Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the National Trails System, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) was recognized for its steadfast leadership in maintaining and expanding the nation’s first National Scenic Trail. For more than 80 years, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has protected the legacy of Benton MacKaye and the Appalachian Trail by working with volunteers, federal, state and local government land managers, private organizations and landowners to preserve the trail and offer a world-class recreational experience. In the past 30 years, the Conservancy has helped protect more than 180,000 acres of land surrounding the footpath, safeguarding the sights, sounds and natural beauty of the Appalachians.
Chicago Wilderness
Chicago Wilderness represents more than 220 organizations that have created a network of more than 225,000 acres of wild and open spaces with connecting greenways—stream, river and land corridors that crisscross public and privately owned lands. The consortium was honored for its accomplishments in creating a network of greenways and protected lands in the Chicago metropolitan area. As the Burnham Plan, a plan for a regionally connected system of parks and nature preserves in Chicago, approaches its 100th anniversary, Chicago Wilderness developed a Green Infrastructure Vision plan to restore and protect 1.8 million acres of land stretching across parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. This ambitious vision builds upon the remarkable progress already achieved in the nation’s third most populous metropolitan area.
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) was honored for its vision and leadership in wildlife conservation. Against the backdrop of threatened biodiversity across the country and less funding available for habitat protection, DDCF’s Environment Program has helped to fund efforts to accelerate the implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans – blueprints for protecting and linking wildlife habitat in each state in the country. These plans have emerged as an unprecedented tool used by state fish and wildlife agencies to coordinate habitat conservation planning and to integrate that planning with other state, federal, local and private conservation work.
Partnership for the National Trails System
The Partnership was honored for its strong voice in advocating for the National Trails System, a vibrant system of trails that connects people, landscapes, cultures and histories across the country. Established 40 years ago, the National Trails System consists of 50,000 miles of congressionally authorized National Scenic and Historic Trails and more than 11,000 miles of federal designated National Recreation Trails. The system also connects hundreds of state parks, 60 national parks, 125 forest units, 75 national wildlife refuges and dozens of resource areas across the nation. Multiple federal agencies as well as state and local agencies are involved in the management and the maintenance of the system.
For more than 15 years, the Partnership has given the country a greenways and trails legacy for the ages by strengthening the ability of public and private partners to enhance the development, maintenance, management and protection of the National Trails System, and promoting the appropriate use of the National Trails System for the education and appreciation of all.
2007
The Honorable Lamar Alexander, United States Senate
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s (MMSD) Greenseams Program
Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
2006
The Honorable Paul S. Sarbanes, United States Senate
Outside Las Vegas Foundation
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
Gerald P. McCarthy
2005
Maxine Johnston
The Honorable Mark R. Warner, Governor of Virginia
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Lockheed Martin Corporation
2004
Alan Sparkman
The Franklin Land Trust
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
Anheuser-Busch Companies
2003
American Trails
Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation
McKnight Foundation
Daniel Rice
2002
Gerald Adelmann
Eve Fout
DuPont
North American Water Trails
2001
David Burwell
Delaware Greenways, Inc.
Roanoke Valley Greenways
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
2000
Henry Diamond – Beveridge & Diamond
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
1999
East Coast Greenway Alliance
Surdna Foundation
Allegheny Trail Alliance
REI, Inc.
1998
Trailnet
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
American Rivers
1997
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Knoxville
Land Trust Alliance
1996
CF Industries
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Greenway Program
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
1995
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
1000 Friends of Florida
Anne Spring Close Greenway
1994
Izaak Walton League of America Save Our Streams Program
Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council
Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail
Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation
1993
Maryland Greenways Commission
Open Lands Project
National Park Service
American Gas Association
The National Forum on Children and Nature, comprised of a broad range of national leaders, will identify 20 nationally significant projects that work to connect children with nature. A request for proposals is available online. Read more about:
From government agencies to corporations, from private landowners to land trusts and local communities, the Fund's partners seek our expertise to:
Powered by: Phase2 TechnologyThe Conservation Fund National Office
1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1300
Arlington, Virginia 22209-2156
Phone: 703-525-6300
Fax: 703-525-4610
Email: postmaster@conservationfund.org
