Last updated: January 19, 2023
Article
2020 Director's Awards for Natural and Cultural Resources
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The Natural and Cultural Resource Awards Programs recognize the outstanding contributions of National Park Service staff in understanding, protecting, and managing park resources and in lands adjacent. Awardees are selected annually in a spring call for nominations and honored bi-annually.
Award recipients come from across the country and US territories and represent the diversity in landscapes in the National Park System.
The National Park Service’s Natural Resource Stewardship and Science and the Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science accomplishments are communicated widely through the Director’s Awards ceremony. These awards celebrate individuals in variety of categories.
Recipients for the 2020 year are below. National Park Service Director Chuck Sams conferred their award win in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., October 2022. Congrats to the winners!
Awards for Cultural Resources
The Director’s Awards for Cultural Resources—also known as the Appleman-Judd-Lewis Awards—recognize expertise and outstanding contributions in cultural resource stewardship and management, to employees of the National Park Service. The three awards were created to encourage creativity in cultural resource stewardship and management practices and projects, particularly those that may serve as examples or models for programs across the service.
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Excellence in Cultural Resource Stewardship by Superintendents: Lauren Hoagland Blacik
Superintendent Lauren Hoagland Blacik has demonstrated an ability to address difficult and controversial cultural resource issues at Pipestone National Monument. The park landscape and many of its cultural resources are sacred to American Indians. Superintendent Blacik inherited aging park infrastructure that was beginning to fail. She worked with park and regional employees to not only understand the infrastructure issues, but also justify the proposed solutions with the implementation of the General Management Plan. Superintendent Blacik negotiated new agreements with the State Historic Preservation Office, planned for and implemented mitigation measures, and reached out for assistance on compliance so that work at the park could proceed and the first steps to implementing the General Management Plan could be realized. Working closely with regional specialists, Superintendent Blacik ensured the final 2020 document included Tribal perspectives. It now serves as a model for other parks to follow. For American Indians who long awaited the removal of modern intrusions in a sacred site, Superintendent Blacik demonstrates the characteristic of "follow through" on the part of National Park Service management. Her actions are the first step toward restoring and building relationships with the communities and culture long associated with Pipestone National Monument. For her leadership, Lauren Hoagland Blacik is granted the 2020 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for expertise and outstanding contributions to cultural resources stewardship and management by a superintendent.
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Excellence in Cultural Resource Stewardship Through Maintenance: Eric C. Herrera
Mr. Eric C. Herrera is the facility manager at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. A report prepared by the National Institute of Occupational Health & Safety highlighted the potential health risks inherent in the lab building from working with radon‐emitting fossil specimens in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation. Based on these concerns and knowing that radon is degraded uranium and a leading cause of cancer, the park superintendent closed the Farmhouse paleontology lab as a safety stand‐down until a solution could be reached. To address the radon ventilation issue, the park requested Repair/Rehab funds to improve the venting and HVAC system in a newly constructed lab and storage facility. This approach only partially addressed the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety’s recommendations. The other need was direct venting of the cabinetry. Mr. Herrera researched cabinet ventilating options used by other museums and was unable to find any standard system. With no existing equipment system on the market to meet the needs for the Hagerman paleontology collection, Mr. Herrera designed and developed a cost-effective system that would reliably remove dust and gas from the cabinets without exposure to park staff and researchers. This system allows the internationally significant fossils from the monument to be studied and provides an example for other museums and laboratories with similar issues to create a safer environment for their employees. For this, Mr. Herrera is granted the 2020 Appleman-Judd-Lewis award for expertise and outstanding contributions to cultural resources stewardship and management by a facility management specialist.
