Montana Association of Land Trusts
Private Land Conservation
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News and Reports
Montanan Receives Prestigious Conservation Award
April 6, 2007
Paul Sihler, a partnership coordinator for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, was presented the Wilburforce Foundation Conservation Leadership Award at a recent ceremony in Driggs, Idaho.
Sihler, a Helena resident who has previously worked for the Montana legislative Environmental Quality Council and for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, has worked for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative since 2002.
The Wilburforce Foundation Conservation Leadership Award honors exceptional leadership in the conservation movement and includes a cash award of $7,500 to the individual and $5,000 to the organization where the recipient works.
"This award truly is for the individual as our way of recognizing outstanding dedication and extraordinary efforts," said Tim Greyhavens, executive director of the Wilburforce Foundation.
Sihler was instrumental in the 2005 reauthorization of the Habitat Montana program through the Montana Legislature, played a leading role in the creation of the Montana Association of Land Trusts, and has led efforts to advance the rate of private land conservation, increase organizational capacity and develop a coordinated approach to the enforcement of conservation easements. Sihler has also led land trust efforts to work with private landowners to voluntarily conserve their land for present and future generations and encouraging land trusts to achieve the highest professional standards to maintain land trust integrity and public support.
Sihler and Stan Meyer of Great Falls also received the Don Aldrich Conservationists of the Year Award in 2005 from the Montana Wildlife Federation for efforts to reauthorize the Habitat Montana program.
The Heart of the Rockies Initiative is a voluntary collaborative effort by 23 local, regional and national land trusts who work to conserve the most biologically and agriculturally valuable private lands in Northern Rockies.
The Wilburforce Foundation is a private, philanthropic foundation that funds conservation issues in the western U.S. and western Canada.
The Montana Association of Land Trusts is comprised of 11 Montana land trusts whose focus is private land conservation and open lands protection.
