2020 James V. Murfin Award

The James V. Murfin Award recognizes an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions throughout their career to strengthen partnerships between the National Park Service and cooperating associations. The award was inaugurated in 1981 and is named for the Servicewide Cooperating Association Coordinator who worked diligently for more than a decade to encourage excellence and innovation to strengthen this historic partnership. The recipient of the 2021 James V. Murfin Award is Jim Adams.

Duration:

2 minutes, 12 seconds

For over 20 years, Jim Adams has significantly enhanced and supported the partnership between Discover Your Northwest and the National Park Service. His lasting contributions to help national parks and other public lands are recognized through awarding him the James V. Murfin Award.

Courtesy of Jim Adams

Jim Adams

For over 20 years, Jim Adams has significantly enhanced and supported the partnership between Discover Your Northwest and the National Park Service. His lasting contributions have solidified Discover Your Northwest as an essential partner to help national parks and other public lands in the Pacific Northwest with critical fundraising, volunteer programming, and grant management capacities. Adams’ efforts also support parks in the Pacific Northwest diversify its volunteer, intern, and paid workforce in support of the National Park Service.

His personal commitment to improving programs, products, and working relationships between the National Park Service and Discover Your Northwest is evident. Adams was integral in helping parks improve the visitor services offered to park visitors throughout the Pacific Northwest. At San Juan Island National Historical Park, he personally collaborated with park staff to implement new shelving, inventory, and training protocols that increased monthly sales from $300 to $5000. Adams’ efforts resulted in a corresponding increase in funds available for the park to support interpretative programs, exhibits, and volunteers.

During his tenure, Adams has also been the glue that maintains the public-private relationship between REI, the U.S. Forest Service, and Washington State Parks at the Outdoor Recreation Information Center in Seattle. His contributions helped bring in more than $436,000 along with earned revenue available to support Pacific Northwest public lands in 2019 alone. These examples only provide snapshots of an expansive, illustrious career with Discover Your Northwest and the National Park Service. Adams is supportive, adaptable, resilient, and people-oriented. He is always willing to think outside of the box and unite people from different backgrounds to get them involved in the great work occurring in the region. As someone who is public land and people focused, Adams embodies the true spirit of James V. Murfin, encouraging excellence and innovation from himself and others.