Photos Left to Right: Top Row: Jack & Tuda Libby Crews, Tom Morris, Beverly de Gruyter.
Second Row: Rick Knight, Sherry Thompson

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Excerpt from Program:
Ranching - Jack & Tuda Libby Crews, Ute Creek Cattle Company
"Tuda Libby Crews and Jack Crews have done it all with their Ute Creek Cattle Company, located in Harding County, NM: they have applied `New Ranch' principles for a sustainable agricultural operation; restored a riparian area with the help of the National Wild Turkey Federation; created a wild bird sanctuary on their property; promoted agrotourism locally; worked closely with many individuals and agencies; and hosted numerous workshops."

Conservation - Tom Morris, Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency
"Tom Morris has worked for seventeen years for the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency as a Senior Environmental Specialist, with an emphasis on water quality and quantity on the reservation. He has a background in agriculture, biology, and reclamation and has been active in conservation work for most of his adult life."

Civil Service - Beverly de Gruyter, USDA Forest Service
"Throughout her career in wildlife biology, Beverly de Gruyter has demonstrated and promoted sustainable land management. She worked her way up in the Forest Service to the level of Forest Wildlife Biologist for all of the Cibola National Forest and Grasslands (located in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). Beverly now manages the largest wildlife program in the Southwestern Region of the Forest Service."

Research - Rick Knight, Colorado State University
"Rick Knight is a master at identifying and chronicling innovative land use initiatives that bridge the perceived gap between sustainable stewardship and creative conservation. In addition to editing books full of conservation and ranching success stories, his well known articles are a light in the window to those who believe there is a better way to do business than indulging in conflict. His students revere him and more importantly are learning about a new order of business and a 'west that works'."

Appreciation Award - Thaw Charitable Trust, accepted by Sherry Thompson
"The Thaw Charitable Trust was formed by Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw in 1981 to receive and hold gifts of fine art and to make those artworks available to scholars and the public through loans and gifts. The Thaws moved the Trust to New Mexico when they moved here in 1994. The grant making enterprise of the Thaw Trust was formally established from the sale of some of its valuable art. Since then, the Trust has given more than 43 million dollars to Art, Ecology and Animal Welfare causes."