Pierre, SD – (October 24, 2016) Sand County Foundation, the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association and the South Dakota Grassland Coalition are accepting applications for the Leopold Conservation Award program in South Dakota. The $10,000 award honors South Dakota farmers, ranchers and other private landowners who voluntarily demonstrate outstanding stewardship and management of natural resources.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. It inspires other landowners through these examples and provides a visible forum where farmers, ranchers and other private landowners are recognized as conservation leaders. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents Leopold Conservation Awards in California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Sand County Foundation (www.sandcountyfoundation.org) is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to working with private landowners across North America to advance ethical and scientifically sound land management practices that benefit the environment.
The South Dakota Cattlemen's Association (www.sdcattlemen.org) is a member-driven organization working to advance and protect the interests of all cattlemen.
ABOUT THE SOUTH DAKOTA GRASSLAND COALITION
The South Dakota Grassland Coalition (www.sdgrass.org) is a non-profit organization that seeks the voluntary improvement of grasslands for the long-term needs of the resource and its various species. The SD Grassland Coalition is dedicated to improving and maintaining the state's grasslands by informing and guiding grassland managers to make cost-effective and environmentally sound management decisions.
