Alaska Conservation Foundation is proud to recognize the following individuals:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Kay Brown
Over almost five decades in Alaska, Kay has been a leader for the causes of conservation
and pro-climate action. Her recent work includes a multi-year effort to analyze, articulate and
promote achievable paths to a clean, prosperous future for Alaska as part of efforts to de-
carbonize the economy and move Alaska off fossil fuels. She is a principal author of reports
articulating this vision, posted at AkNextEconomy.com. Kay participates in the Alaska Climate Alliance on behalf of Pacific Environment, an international NGO where she has served as Arctic Policy Director since January 2020. She is a former Alaska State Representative who served 10 years on the House Finance Committee, and former Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance and Alaska Conservation Voters. In 2017 Kay was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame for achievement in public policy and politics.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Art Sowls
Art considers himself fortunate to have been born into a conservation-minded family. His father was a graduate student of Aldo Leopold’s and a noted authority on prairie ducks and white-collared peccaries. Art worked summers during college at Camp Denali in Denali National Park under the tutelage of Celia Hunter, Ginny Wood, and Wally and Jerry Cole. A solo 200-mile ski trip to Wonder Lake and back in 1974 became his personal “Voyage of Discovery.” No stranger to adventure,in 1975 Art drove a 1931 Model A Ford from Tucson, Arizona to the Kenai Peninsula where he began work for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service on the Kenai National Moose Range. Soon thereafter he was surveying little known seabird colonies from California to the Bering Sea. His Catalog of Alaskan Seabird Colonies and Catalog of California Seabird Colonies became indispensable tools in seabird conservation. Art moved to Homer when the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge was created and was responsible for Bering Sea seabird colonies. He is particularly proud of his work with the Alaska Native communities of St. Paul and St. George on rat prevention, seabird conservation and wilderness protection. Art continues his conservation efforts in Alaska. He is most grateful to have worked with inspiring, talented and passionate friends who love Alaska!
Olaus Murie Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions
John Morton
John has straddled the research-management interface over his career as a wildlife ecologist, including 32 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. John first came to Alaska in 1984 to work on the 10-02 (ten-oh-two) studies of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, later working elsewhere in the state as an itinerant biologist. With his graduate research on American black ducks (MS) and sanderlings (PhD), John spent the 1990s helping recover endangered birds in the Mariana Islands. John returned to Alaska in 2002 as the supervisory biologist at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, where his staff and graduate students focused on novel approaches to assessing biodiversity and the ecological effects of rapid climate change. Over the next two decades, John responded to conservation challenges by being the first to eradicate Alaska’s first aquatic invasive plant, by conducting the first Kenai brown bear population estimate to stop their excessive harvest, and by mitigating highway expansion with wildlife underpasses. He reached outside the agency silo by managing a weekly newspaper column on refuge activities, organizing community and interagency workshops on climate change, and promoting more interjurisdictional land use planning. John helped rebuild the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service science capacity at regional and national levels, particularly in the context of climate change and inventory & monitoring. Since retiring, John continues to promote facilitated climate adaptation, mostly through NGOs.
Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for Excellence in Still Photography, Film or Video
Max Romey
Max is a graduate of Western Washington University where he studied filmmaking at their Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. His junior year he premiered his first award-winning feature length documentary, “3022ft.”. After graduating he turned his attention to documentary shorts fusing cinematography with bright whimsical watercolor and animation to create the films he wished existed. He founded Trailbound Sketches in 2020 to connect people to the planet by sharing his trailside sketching adventures. Ever since, he has connected with people from all around the world through his vibrant Instagram community, acclaimed documentaries and impactful brand collaborations with those who prioritize environmentally sustainable practices. Max is a Protect Our Winters Creative Alliance Member and has presented and spoken on the topic of art citizenship. Illustrating how the arts and film break down complex environmental issues, making them more easily understood by a broader audience. Speaking to local and global leaders at in-person and online events across the globe, including the UN Sustainable Destinations Summit held in 2022 in Mallorca. Furthermore, his work has been featured in countless film festivals and media outlets. Under Max’s guidance, Trailbound Sketches has since grown into a production studio and engaging community. Where his team produces impactful nonfiction films, dynamic watercolor tutorials with environmental education woven into each lesson and beautiful products featuring his colorful artwork. He is a father, husband and endurance athlete who has visually shown the world that anything is possible if you are willing to make that first scary mark. Max is also dyslexic and reminds people every day it’s ok if you don’t see the world like everyone else, there is room for you! There are no typos or misspellings in art!
