At the spring 2024 meeting, IWJV board members and staff presented the following individuals, or individuals representing larger groups, with four of our in-house awards.

Conservation Partner Award, Kyle Tackett

“Call Kyle” is often the first answer Tom Watson tells others when asked what to do when novel conservation possibilities emerge and action is needed. This conveys the merit, knowledge, and reliability Kyle Tackett brings to the conservation world. Kyle’s career as the NRCS District Conservationist kicked off with his proactive response to conserve arctic grayling in the Big Hole to avoid an Endangered Species Act listing. His relationships, critical problem-solving, and technical and programmatic expertise continue to perpetuate career-wide success in his role as Montana’s NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships. Kyle has been instrumental in the success of the NRCS’s Sage Grouse Initiative and the establishment of the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership. These achievements, amongst many others, exhibit the effort Kyle puts forth in all his work. Congratulations Kyle on the well-deserved Intermountain West Joint Venture’s 2023 Conservation Partner Award.

Conservation Science Award, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center

Dr. Chad Boyd and Dr. David Bohnert received the Conservation Science Award on behalf of Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC). This award recognizes those committed to developing and delivering science to advance conservation on the ground throughout the Intermountain West. EOARC’s impact includes the development and application of the Threat-Based Land Management framework as a tool to distill the complexity of rangeland ecosystems into simple, management-relevant categories that can scale across states and region. Threat-Based Land Management along with EOARC’s annual 20-25 science publications, and commitment to advancing conservation science related to sagebrush ecosystem management and greater sage-grouse habitat in eastern Oregon, awarded EOARC as the 2023 recipient of IWJV’s Conservation Science Award.

Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award, Karl Wenner

Karl Wenner accepted the Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award on behalf of many groups working together to improve the Upper Klamath Basin, including Klamath Watershed Partnership, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others. As part owner of Lakeside Farms, a 438-acre farm adjacent to Upper Klamath Lake, Karl chose to turn the farm into a demonstration site to develop a holistic, phased plan for the property that meets water quality objectives, is viable for the landowners, and provides critical waterfowl habitat. This demonstration site serves as a blueprint to showcase the possible conservation efforts that can be implemented on farms to address the effects of phosphorus loading in Upper Klamath Lake and consequently the loss of Lost River and Shortnose suckers in the Upper Klamath Basin. Karl is the driving force behind the Lakeside Farms project and its success was made possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of all partners involved. Congratulations to Karl as the recipient of the IWJV’s 2023 Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award!

2022 John E. Nagel Award, Noreen Walsh

Noreen Walsh received the John E. Nagel award due to her exceptional contributions to sagebrush ecosystem conservation. Noreen significantly advanced the fight against invasive grasses and wildfire through strategic investments in research and by establishing key positions dedicated to the issue. Her leadership in collaborative conservation efforts, including securing $50 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, exemplifies her commitment. Noreen’s focus on engagement with landowners, conservation organizations, and employees reflect a truly collaborative approach and her role in fostering partnerships have made a lasting impact. Her dedication and vision have set a strong foundation for future large-scale conservation efforts. Congratulations Noreen as the recipient of the IWJV’s 2022 John E. Nagel Award!

Thank you to all these incredible people for their dedication to cross-boundary conservation. See past IWJV award recipients here.