Know a California farmer, rancher or forester who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2022 California Leopold Conservation Award®.Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 23 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In California the $10,000 award is presented with state partners: Sustainable Conservation and California Farm Bureau Federation.Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders. The application can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.The application deadline date is July 18, 2022. Applications can be emailed to award@sandcountyfoundation.org. If mailed, applications must be postmarked by July 18, and sent to:Leopold Conservation Awardc/o Sustainable Conservation98 Battery Street, Suite 302San Francisco, CA 94111“As we grapple with another year of potential drought, our collective conservation ethic must guide how we build a climate-resilient future for our state,” said Ashley Boren, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Conservation, which has co-sponsored the award since its California launch more than a decade ago. “California landowners are on the front lines of environmental stewardship. The Leopold Conservation Award celebrates these inspiring individuals and families, and we hope farmers, ranchers and other private landowners come forward this year to be recognized.”“The Leopold Conservation Award provides outstanding recognition of farmers and ranchers who take steps every day to realize significant gains in managing their farms in a sustainable and profitable manner,” said Jamie Johansson, California Farm Bureau Federation President. “The awarded families are great examples of the generational appreciation farmers and ranchers have for their land. The stewardship they employ at their farms and ranches is reflective of California farmers’ and ranchers’ commitment to the environment.”“As a national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of farmers, ranchers and forestland owners,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that conservation in agriculture requires a focus on the land, the practices and the people and this award recognizes the integral role of all three.”“Recipients of this award are real life examples of conservation-minded agriculture,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer. “These hard-working families are essential to our environment, food system and rural economy.”The Leopold Conservation Award in California is made possible thanks to the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Conservation, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sand County Foundation, The Harvey L. & Maud C. Sorensen Foundation, Farm Credit, The Nature Conservancy in California, McDonald’s and California LCA recipient alumni.The Leopold Conservation Award will be presented at the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in December.The first California Leopold Conservation Award recipient was selected in 2006. Marie and Glenn Nader of Canby received the award in 2021.For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });