(JEFFERSON CITY, MO, Aug. 27, 2024) – The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF) is honoring six champions of conservation at the ninth annual National Lewis & Clark Conservation Awards banquet held Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at The Millbottom in Jefferson City, Mo.
The awards recognize conservation and outdoor leaders for their appreciation and advancement of our natural resources in Missouri and beyond. The 2024 National Lewis & Clark Conservation Awards honorees are:
- Chad Pregracke
- Jeff Churan
- James T. Blair
- Sara Parker Pauley
- Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
- Bruce and Jan Sassmann
“This year’s honorees are prime examples of the importance of strong partnerships and how we will continue to advance vital conservation work across the state, as well as the country,” said Will Coates, president of the MCHF Board of Directors. “The 2024 honorees represent leaders in business, philanthropy and conservation. Join us on September 18 as we recognize these champions and their incredible commitment to conservation.”
Chad Pregracke, founder of the nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, will be honored with the Corps of Discovery National Conservation Award. This award is the highest honor given by MCHF for leadership in conservation at the national level. The award is bestowed to an individual based upon exemplary service, inspiration and commitment to benefit the conservation cause.
Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 at the age of 23. Over the years, the organization evolved into a cultural movement that has now resulted in collectively removing 13 million pounds of garbage from America’s rivers, including the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio Rivers, with more than 130,000 volunteers, 1.3 million trees planted and dozens of corporations lending a hand.
His leadership, vision and charisma has earned him more than 40 awards and accolades including the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Mitchum’s Hardest Working Person in America and many more. Pregracke remains the driving force behind the organization and divides his time between living on a house-barge with his crew and his wife, Tammy, and their home on the Mississippi River.
Jeff Churan, former Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Commissioner and passionate hunter, will be honored with the Governor’s State of Missouri Conservation Award. This award goes to an individual who reflects the spirit of conservation, shows outstanding leadership and has positively contributed to conservation principles and programs in Missouri and beyond.
Churan embodies the heart and spirit of conservation in Missouri. His personal passion for conservation, both as a hunter and landowner is well known and Churan has worked behind the scenes for decades to advance Missouri conservation by serving a six-year term as a Missouri Conservation Commissioner.
Additionally, he is a national volunteer with the Nature Conservancy, Quail Unlimited, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), MCHF, Ducks Unlimited, the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources Advisory Council and more. Churan’s life-long contribution to conservation has proved his unwavering leadership and commitment to advancing our most precious natural resources, wildlife and environments for years to come.
James T. Blair IV, Moneta Group partner and former Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Commissioner, will be awarded the Pat Jones/Spirit of the Wilderness Conservation Award. This award goes to an individual who has dedicated their life to the promotion, protection and service of wilderness and natural resources throughout Missouri. The award is in honor of York, a pivotal contributor to the success of the Lewis & Clark Expedition and in honor of Pat Jones, spouse of Edward “Ted” Jones, for the dynamic role she has played in conservation in Missouri. Pat Jones was the first recipient of the award in 2016 and her name was added to it in 2017.
Blair’s dedication to the outdoors is evident through his actions. Most notably, Blair served as a former MDC Commissioner in 2011, helping manage hunting, fishing, forests and nature centers across the state. He has held positions on many boards, including serving as a founding and current board member and past chairman of the Great River Habitat Alliance, board member at the BJC Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society, board director at Triad Bank, and served as a past president and board member of MCHF. Blair has chaired numerous Ducks Unlimited sponsorship events and has been a prolific fundraiser for Ducks Unlimited and other organizations. Blair is the third generation of his family to be listed in the Missouri Blue Book, with deep family roots in providing civic service to Missourians. With over 30 years of experience serving institutional and individual needs, Blair is a tenured Partner at Moneta Group with one of the most successful practices in the industry.
By supporting outdoor and conservation programs throughout the state, Blair has graciously donated his time and funds to countless civic and conservation causes, providing more opportunity for people to protect and connect with nature. His entrepreneurial spirit has helped individuals plan for the future, overcome challenges and reach their goals.