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Excellence in Cultural Resource Management: Nelson Siefkin
Mr. Nelson Siefkin is an Archeologist, Post-Wildfire Coordinator, and Wildland Fire Resource Advisor Leader for the NPS Branch of Fire and Aviation Management in Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12. He has served parks, regions, national offices, and the interagency wildfire community for over two decades in many capacities while fulfilling his roles. The protection of life and safety will always be the highest priority when managing a wildfire. Protecting critical cultural and natural resources so that they are unimpaired for future generations is a mandate of the mission of the National Park Service. Mr. Siefkin incorporates these objectives into his principles for cultural resource protection. He was central to the development of the Interagency Wildland Fire Resource Advisor Training Course, providing resource advisor training for the sound response to wildfires while incorporating the protection of cultural and natural resources. Because of his personal initiative and dedication, he has hosted or participated in more than 20 Resource Advisor trainings for resource management and operational personnel, reaching between 3,000 and 4,000 attendees so that they can provide informed input into fire management decisions. Furthermore, Mr. Siefkin leads the post-fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program for Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12. Mr. Siefkin is instrumental in writing the plans and securing BAER funding. For his effort, Nelson Siefkin is granted the 2020 Appleman-Judd-Lewis award for expertise and outstanding contributions to cultural resources stewardship and management by a cultural resource specialist.
Awards in Natural Resources
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Natural Resource Management: Chris Geremia
This award recognizes an employee for their significant contribution to natural resource management in parks, particularly a contribution that resulted in the adoption of a new or improved resource management practice and/or approach by the National Park Service.
As a Wildlife Biologist, Dr. Chris Geremia greatly advanced the restoration of wild bison in the Yellowstone area and on Tribal lands elsewhere by developing and implementing the Bison Conservation Transfer Program, facilitating transboundary conservation to support treaty hunting rights outside the park, and restoring the ecological role of bison across the landscape. Dr. Geremia designed and supervised park staff and contractors in the construction of a secure, double-fenced quarantine facility that met or exceeded the specifications provided by the State of Montana and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to conduct quarantine and identify brucellosis-free bison. Dr. Geremia’s vision and dedication to the Bison Conservation Transfer Program led to the largest transfer of Yellowstone bison to American Indian Tribes in history, and the first direct relocation of bison to a new home as an alternative to slaughter. It was the culmination of almost 10 years of negotiation between the federal government, State of Montana, and the Fort Peck Tribes, largely mediated by Dr. Geremia in recent years. Dr. Geremia overcame regulatory and political roadblocks by using a rigorous scientific approach to obtain the best information regarding brucellosis transmission risk and engaging directly with all parties to negotiate and mediate disagreements in a respectful and transparent manner. Dr. Geremia undertook innovative research on bison movements and grazing that was the first to demonstrate how large aggregate grazers like bison not only migrate to find nutritious forage, but also change plant phenology and the timing and movement of spring green-up across the landscape. His findings were published as Migrating Bison Engineer the Green Wave in the prestigious, peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and reached an estimated 329 million people through more than 200 international news outlets. Dr. Geremia benefited all parks with bison through his work on the Bison Conservation Initiative, a long-term conservation initiative for bison managed by the Department of Interior that includes an emphasis on large herds on large landscapes to support ecological and cultural restoration, restoring and managing bison as native wildlife, and strengthening the connection of native peoples and the public to our national mammal. Dr. Geremia has been committed to the Home on the Range citizen science project, worked to improve quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on federal lands, develop a chronic wasting disease surveillance and response plan for Yellowstone National Park, and created a work study program that provides real-world experience to college students. For his dedication to restore bison to the landscape, to pursue state-of-the-art scientific inquiry, and to promote excellent stewardship in parks and beyond, Dr. Chris Geremia is granted the Director’s 2020 Award for Natural Resource Management.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Landsman
Natural Resource Research: Andrew Landsman
This award recognizes a federal employee or non-federal researcher for their outstanding contributions to natural resource research benefiting national parks.
