People and the Prairie nominations

The People and the Prairie Awards — The State Journal-Register’s conservation awards program — is accepting nominations.

Since 2004, nearly 30 individuals and organizations have been honored for protecting central Illinois’ natural resources or for promoting and expanding outdoor recreational opportunities.
Educators, landowners, volunteers, nonprofit groups, natural resources professionals and a journalist have been honored during the program’s history. Winners have come from all over the SJ-R’s circulation area.

Following are rules and categories for this year’s awards:

1. Outstanding nonprofit conservation organization emphasizing preservation, protection and restoration of wildlife and the natural landscape.

2. Outstanding nonprofit organization emphasizing protection, promotion and expansion of outdoor recreational opportunities, including hunting and fishing, bicycling, hiking, etc.

3. Outstanding volunteer.

4. Top educator. Teachers and professors should have gone above and beyond their teaching duties to share their knowledge of outdoor resources and opportunities.

5. Frank Bellrose Award for top natural resources professional. Those working in conservation or outdoor recreation fields should have gone above and beyond their workplace duties, in the spirit of Havana waterfowl expert Frank Bellrose.

6. Top landowner who has made an extraordinary effort to restore wildlife habitat or incorporate sound conservation practices in concert with farming or residential uses. Landowners who open their property for recreation — those who hold youth hunts, for example — are also eligible.

Last year’s winners are ineligible until 2011. All who were previously nominated but did not win are eligible to be nominated again this year.

Winners from the program’s first three years (2004-06) are eligible to be nominated again this year. Previous winners must be nominated on accomplishments since receiving the first award.

Honorees will be recognized at a ceremony to be held in the newspaper’s auditorium this fall.
Previous winners also will be recognized.

To nominate a group or individual, send a letter of nomination to:

Chris Young, Outdoors Editor

The State Journal-Register

P.O. Box 219

Springfield, IL 62705-0219.

Or e-mail it to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Nomination deadline is Sept. 21.

The letter should include specific information on the accomplishments of the person or organization. Judges will consider both long-term contributions and specific projects. Supporting information — including photographs, newspaper or newsletter clippings and letters of support from up to two individuals — can be included with the nomination letter.

Nomination letters and supporting information will be duplicated for distribution to the judging panel.

Please include contact information for both the nominator and nominee. Full name, address and phone number are required. Include e-mail addresses if available.

Judges reserve the right not to give an award or to combine entries if participation is insufficient in a particular category for a competitive contest.