Sara Parker Pauley, former Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), will be the first to receive the new Trailblazer Conservation Award. This award celebrates the immense contribution and significant conservation impact of a distinguished outdoor professional and leader. This individual has blazed a trail advancing conservation efforts and the appreciation for Missouri’s natural resources for the next generation.
Under Pauley’s leadership, Missouri has maintained its legacy as a leader in protecting the state’s fish, forest and wildlife resources and helping people connect with nature. She blazed a trail by serving as the first female Director of MDC and has dedicated her life to the great outdoors. As a longtime Missourian, conservationist and hunter, Pauley has served the citizens of Missouri and helped push conservation forward in Missouri on a state and national level.
Her guidance and persistence in developing a partnership with Columbia Public Schools to create the vision, model and execution of the Boone County Nature School, implementing the first elk and bear hunting seasons in Missouri and unwavering support and partnership with the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems have been invaluable for ensuring the future of conservation in Missouri and beyond.
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, a nonprofit supporting thousands of local projects and leading conservation partners across North America, will be presented with the Sacagawea Community and Partnership Conservation Award. This award goes to an organization focused on exceptional community and partnership building resulting in progressive changes in conservation programs.
Guided by the visionary leadership of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund empowers Bass Pro Shops’ 200 million annual customers to help fund conservation efforts by rounding up their purchases. Supporting more than 2,000 projects annually, including the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems and the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program, the Outdoor Fund is connecting new audiences to the outdoors, protecting wildlife and habitats and advocating for sportsmen’s rights and the outdoors.
Connecting Bass Pro Shops customers, team members, industry partners and conservation organizations, the Outdoor Fund is creating America’s largest conservation movement to collectively shape the future of the outdoors and all who love it for generations to come.
Bruce and Jan Sassmann, lifelong Missouri conservationists, will receive the Missouri Legacy Conservation Award. This award recognizes their exemplary commitment and service to the conservation cause in Missouri.
As active members of numerous conservation organizations including MCHF, CFM and Missouri Prairie Foundation, the Sassmann’s have tirelessly promoted nature, shared their prairie restoration work and ensured lasting benefits for future generations. Together they pour their passion for conservation into their property, the ‘Prairie Star Restoration Farm.’ They are leaving their conservation legacy ensuring the future of our natural environments, resources and wildlife are preserved by naming MCHF in their estate and continuing their restoration efforts including reviving native tallgrass prairie habitats, timber stand improvement and overhauling a five-acre lake for fish habitat.
Through Jan’s involvement with the Missouri Prairie Foundation and Bruce’s work as a Missouri State Representative serving as Chair of the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, the Sassmann’s are inspirational advocates for Missouri conservation now and in the future.
A longtime supporter of MCHF and leader in conservation, Bass Pro Shops, is sponsoring the evening as they work to connect new audiences to the outdoors, conserving wildlife and habitats and advocating for sportsmen’s rights. “We are incredibly grateful to Bass Pro Shops for their support of this event. Their generous donation, in addition to support from sponsors Mid America Bank, Walmart and others, allows us to honor these well-deserving honorees and continue our collective work in conservation.” says Tricia Burkhardt, Executive Director of MCHF.
Save the date for the ninth annual National Lewis & Clark Conservation Award banquet, Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at the Millbottom in Jefferson City, Mo. (400 W Main St, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101). The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with appetizers and refreshments followed by a live auction, dinner and the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $200 per person or $1,400 for a table of eight and may be purchased by Monday, September 9, 2024, online at mochf.org or by calling 800.227.1488.
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The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1997 to advance the conservation and appreciation of Missouri’s natural resources, including fish, forest and wildlife. MCHF works with donors and other conservation partners to financially support the mission and priorities of the Missouri Department of Conservation at the statewide, national and international level, having raised and invested more than $27 million for conservation funding statewide, plus $13.3 million to the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems. MCHF supports the state’s nature centers, as well as hiking and wildlife viewing activities – anything that allows Missourians to enjoy the outdoors in urban or rural areas.
