Alaska Conservation Foundation is proud to recognize the following individuals:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Frances Ulmer
Frances Ulmer has dedicated her career to public service, education, and advancing Arctic science and policy. She has served as Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, Mayor of Juneau, and Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage. As Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and Special Advisor to the U.S. State Department on Arctic issues, Fran has championed research and international cooperation to address the rapid environmental changes facing the region. Fran has spent the last decade promoting the importance of Arctic scientific research and international cooperation in a variety of positions at Stanford, Harvard, UAA and Columbia Universities, at the U.S. State Department, at the Arctic Council and speaking venues from the North Pole to Antarctica. Her advocacy has contributed to a better understanding of the challenges of rapid changes in the Arctic and the implications locally and globally.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Pat Pourchot
Pat came to Alaska in 1972 to conduct studies of potential wild and scenic rivers for the Department of the Interior. Following the development of legislative proposals, he worked as an aide in the US Senate on the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. He has held several political positions including eight years in the Alaska State House and State Senate, Commissioner of the State Department of Natural Resources, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior for Alaska Affairs. The latter position focused on protection of Alaska conservation system units. He has also worked for several conservation organizations including Great Land Trust, the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and Audubon Alaska. His work with Audubon focused on protection of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Volunteer service has included the Boards of Alaska Conservation Voters, the Chugach Park Advisory Committee, and the Alaska Wilderness League, and reconstruction of the Flattop trail in Chugach State Park.
Olaus Murie Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions
Dave Mitchell
Dave served as Conservation Director for Great Land Trust (GLT) from 2005-2025. During this time, Dave, alongside the dedicated GLT staff and board, permanently conserved over 60 of southcentral Alaska’s beloved landscapes. Examples of these conservation projects include the protection of more than 100 miles of salmon streams, 14 estuaries in Knik Arm, four historic village sites and their return to Alaska Native stewardship, tens of thousands of acres on Kodiak and Afognak Islands, and the expansion of public open space in Anchorage through the creation of the Campbell Creek Estuary Natural Area and Potter Marsh Watershed Park. Other highlights include the conservation of Termination Point and Long Island in Kodiak, Meals Hill in Valdez, Bodenburg Butte in the Mat-Su, and Shelter Cove in Cordova. One of the greatest rewards of his work has been the opportunity to build relationships with landowners, funders, supporters, and partners who share a deep love for Alaska’s wild places. For Dave, conservation is a collective vision, one built on trust, collaboration, and friendship. Dave had a decade-long role as faculty for the Wrangell Mountains Center Field Studies Semester, where he taught college students about the natural history of the Wrangell Mountains, fostering the next generation of conservationists. He is an active community volunteer, and recently received the Food Bank of Alaska’s Hunger Action Hero Award for his service delivering food to seniors in Anchorage. Although reluctant to admit it, Dave is a four-time winner of the Anchorage Folk Festival Banjo Contest.
Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for Excellence in Still Photography, Film or Video
Gerrit Vyn
Gerrit is a wildlife photographer, cinematographer, and conservationist known for his powerful visual storytelling and commitment to protecting endangered species and ecosystems. As a Producer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, his work has influenced public awareness and conservation policy worldwide.
Gerrit’s photography and films offer a naturalist’s perspective on the beauty and fragility of nature and the conservation challenges we face in the 21st century. His work often focuses on overlooked species and remote, undocumented regions. In Alaska, Gerrit has worked extensively over the last two decades, providing a visual identity to ecologically critical areas such as the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the Bering Sea region, and the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, also known as “America’s Arctic.”
Jerry S. Dixon Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
Nan Eagleson
Nan came to Alaska in 1980, planning to stay a couple of weeks—and is still here 45 years later. With a background in wildlife biology, she has lived and worked in Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada, and Antarctica as a naturalist and bird guide ever since. She was the executive director of the Prince William Sound Conservation Association during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. After moving to the Denali area with her family, which included a team of sled dogs, she worked at Camp Denali as a naturalist guide for 12 years. During that time, she began a 24-year involvement on the Board of Directors for the Denali Citizens Council and served 12 years on the Middle Nenana Fish and Game Advisory Committee. She was a science instructor for Alaska Geographic, an instructor for the Denali Education Center, and a guide for Wilderness Birding Adventures for the past 20 years. Her greatest joy is sharing the beauty and inspiration of wild places with friends and family—and the gift that nature provides our spirit.
Celia Hunter Award for Outstanding Volunteer Contributions
Nancy Waterman
Nancy is a conserving person by nature. In 1970, she came to teach elementary school in Juneau. Living surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, she quickly formed friendships with conservation pioneers and enthusiastic recreational partners, which led to volunteer work with organizations such as the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Southeast Alaska Land Trust, and a variety of community advocacy committees and projects. Today, she volunteers as managing director of The Leighty Foundation, a small family foundation focused on Earth protection, education, philanthropy, and strategic volunteer engagement.
Lowell Thomas, Jr. Award for Outstanding Achievements by an Organization Doing Conservation Work
Copper River Watershed Project
The Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP) is a nonprofit organization working to sustain the ecological and cultural richness of Alaska’s Copper River watershed. Founded in the mid-1990s by community members committed to balancing economic opportunity with environmental integrity, CRWP leads restoration projects that reconnect salmon habitat and protect water quality. Their mission is rooted in the belief that people, fish, and land hold value beyond monetary capital—and that a thriving watershed depends on strong local partnerships. With offices in Cordova and Glennallen, CRWP brings together Tribes, agencies, and residents to advance barrier-free fish passage and long-term community well-being. Now in its 25th year, CRWP continues to serve as a trusted convener and champion for the region’s future.
Denny Wilcher Award for Young Environmental Activists
Kai Thomas
Kai is a Youth Organizer and Peer Trainer with Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), where she has become a powerful voice for environmental justice. Growing up in Anchorage, Kai witnessed firsthand the impacts of climate change on her home and developed a deep commitment to protecting Alaska’s environment. Through AYEA, she has taken on numerous leadership roles, from advocating for food policy reform to co-leading youth summits on climate justice. Kai has met with legislators, organized community actions, and inspired her peers across the state to use their voices for change. Known for her calm, inclusive leadership style, Kai uplifts others while advancing bold, youth-led solutions for a more sustainable Alaska.
Caleb Pungowiyi Award for Outstanding Achievements by an Alaska Native Organization or Individual
Deilah Johnson
Deilah is a tribal member of the Village of Solomon and began working for her tribe in 2012. During this time, Deilah has gained extensive knowledge of Solomon in various capacities. Her biggest undertaking is managing the Environmental Department, as the community relies on the land, waters, and biodiversity to thrive as a tribal people. This includes opposition, awareness, and education efforts during the permitting of a mining operation in Solomon’s estuary for 6–7 years (still ongoing); partnering with agencies to conduct habitat studies, water quality monitoring, renewable energy projects, and supporting planning documents and their implementation. When necessary, Deilah travels to Washington, D.C., to meet with delegates to ensure the voices of Solomon and the Bering Strait region are heard. She has led many formal consultations, developed campaigns, and organizes an annual Youth & Elder camp in Solomon each August to instill in youth the importance of the land.
