Ellen Davis: 512-639-9959 or ellen.davis@sierraclub.org
Oakland, CA – Twenty-six environmental leaders from across the country are receiving national awards from the Sierra Club this year.
The organization’s top honor, the Sierra Club Changemaker of the Year Award, goes to Bruce Hamilton of Berkeley, California. A wildlife biologist by training, Hamilton became involved with the Sierra Club in the 1970s, first as a volunteer and then as a member of the national staff.
During his 44-year career on the Sierra Club staff, Hamilton held a variety of positions, including Field Director, Conservation Director and Deputy Executive Director. Since retiring in 2021, he has continued to work as a volunteer on national Sierra Club campaigns.
“Bruce has been a tireless agitator for the protection of the natural world as well as an advocate for indigenous rights and climate justice," said Sierra Club President Allison Chin. “This recognition is long overdue.”
The Club’s top award for volunteers, the William E. Colby Volunteer Leadership Award, goes to Susana Reyes of Los Angeles, California. Reyes served on the Sierra Club Board of Directors for six years and remains active with the Club’s political program.
The Environmental Achievement Award, which honors persons in public service for a particular action of singular importance to the environment or environmental justice, goes to Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Commissioner LaTourette has been instrumental in fighting efforts to commercialize parts of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, which is New Jersey's only urban state park.
The Environmental Service Award, which honors persons in public service for long-term commitment to the environment, goes to Pat Hart, a retired employee with the U.S. Forest Service in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Hart has worked with Sierra Club volunteers for 50 years to maintain trails in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and was a staunch advocate for the environment throughout her long career with the Forest Service.
The Ansel Adams Award, which recognizes excellence in conservation photography, goes to Carlton Ward of Tampa, Florida. Ward is a skilled conservation photographer, a National Geographic Explorer, and an eighth-generation Floridian who is helping save the habitat of two of his state’s most imperiled animals, the black bear and the panther. His most recent book is Path of the Panther: New Hope for Wild Florida.
The Rachel Carson Award, which recognizes excellence in environmental writing, goes to Ben Goldfarb of Salida, Colorado. Goldfarb’s most recent book is Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. He also is the author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, which received the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.
The Robert Bullard Environmental Justice Award goes to Dr. David Padgett of Brentwood, Tennessee, and Irene Ruiz of Boise, Idaho. Dr. Padgett has shown low-income communities how to apply Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping to address environmental justice issues. Ruiz has done transformative environmental justice work in Idaho, particularly for the Latino immigrant community.
The William O. Douglas Award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding use of the legal/judicial process to achieve environmental goals, goes to Chris Bzdok of Traverse City, Michigan. Bzdok has helped the Sierra Club retire thousands of megawatts of coal-fired power generation in Michigan, Ohio and Oregon.
The Emerging Changemaker Award, which includes a $500 prize, goes to Sherlyn Mesillas Becerra of Boise, Idaho, and Anagha Iyer of Miramar, Florida. Becerra is a leader in the Idaho Climate Justice League. Iyer is the founder and chair of the Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team, which works with local students to promote critical sustainability efforts through advocacy, outreach and education.
Others receiving national awards from the Sierra Club this year are:
Atlas Award (for administrative contributions to Sierra Club chapters): Matthew Gravatt of Washington, D.C.; Liv Lampman of Moscow, Idaho; and Lisa Tilzey of Reno, Nevada. Gravatt has contributed to the District of Columbia Chapter in a variety of areas, including fundraising. Lampman is an exemplary volunteer in the Idaho Chapter. Tilzey has been treasurer of the Toiyabe Chapter since 2019 and took on many added responsibilities when the chapter director left in 2022.
Communication Excellence Award (honors the best use of communications by volunteers to further the Club's mission): Thomas Hatfield of Tucson, Arizona, and the Idaho Chapter’s youth-led Climate Justice League. Hatfield has taught volunteers in Sierra Club groups and chapters across the country how to maintain their websites. The Climate Justice League produced a zine titled “Solar for All” to help spread awareness about Idaho Power’s proposal to significantly reduce compensation rates for rooftop solar owners.
Environmental Alliance Award (honors Sierra Club volunteers who have helped further environmental goals through collaboration with other, non-Sierra Club constituencies): John MacFarlane of Fort Worth, Texas, and Dr. Cheryl Ruble of Pinckney, Michigan. MacFarlane helped organize the Fort Worth Environmental Coalition of Communities and has led the Sierra Club’s engagement with the Fort Worth Climate Safe Neighborhood Coalition. Dr. Ruble has helped the Sierra Club forge alliances with a variety of groups to address the harmful impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Michigan.
Madelyn Pyeatt Outdoors for All Award (honors Sierra Club volunteers who have worked proactively to make outings more accessible and more inclusive for persons of any age and includes a $500 prize): John Arsenault of Reno, Nevada. Arsenault is a volunteer with the Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) program and also serves as advisor to the Green Hawks Club and the Adventure Club at Proctor Hug High School in Sparks, Nevada.
Outings for Action Award (honors Sierra Club volunteers who combine outings with education and/or advocacy work): Adriene Barmann of Plantation, Florida, and Jennifer James of Boise, Idaho. Barmann leads outings for the Broward Sierra Group that encourage participants to support conservation. James is a leader for OUTdoors Idaho.
Volunteer Achievement Award (honors Sierra Club volunteers for a single act of importance to the environment or to the Sierra Club): Theresa Ahrens and Elissa Huffstetler of Rougemont, North Carolina, and Priscilla Preston of Columbia, South Carolina. Ahrens and Huffstetler built a coalition across political parties to fight Dominion Energy’s proposal to build liquified natural gas (LNG) energy storage tanks in their community. Preston helped run the South Carolina Chapter office for more than a year while the chapter was without paid staff.
Volunteer Service Award (honors Sierra Club volunteers for strong and consistent commitment to the environment or the Sierra Club over an extended period): Taj Ainlay of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Karen Yarnell of Marietta, Ohio. Ainlay is a long-time volunteer with the Southern Nevada Group and the Toiyabe Chapter. Yarnell has chaired the Sierra Club’s Wildlands and Wilderness Team for the past four years.
A virtual celebration to honor the Sierra Club’s 2024 award recipients will be held September 17. For details on how to watch, visit www.sierraclub.org/awards.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.