As a Natural Resource and Compliance Program Manager in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Mr. Andrew P. Landsman has played a pivotal role in developing and using science results to drive and inform the park’s resource management program. Mr. Landsman’s research has proven invaluable in understanding the results of nonnative invasive species’ direct and indirect effects on natural communities. He developed three research projects, oversaw data collection, completed all data analyses, and wrote and published the results in peer-reviewed national journals. Mr. Landsman’s works showed the importance of small habitat fragments to the conservation of invertebrates, and his research helped explain how nonnative invasive species may directly and/or indirectly influence native wildlife communities. He further translated these results for park managers into practical actions for prioritizing nonnative invasive species. This illustrates the management value of well-designed science studies that have scientific merit and applied recommendations. Mr. Landsman’s research provides park managers the ability to understand how to prioritize treatment of nonnative invasive plants based on those species that have the most disproportionate, negative impacts to wildlife. He helped lead and implement a 5-year natural resource management plan for Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Mr. Landsman has trained and mentored future natural resource professionals, and he has worked to control noxious invasive species throughout the Department of Interior. For his dedication to providing analytical reasons for understanding natural resources and making decisions, Mr. Andrew P. Landsman is granted the Director’s 2020 Award for Natural Resource Research.
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Professional Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship: Catherine Anna Toline, Ph.D.
This award recognizes an individual who significantly contributes to resource management successes by employing a high degree of technical excellence in a narrowly focused, professional role.
As a Marine Scientist, Ms. Catherine Anna Toline worked on the hurricane response team after the natural resources of four US Virgin Island parks suffered extensive impacts after back-to-back category 5 hurricanes. She quickly understood the scale of the problems and the need to assemble a robust team to develop a comprehensive restoration plan for key marine natural resources. Building on her work with professional contacts and positive working relationships with both these experts and park staff, she identified the outside experts most appropriate to serve as restoration team members and created the Interdisciplinary Team needed to develop the plan. Over several months, Ms. Toline guided the team in discussions about how to organize the effort, what information was needed, and when the various aspects of the plan should be complete. She also ensured that the restoration plan included a prescription to address the Virgin Islands Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which can kill an entire reef in a few weeks. Ms. Toline provided essential technical information for many briefings for NPS leadership, and she played a critical role in the development of agreements with many partners to conduct all aspects of coral restoration and much of the mangrove restoration and shoreline protection and development. Ms. Toline was able to complete this work even during travel restrictions due to COVID and an extremely short timeline, and the final 1000-page report is incredibly well organized and readily accessible. Ms. Toline’s work on the restoration team ensured that the Virgin Islands parks 1) received funds for habitat restoration related to hurricane damage, 2) now have a comprehensive plan for future restoration action, and 3) have been able to spend significant funds treating Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Ms. Toline has an innate talent for building and sustaining partnerships, and she participates in numerous regional and national committees and working groups that focus on marine debris, invasive species, oyster restoration, benthic habitat mapping, marine mammal stranding, and other marine resource issues. For her leadership, dedication, and expertise in coastal ecology and restoration that promote excellent stewardship in parks and beyond, Ms. Catherine Anna Toline is granted the 2020 Director’s Award for Professional Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship.
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Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship Through Maintenance: Garey C. Bickham
This award recognizes an employee for outstanding contributions in natural resource management by a Facilities Management employee.
As an Equipment Operator, Mr. Garey C. Bickham is devoted to protecting natural resources while working with maintenance. His insight and attention to detail is crucial for protecting the several species of imperiled nesting shorebirds that complicate the sand removal process from the roadways during the busy field season. His attentiveness and excellent communication skills have fostered a great working relationship between the Facility Maintenance and the Science and Resource Stewardship Divisions. One obstacle with sand movement during shorebird nesting season is that colony nesting birds can nest at any time, and Mr. Bickham has been instrumental with his ability to notice nests and chicks outside of the posted areas. His skill at maneuvering the front-end loader in a precise and careful manner is impressive and has helped protect nesting shorebirds while allowing the park roads to remain open. Mr. Bickham’s openness and communication style has helped to lessen the stress and reduce pressure on the biological science technicians during the busiest part of the field season. He has quickly adapted to the modifications of the Sand Management Plan that provides guidance to maintain visitor access while minimizing impacts to imperiled species, and he follows every detail of the new guidance. Mr. Bickham continuously goes above and beyond to help protect the natural resources in Gulf Islands National Seashore, taking time to notify biologists of roadkill as well as educating beachgoers about the impact of pets on nesting shorebirds. For his dedication to protecting nesting shorebirds through attentive equipment operation and his ability to work across divisions, Mr. Garey C. Bickham is granted the Director’s 2020 Award for Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship through Maintenance Award.