Jerry S. Dixon Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
Robin Mayo
Robin grew up on a small farm in Fairbanks, in a family where self-sufficiency, exploration, science, and activism were valued. Dinnertime conversations and family adventures inspired in her a lifetime love of learning and exploring. She has worked as a sheep shearer, outfitter, guide, fiber artist, and informal teacher. In 1996 she moved from the bustle of Denali to a quieter corner of Alaska, the Copper River Basin. She works as the Executive Director for Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, better known as WISE, where she helps people of all ages connect to the wonders of the natural world. She has especially enjoyed creating programs which combine outdoor adventure, skills, and science, like Geology Camp where students learn to backpack in the mountains. She believes that environmental education is much more than learning science facts, it is a chance to nurture a healthy connection to the world around us. Robin enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two daughters, hiking and kayaking, reading, fiber arts including spinning, knitting, and sewing, and community volunteering.
Celia Hunter Award for Outstanding Volunteer Contributions
Ben Kirkpatrick
Ben came north on the ferry in 1981 with his canoe and brother in search of the wilds of Alaska. Southeast’s combination of mountains and sea proved so enticing he stayed. It continues to move him. A 4-month solo canoe trip up the Taku River and beyond into the Northwest Territories in 1990 fed this zest. He was a Habitat Biologist at Alaska Department of Fish & Game for ten years. After retiring, Ben has been involved with the Takshanuk Watershed Council, Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition and Rivers Without Borders, three relatively small organizations that have had an outsized impact on their communities and region. He is proud to be associated with each. His home is off the grid outside Haines.
Lowell Thomas, Jr. Award for Outstanding Achievements by an Organization Doing Conservation Work
Susitna River Coalition
The Susitna River Coalition (SRC), a grassroots organization based in Talkeetna, was founded in 2011 and has grown to include more than 14,000 Alaskan supporters. As the only non-profit conservation organization based between Anchorage and Fairbanks, our work has been guided by a dedicated and passionate board and small engaged staff. Since the beginning we’ve worked to hold the Susitna-Watana hydroelectric dam at bay – and succeeded! Today we continue to advocate for the people, communities, and habitats in the Susitna Watershed that face ever-growing challenges, including large-scale threats with the West Su road and associated extractive projects. SRC has a busy future, with the Mat-Su projected to be the fastest-growing community in Alaska, adding real-time pressures to already stressed systems that are home to the majority of Alaskans. SRC is proud to work to preserve the ecological integrity of the Susitna Watershed and the natural and human systems it supports for the benefit of the Susitna River basin and for current and future generations.
Denny Wilcher Award for Young Environmental Activists
Haven Marban
Haven is a recent graduate of West High School. Spending her childhood growing up in Alaska, she has cultivated a love for the outdoors and a passion for environmental advocacy. She spent her senior year as an involved member of the newly founded West Environmental Club, and became the president her senior year. As president, she organized trash pickups, a school-wide thrift sale, visits from many environmental and wildlife focused guest speakers, and helped encourage students to be advocates for the environment. She plans to continue her interest in the Earth by studying wildlife conservation in her next four years in college.
Caleb Pungowiyi Award for Outstanding Achievements by an Alaska Native Organization or Individual
Alannah Hurley
Alannah (Yup’ik) was born and raised in the Bristol Bay region. Originally from Saguyaq, she now lives and works in Curyung as the Executive Director for the United Tribes of Bristol Bay. Alannah’s passion and energy is dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty and self-determination for Alaska’s indigenous people.
