Named in honor of former US Interior Secretary under President Carter, four-term Idaho governor, and a founder of Sustainable Northwest, the Cecil D. Andrus Leadership Awards for Sustainability and Conservation are bestowed annually to individuals, nonprofit organizations, or collaborative community-based efforts that demonstrate a commitment to conservation of the environment, outreach and service to community, adaptability and innovation, and leadership of others to pursue similar sustainable paths

Melanie Parker, Northwest Connections

Melanie Parker is the co-founder of Northwest Connections based in the Swan Valley of Montana.  She is an accomplished educator, conservationist, community activist and advocate, an unusually skilled facilitator and partnerships builder, land steward, and policy reform spokesperson. As Executive Director of Northwest Connections, Melanie’s efforts led to the purchase of 310,000 acres of land for conveyance to the Forest Service, the state of Montana, and appropriate private parties. The project was brokered through a partnership with Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy.   Learn more about Melanie Parker.

Lava Lake Land & Livestock

Over the past ten years, Lava Lake Land & Livestock in Hailey, Idaho has established itself as a national leader in grazing management and landscape-scale conservation. They are an inspiring example of sustainable ranching in the American West. From the company’s entrepreneurial efforts to establish Lava Lake as the country’s premier source of certified organic grassfed lamb, to its collaborative and science-based approach to addressing contentious natural resource issues such as wolves, land conservation, and livestock grazing, Lava Lake has pursued an ambitious vision of sustainability and land stewardship.  Learn more about Lava Lake Lamb.

The Partnership between Portland State University and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation

Portland State University is a leader in sustainability research and education, providing practical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental, social and economic problems. In September 2008, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation made a landmark, $25 million challenge grant to Portland State University to support sustainability in higher education. No other university in the United States that has made such a deep commitment to integrating sustainability across its programs or promoting it in the community. Learn more about Portland State University.