Fuels And Ecology Award Winners Announced

The winners of the 2008 National Park Service fuels and ecology awards were announced at the joint Intermountain - Pacific West fire management workshop in San Antonio, Texas the last week of January 2009. The winners announced for each award are:

• The Brad Cella Award for Achievement in Managing Fuels: Midwest Regional Office, Nebraska. The award recognizes diligence and proficiency in managing fuels funds to reduce risk to critical park(s) values. This award looks at programmatic implementation of projects that have effectively reduced risk to park(s) values.
• The Achievement in Promoting Fire-Adapted Human Communities Award: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Tennessee/Kentucky. This award recognizes contributions to the designation of a “Firewise community,” community wildfire protection plan, and/or significantly lowered the risk of wildfire negatively impacting a community.
• The Achievement in Restoring and Maintaining Fire-adapted Ecosystems Award: Corky Conover, Pacific West Regional Office, California. This award recognizes efforts and fuels program that have contributed to moving or maintaining National Park Service lands in desired conditions.
• The Achievement in Appropriate Management Response to an Unplanned Ignition Award: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho. The award recognizes successful management of one or more unplanned ignitions, resulting in achieving resource management goals, hazard fuel reduction objectives, cost containment, and safety for firefighters and the public.
• The Achievement in Implementing Adaptive Management Award: Resource management staff, Yosemite National Park, California; and Nelson Siefkin, Pacific West Regional Office, California. The award recognizes substantial promotion of the use of adaptive management in their area of influence.