Bill Cooper wins CFM conservationist award
Bill Cooper, feature writer for the River Hills Traveler, State Forester Lisa Allen and Bass Pro Shops of Springfield are among the winners of the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s 2008 Conservationist of the Year Awards.
This year’s awards were presented Feb. 27 at The Lodge of Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks.
Cooper, of St. James, is the Conservation Federation’s Conservation Communicator of the Year. His accomplishments include work as an outdoor author, newspaper, Internet and magazine writer and radio and television producer and host. His special emphasis is on youth, as evidenced by his many articles about young hunters and anglers and his personal involvement in youth mentorship programs.
Conservationist of the Year Lisa Allen formed a lasting attachment to the state’s forests and wildlife growing up in the Ozarks. She earned her forestry degree at Mizzou, and began work as a forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation, eventually rising to her current job as Forestry Division Chief in 2006.
Bass Pro Shops received the award in recognition of its long-standing commitment to conservation causes. A key part of the national outdoor equipment retailer is ‘inspiring people to love, enjoy and conserve the outdoors.’ Bass Pro contributes to Share the Harvest, the Operation Game Thief Hotline, Teaming With Wildlife, the America’s Fish Habitat initiative, the More Fish campaign, the Table Rock Fish Habitat initiative and Missouri’s Archery in the Schools Program. It also underwrites programs of the Conservation Federation, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield.
The first Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Charles Burwick of Springfield. A graduate of Joplin High School and Southwest Baptist College, Burwick has contributed more than 5,000 hours of his time conducting naturalist programs at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. He also has served as president of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society and Audubon Missouri. He has served on the steering committee for the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative.
The 2008 Professional Conservationist of the Year is Greg Iffrig, who works for the St. Louis-based L-A-D Foundation. Iffrig oversees recreational, natural area and endangered species program on the L-A-D Foundation’s 140,000 acres, the largest private forest in Missouri. Among his 2008 achievements was helping secure a grant of nearly $100,000 from the Federal Highway Administration through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program. The money will help develop a section of the Ozark Trail along the Current River.
Conservation Department Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore, Owensville, is the Conservation Federation’s Conservation Educator of the Year. He began by helping landowners in Cole and Osage counties learn about forest, fish and wildlife management. He helped to form Mid-Missouri Dream Hunters, a group providing opportunities for special needs youth to experience the outdoors. Lairmore coached a Gasconade County team that won first place in the Missouri 4-H State Wildlife Contest and went on to represent Missouri in the national competition.
The Upper White River Basin Foundation is the 2008 Conservation Organization of the Year. Its mission is to promote water quality in the upper White River watershed in Missouri and Arkansas. The Foundation monitors water quality and advocates for legislative and regulatory policies to benefit water quality. Partnerships with other organizations and public education about water-quality issues are its focus.
Forest Conservationist of the Year Jeremy Wilson, Monroe City, is the owner and CEO of Quality Forest Management, LLC, the largest full-service forestry and wildlife management consulting firm in Missouri, with 17 employees.
Hunter Education Instructor of the Year is Gwen Morris, Imperial. A retired teacher of more than 30 years, she taught nearly 300 students in 11 hunter-education classes in 2008 and coached a 14-year-old girl who won the Missouri Scholastic Clay Target Program Rookie Championship. She has donated nearly 1,000 hours of her time as a range and program volunteer and is an instructor in the Youth Hunter Education Day camp, Youth Outdoor Skills Camp and the Youth Trap Shooting Camp each summer.
Water Conservationist of the Year Mike Kruse, Columbia, is a 22 year fisheries professional. He helped develop and implement the Conservation Department’s state trout management plan. In addition to his role in Missouri’s trout fishery, he has worked closely with Trout Unlimited here.
The Conservation Federation, representing more than 70 affiliate groups and 80,000 individual members, presents the awards each year to recognize outstanding conservation efforts in various fields. Anyone can nominate candidates for Conservationist of the Year Awards. For more information, call 573/634-2322 or visit www.confedmo.org.