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Natural Resource Management in a Small Park: Kristen Allaine Ewen
This award rewards achievements in natural resource management in small parks.
As a Biological Science Technician, Ms. Kristen Allaine Ewen has achieved key accomplishments for National Park Units on the island of St. Croix. She redesigned components of and led the Buck Island Sea Turtle Program, a project to recover nesting Hawksbill populations that has been conducted for more than 33 years. She designed a Sea Turtle Incubation Temperature Study that resulted in a change in how staff relocates nests and responds to nests in imperiled conditions and improving nest success of the Threatened and Endangered Sea Turtle species. Ms. Ewen also spearheaded an effort to restore the Coastal Studies Outpost building to its original state to enable use by school groups, STEM-based summer camp programs, and volunteer workshops. She also designed several projects to increase the extent of resource management in the Salt River Park. Her projects include building a native plant nursery to reestablish native trees in the parks and creating a saltwater table system to allow for storing and rearing corals and mangroves for restoration efforts in the park. Ms. Ewen has made these accomplishments with limited assistance, and she stepped up in the vacancies of her division chief and direct supervisor to ensure project continuity by receiving certifications and completing training in other disciplines. She successfully and creatively organized efforts and projects to accomplish the same amount of work with a reduced number of staff, taking advantage of local agencies, the local community, interns, and volunteers. Ms. Ewen navigated gracefully the hardships of working on a small island in a small park, and she built strong relationships with a diversity of agencies. Ms. Ewen’s work at the park will support management changes to keep up with the changing environment due to sea level rise and global temperature changes. She has also completed multiple dive monitoring operations and led programs and events related to outreach or volunteers in the park, including the Youth Ocean Explorers summer camp and debris clean-up. For her novel updates to several long-lived programs and the incredible commitment she has demonstrated for the important work being done in and planned for the park, Ms. Kristen Allaine Ewen is granted the 2020 Director’s Trish Patterson Award for Natural Resource Management in a Small Park.
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Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship: Scott Stonum
This award recognizes a Superintendent for their outstanding contributions, creative leadership, and direction and support in natural resource management.
As Superintendent, Mr. Scott Stonum faces many challenging and unique park management issues due to the park’s large size, its 30 miles of international border with Mexico, and 95% of it being designated Wilderness. Mr. Stonum adjusted to an unprecedented threat to park resources under the Department of Homeland Security waiver to rapidly construct new border infrastructure. He worked to provide mitigations where possible while providing for safe visitation, and he was able to accomplish this in large part due to his ease in developing and working with park partners. Mr. Stonum expanded partnerships with other agencies, Tribes, local communities, and the Pinacate Biopreserve. His work has resulted in keeping the Quitobaquito Spring and Pool functioning and supporting the endemic desert pupfish and Sonoran mud turtle. Under his leadership, the park gained approval for replacing its primary water supply well, tanks, and lines, and Mr. Stonum has supported wildlife monitoring and recovery efforts for the endangered cactus ferrugionous pygmy-owl and Sonoran pronghorn. He has also overseen work on a Species Status Assessment for desert tortoise and tryonia spring snail for potential nomination as endangered, and he encouraged staff to creatively reduce bird collisions on windows at the park. Mr. Stonum’s leadership is crucial because most of the natural resource issues at the park are regional in nature and require collective solutions: migrating species, groundwater extraction, surface water diversions, and climate change to name a few. The fast-track schedule of the border wall construction required expedited assessments and reporting for vulnerable resources, and Mr. Stonum led the staff through near constant discussions with construction teams over issues such as restoration and erosion, stabilization, hydrology, invasive species colonization in affected lands, along some 250 acres of new disturbance long the border. Mr. Stonum guided park staff through disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure core monitoring fieldwork was completed in a safe manner. For his dedication to protecting the rich and unique resources at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and promoting excellent stewardship in parks and beyond, Mr. Scott Stonum is granted the Director’s 2020 Award for Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship.