlife conservation chair in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, will receive the Benton H. Box Award, which recognizes a leader who works to preserve the natural environment and an educator who inspires in students the quest for knowledge and encourages curriculum innovation.
• Cassius Cash, Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will receive the Walter T. Cox Award for his sustained achievement, public service, and leadership in conserving and managing public lands.
• Adam Beeco, Program Manager of Policy, Planning and Compliance in the Natural Sounds and Night Skies (NSNSD) of the National Park Service (NPS), will receive the Dwight A. Holder Award. This award recognizes outstanding work by doctoral graduates from the Clemson University parks, recreation and tourism management and forestry and environmental conservation departments.
• Marc J. Stern, professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, which recognizes sustained achievements that illuminate, provide creative insights and foster an appreciation of our natural and cultural heritage.
• Linda Lanterman, State Parks Director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, will receive the Fran P. Mainella Award for sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of North America’s natural, historic or cultural heritage.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.

Cassius Cash, Superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was recently honored with the Walter T. Cox Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of his sustained leadership and achievement in public service and conservation.

The Institute for Parks presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service (NPS), to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

The Walter T. Cox Award recognizes park administrators that exemplify Dr. Cox’s distinguished career in education and public service, which included his tenure as President of Clemson University and as the Director of the Santee-Cooper Authority.

For the last five years, Cash, a native of Memphis, TN, has been back on his home turf serving as superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – an accomplishment of which Jeff Hallo, Interim Chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University, recognizes as no small feat.

“In his role as superintendent, Cassius has proven himself to be a devoted steward of the land,” Hallo said. “Managing a park of this size is not without its own set of challenges, but his vision for the park’s land and programs has visitors’ best interests in mind.”

Since his arrival in the Great Smoky Mountains in February of 2015, Cash continues to meet the demands of more than 11.4 million park visitors annually. Most recently, he supervised the opening of the newest 15-mile section of the Foothills Parkway which extends from Walland, TN, to Wears Valley, TN.

Cash has been an in-demand speaker for nearly four years, sharing his passion for leadership, wild places, and inspiring youth to become tomorrow’s leaders. He has spoken to the Knoxville Bar Association, National Boy Scouts of America, and to the Congressional Black Caucus, to name a few. He has also been interviewed and featured in several magazines and news outlet such as Knoxville’s CityView magazine, Huffington Post, Blue Ridge Countrymagazine and CBS News.

As Cash leads the Great Smokies Park into its 103^rd year, his message about the importance of embracing challenges and taking risks, the power of relationships and community and the importance of knowing yourself is just as relevant now as it was at the park’s conception.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and its recipients.

Joel Berger, world-renowned conservationist, author and wildlife conservation chair in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, was recently honored with the Benton H. Box Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of his academic and instructional leadership in the environmental field.

The Institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

The Benton H. Box Award recognizes academic professionals that exemplify Dr. Box’s distinguished career as an educator and administrator. Berger earned this year’s award for outstanding leadership in conservation and the pursuit of knowledge that has taken him all over the world.

The breadth and depth of Joel’s contributions to the field of conservation are remarkable,” said Jeff Hallo, Interim Chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University. “His research crosses cultures, pushes boundaries and strives to preserve and protect our planet. He is an invaluable leader in conservation.”

Berger grew up in Los Angeles, California, where his love for surfing and desert and mountain explorations sparked a passion for science. He realized at an early age the importance of understanding biological interactions – and in an effort to conserve the diverse natural resources of our planet, began his important work of studying endangered and lesser-known animal species, climate and environmental change and migration and connectivity. Most recently, his research has been focused on how society’s burgeoning passion for play and travel affect species on a local scale.

From studying muskoxen in the Russian and Alaskan Artic and wild yaks in the Himalayas to black rhinos in the Namib Desert of southern Africa, Berger’s work has taken him to the farthest reaches of the world and back again. He has published six books – one of which is “Extreme Conservation – Life at the Edges of the World” – and has garnered support from the Guggenheim Foundation, Smithsonian, National Geographic and the National Science Foundation. His work has also resulted in the only federally protected migration corridor, Path of the Pronghorn, in the United States.

“I know in my soul that the issue is not how many peer-reviewed publications we’ve scripted, but rather how we can reach and inform policymakers at levels that incite change,” said Berger. “We have to do more than just ‘science’ to advocate for our brilliant planet.”

Berger is currently the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University and a senior scientist for the Bronx-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.

Dr. Steve Trombulak, professor emeritus of biology and environmental studies at Middlebury College, was recently honored with the Benton H. Box Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of his academic and instructional leadership in the environmental field.

The institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical, and cultural heritage.

The Benton H. Box Award recognizes academic professionals that exemplify Dr. Box’s distinguished career as an educator and administrator. Dr. Trombulak shared this year’s award with Ryan L. Sharp, associate professor in the park management and conservation program at Kansas State University, for leadership in preserving our natural environment and inspiring in students the quest for knowledge and the development of an environmental ethic.

Robert Baldwin, endowed chair and professor of conservation biology at Clemson University, presented the award to Dr. Trombulak at a ceremony on October 22. According to Dr. Baldwin, Dr. Trombulak is a force for science-based landscape level management in the northeast United States and Canada.

“He has published over 90 scientific articles, many with Middlebury students, and his review of the ecological effects of roads has been cited 3,000 times,” he says. “For a single paper, that’s like winning the Heisman Trophy.”

Dr. Trombulak is a conservation biologist and landscape ecologist. He earned his BA in biology at UCLA and his PhD in zoology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He began his research career focusing on population and community ecology, including studies on elevational distributions of pinyon pines in the Mohave desert, territorial behavior of hummingbirds in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica, thermoregulation of desert-dwelling beetles in the Great Basin Desert, competition between montane chipmunks in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, and phenotypic plasticity in life-history strategies of montane ground squirrels in both the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains.

At Middlebury College, he developed a diverse and highly successful teaching program in conservation biology, vertebrate natural history, and environmental science.  His research program also expanded beyond ecology to embrace both conservation biology – with an emphasis on protected areas, conservation planning, and wildlands – as well as science pedagogy. He retired in June after 34 years in the field.

“I am so pleased that Steve has been recognized this award,” continues Baldwin. “Steve, like Dean Box, has set an example as a teacher and scholar, he has fostered learning environments as an administrator and also an environmental ethic, both in his community and abroad.”

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 8 Scholars, including Dr. Trombulak, working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and its recipients.