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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DENVER, CO --The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) has announced the recipients of its 2019 Partnership Awards that celebrate the best in public lands partnerships.

These awards honor individuals, organizations, publications, products, programs and services that embody leading edge achievements in the preservation of public lands and the enrichment of visitors.

More than 275 people attended the awards ceremony during the PLA Convention and Trade Show in Denver, CO. Impact Photographics sponsored the awards program and ceremony.

A total of 22 awards were presented to individuals and organizations. In addition, there were seven honorable mentions given along with a popular vote, Partners Choice Award.

Awards were given in seven categories:

• President’s Award

• Public Lands Partner Award

• Corporate Stewardship Award

• Agency Leadership Award

• Innovative Product Award

• Outstanding Public Engagement Award

• Publication of the Year

"This year’s entries to the program were diverse and demonstrate the value of collaboration through partnership,” said Dan Puskar, Executive Director of PLA. “Together our community accomplishes truly amazing things for public lands.”

Here is a complete list of the 2019 Partnership Award winners: (Photos available upon request)

President’s Award

Established in 2010, the President’s Award recognizes exemplary service by an individual or group which has made a significant impact in the field of public lands partnerships. This is only the third time the award has ever been bestowed. The following individual was presented with the President’s Award:

• Jeff Bradybaugh, Superintendent, Zion National Park

Public Lands Partner Award

The Public Lands Partner Award recognizes an exemplary partnership for its stunning achievements to protect and preserve public lands and enhance the experiences of visitors.

The award is presented to both the nonprofit organization and its agency partner for their shared achievements.

The following organizations and their agency partners received the 2019 Public Lands Partner Award:

• Student Conservation Association and Tongass National Forest

• CityArchRiver Alliance and Gateway Arch National Park

• San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, County of San Diego Department of Parks & Recreation and California Department of FIsh & Wildlife

• Birds of Prey NCA Partnership and Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

Corporate Stewardship Award

The Corporate Stewardship Award recognizes a company that has demonstrated exceptional achievement to enhance the quality of the visitor experience in America's public lands.

The following companies received the Corporate Stewardship Award on behalf of their philanthropic and partnership efforts with public lands nonprofits:

• Arizona Public Service Corp / APS Foundation
  For their partnership efforts with the Grand Canyon Conservancy for more than a decade, sponsoring events, providing gifts for important park projects, organizing employee volunteer events and delivering in-kind services.

• Heineken USA
  For their partnership efforts with the Southern Nevada Conservancy addressing trash and litter issues in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

Agency Leadership Award

The Agency Leadership Award recognizes a land management agency employee for outstanding accomplishments in championing, cultivating and leading a partnership.

These individuals were presented with the Agency Leadership Award:

• Jennifer Heroux with the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Arnold Randall with the Forest Preserves of Cook County

• Susan Sachs with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National Park Service

Innovative Product Award

The Innovative Product Award recognizes an interpretive product of any medium created in partnership by a nonprofit organization and land management agency that embodies a path-breaking approach to achieve a public lands mission.

Award Winners:

• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for “Redwood Forest Fog Globe”

• National Wildlife Federation for “P-22 Limited Edition Plush Toy”

Honorable Mention:

• Yellowstone Forever for “Yellowstone App and Yellowstone Live”

Outstanding Public Engagement Award: Product or Display and Program or Service

The Outstanding Public Engagement Award recognizes exemplary products, displays, programs or services created in partnership by a nonprofit organization and public lands that advance meaningful and sustainable connections between individuals and America's public lands.

Product or Display

Award Winners:

• Shenandoah National Park Association for “Shenandoah National Park Mobile Visitor Center”

• Big Bend Natural History Association for “River Guide to the Rio Grande: The Lower Canyons”

Honorable Mentions:

• Glacier National Park Conservancy for ‘Glacier Conservancy Project Funding Needs Guide and Annual Report”

• Mount Rushmore Society for “Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Multimedia Tours”

Program or Service

Award Winners:

• Great Smoky Mountains Association for “Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage”

• Eastern National for “Jamestown Glassblowers at Colonial National Historical Park”

Honorable Mention:

• Hawaii Pacific Parks Association for “Hawaii National Park Specialty License Plate Program

Publication of the Year

The Publication of the Year Award recognizes a book or other publication created in partnership by a nonprofit organization and a public land that embodies innovation in educating and interpreting public lands to its readers, and impacts a substantial audience. Each year an award is granted to both an organization with annual gross revenues above and below $1.5 million.

Award Winner for an organization with gross revenue below $1.5 million:

• Oregon Dunes Restoration Collaborative for Restoring Oregon’s Dunes: The bid to save a national treasure

Honorable Mention:

• Isle Royale & Keweenaw Parks Association for How the Rock Connects Us: A Geoheritage Guide to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale National Park

Award Winner for an organization with gross revenue above $1.5 million:

• Grand Canyon Conservancy for The Grand Canyon Between River and Rim

Honorable Mentions:

• Zion National Park Forever Project for Beauty Beyond Telling: The Story of Cedar Breaks National Monument

• Eastern National for Passport To Your National Parks® Junior Ranger Edition

Partners Choice Award

This is the most inspiring submission as voted on by the public. Organizations promoted this voting to their members through social media, email marketing and through promoting to colleagues and friends.

• Great Smoky Mountains Association for Into the Mist: Tales of Death and Disaster, Mishaps and Misdeeds, Misfortune and Mayhem in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Volume 1

For additional details on the individual award recipients, contact the Public Lands Alliance.

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About the Public Lands Alliance

The Public Lands Alliance is a network of more than 165 member organizations that serve more than 650 public lands and contribute over $250 million dollars annually to the preservation and visitor enhancement of those lands. PLA members are found in all states and territories and provide operational and interpretive support to nonprofit organizations and their land management agency partners.