Nominations are now open for IWJV’s 2026 Conservation Leadership Awards! Please submit nominations to Lori Reed, IWJV Operations Coordinator, at [email protected] by May 31st.
We are proud to recognize conservation leaders in the Intermountain West.
The IWJV selects deserving individuals and partnership groups for our Conservation Leadership Awards on an annual basis. Learn about all the awardees we have recognized below.
Past Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
(Formerly known as the John E. Nagel award)
- 2024 – Pat O’Toole (to be presented to the O’Toole family September 2026)
- 2023 – No award recipient
- 2022 – Noreen Walsh
- 2021 – Miles Moretti
- 2020 – No award recipient
- 2019 – Terry Mansfield
- 2018 – Virgil Moore
- 2017 – Alan Clark
- 2016 – Carey Farmer
- 2015 – Bruce Taylor
- 2014 – Brad Bortner
- 2013 – Randy Gray
- 2012 – No award recipient
- 2011 – Clen Atchley & Mark Biddlecomb
- 2010 – Bob Turner
- 2009 – Larry Kruckenberg
- 2008 – Don Paul
- 2005 – Jim Cole
- 2004 – Eldridge “Red” Hunt
- 2003 – Alex Chappell
- 2002 – Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Western Regional Office
- 2001 – Teton Regional Land Trust
- 2000 – John E. Nagel
Past Conservation Partner Award Winners
- 2024 – Congressman Mike Simpson, Conservation Policy Champion Award
- 2024 – Senator Martin Heinrich, Conservation Policy Champion Award
- 2024 – Adrienne Hoskins, Conservation Partner Award—Communications
- 2024 – Daly Edmunds, Conservation Partner Award—Communications
- 2024 – Joe Moore, Conservation Partner Award—Operations
- 2024 – Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, Conservation Partner Award—Sagebrush
- 2024 – Al Eiden, Conservation Partner Award—Sagebrush
- 2024 – University of Wyoming – Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems, Conservation Partner Award—Science to Implementation
- 2024 – Ian Barrett & The BLM CO Southwest District Fire and Aviation Management team, Conservation Partner Award—Western Forests
- 2024 – Theresa Bates, Christina Beaty & Laura Hillenbrand, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region Migratory Bird Administrative Staff, Conservation Partner Award—Operations
- 2024 – Jim Stutzman, Conservation Partner Award—Water & Wetlands
- 2023 – Kyle Tackett, Conservation Partner Award
- 2023 – Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative, Conservation Partnership Award
- 2023 – Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Conservation Science Award
- 2023 – Karl Wenner, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2022 – Mark Hogan, Conservation Partner Award
- 2022 – Zack Foster, Josh Uriarte, Tate Walters, Alex Webb, Connor White, Josh White & Chris Yarbrough, Conservation Partnership Award
- 2021 – Kevin Conroy & Jay Gibbs, Conservation Partner Award
- 2021 – Kurt Thomas, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2021 – Sagebrush Ecosystem Team, Conservation Science Award
- 2020 – Topher Jones, Conservation Youth Award
- 2020 – Bi-State Local Area Working Group, Conservation Partnership Award
- 2020 – The Hellyer Family, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2019 – Jon Griggs, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2019 – Jeanne Chambers, Conservation Science Award
- 2019 – Alan Hamilton, Conservation Partner Award
- 2018 – Jim Gammonley, Conservation Science Award
- 2018 – Hank Taliaferro, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2018 – U.S. Senator James Risch, Conservation Policy Champion Award
- 2018 – U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Conservation Policy Champion Award
- 2018 – Alan Forkey, Conservation Partner Award
- 2017 – Joel Ferry, Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award
- 2016 – Dan Collins, Conservation Partner Award
- 2015 – Greg Neudecker, Martin St. Louis & Craig Foster
- 2014 – Dave Mauser & California Waterfowl Association
- 2013 – Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- 2012 – Bee Hall & Larry Hicks
- 2011 – No award recipient
