Awards

The recipient of this annual award is chosen by the SORP Board of Directors to acknowledge an individual or organization whose career path has had a significant national impact on outdoor recreation and the outdoor recreation profession. 

2024 | Deb Haaland, United States Secretary of the Interior

2022 | Angelou Ezeilo, Founder of Greening Youth Foundation

2020 | North Carolina State University, Department of Parks, Tourism, and Recreation

2019 | Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia) and Kenton Carruth (First Lite)

2018

Congressman Don Byer (VA)

Congressman Peter Welch (VT)

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH) for establishing the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) 

2017 | Recreation Equipment, Inc. (REI)

2016 | Liz Putnam, Founder of the Student Conservation Fund

2015 | Dr. Glenn E. Haas, Professor Emeritus at Colorado State University and Aukerman, Haas and Associates

2014 | The California State Parks Foundation, Elizabeth Goldstein, Executive Director

2013 | Outdoor Industry Association

2012 | Will Shafroth, Counselor to the Secretary for America's Great Outdoors, Department of the Interior

2011 | Dr. Ken Cordell, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

2010 | Mike Pool, Bureau of Land Management

2009 | Bob Ratcliffe, Bureau of Land Management

2008 | Bob Meinen, Idaho Parks and Recreation

2007 | Donna Brasher, Lower Colorado River Authority

2006 | Not awarded

2005 | Greg Super, USDA Forest Service

2004 | Ney Landrum, retired Florida State Parks Director

2003 | Gaylord Nelson, Former U.S. Senator and Governor of Wisconsin

2002 | Courtland Nelson, Utah Division of Parks and Recreation

2001 | Robert Anderson, National Park Service

2000 | Darrell Lewis, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

1999 | Dr. Arthur H. Mittelstaedt, Jr., Ed. D.

1998 | Dr. B. L. “Bev” Driver, retired – USDA Forest Service

1997 | Bill Spitzer, retired – National Park Service

1995 | Congressman Bruce Vento, Minnesota

The Individual Service Award is presented annually to up to three recipients who have made significant and lasting contributions to the outdoor recreation profession. The award may recognize one specific contribution or a series of contributions over one’s career.

2024

• Clement Lau, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation
• Mercy M'fon, Wild Diversity
• Michael A. Allen, National Park Service

2022

• Ayn Weiskamp, East Bay Regional Parks District
• Greg Corio, West Virginia University
• Tim Young, Wyoming Pathways

2020

• Smith, Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, Minnesota Land Trust
• Yu-Fai Leung, North Carolina State University
• Shawn Lindsey, State of Virginia

2019

• Derrick Crandall, American Recreation Coalition
• Dr. Gary Green, U.S. Forest Service, retired
• Tom Keith, Logan Simpson
• Tara McKee, Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation

2018

• Barbara Nelson-Jameson
• Charlie Jacobi
• Aaron Lowden

2017

• Mary Donze, Missouri State Parks
• Nick Morris, Stark County Park District
• Arnold Randall, Forest Preserves of Cook County

2016

• Mary Coulombe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Francisco Valenzuela, U.S. Forest Service

2015

• Andy Windsor, Bureau of Land Management, Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
• Danette Poole, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Bob Campbell, National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Office

2014

• Dr. Robert Manning, The University of Vermont
• Kathleen Hooper, Santa Clara County Parks
• Carol Severin, East Bay Regional Parks District and San Francisco State University

2013

• Dr. Lowell Caneday, Oklahoma State University
• Robert A. Fonte, Stark County (Ohio) Park District
• Dusty Shultz, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

2012

• Joe Elton, Virginia State Parks
• Kate Schutt, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

2011

• Ron Stewart, Boulder County Parks and Open Space
• Roger Lewis, Lower Colorado River Authority

2010

• Terry Slider, USDA Forest Service
• Jim Eychaner, State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office
• 2009
• Wayne Strum, National Park Service
• John Davy, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

2008

• Tim Bradle, Lower Colorado River Authority
• Merdith "Cam" Lockwood, USDA Forest Service, Trails Unlimited

2007

• Bob Ditton, Texas A&M University
• Dan Wiley, National Park Service, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

2006

• Marlene Finley, USDA Forest Service
• Joseph Stephen Weaver, Nevada State Parks
• Vernon Lovejoy, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

2005

• Gloria Shinn, National Parks Service, Seattle WA
• Keith Demetrak, California State Parks

2004

• Ray Murray, National Park Service, California

2003

• Wayne Sames, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• Craig Karr, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

2002

• Mary Fitch, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Charles Van Genderen, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

2001

• Robert Reinhardt, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation

2000

• Roxane Eley, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
• Don Bruns, Bureau of Land Management

1999

• Beth McClure, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

1998

• Charles R. Jordan, Parks & Recreation, City of Portland, OR and Board of Directors, The Conservation Fund
• Greg Super, USDA Forest Service
• D. Thomas Ross, Recreation & Conservation, National Park Service
• Jeff Packer, Utah Division of Parks & Recreation

1997

• Sue Spear, USDA Forest Service

1996

• Fran Mainella, Recreation & Parks, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• David Dahlquist, David L. Dahlquist Associates

1995

• Albert Gregory, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Leslie Reid, Texas A&M University

1994

• Bruce Kennedy, California Department of Parks and Recreation

1993

• Dick Westfall, Illinois Department of Conservation

The Project Excellence Award is presented annually to exemplary outdoor recreation projects. The award is presented to the collaborating agencies and organizations key to the success of the planning effort.  Selection criteria will include (a) unique or special circumstances, (b) problem-solving, (c) level of innovation and creativity, (e) impact or effect of project, and (f) collaborative team effort.

2024

• Native Lands - National Trails, Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps
• Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan, Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council
• Anza Trail Cultural History Park, National Park Service-Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (NPS-RTCA)
• Youth Outdoor Ambassador Program, Forest Preserves of Cook County
• Genesee Valley Trail Towns, Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway

2022

• Tires to Trails, Tennessee State Parks
• Camping 101, Three Rivers Park District
• Igniting the Science of Outdoor Recreation, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
• Winter Backcountry Recreation, Bluebird Backcountry
• The 2021 El Paso County Parks and Recreation Master Plan, El Paso County Texas - Parks and Recreation Department 

2020

• Agents of Discovery, USFS, USFWS, and the  University of Buffalo
• Africatown Connections, Blueway Planning Team
• The Conservation Fund, Park Pride, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
• All Inclusive Outdoor Adventures at Middlegrounds Metropark (Metroparks Toledo)

2019

• Comfort Camping, Foundations for Revitalizing Alberta’s Camping Experience
• Greater Maywood Paddling Program
• Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Masterplan

2018

• Denver Urban Rangers, Environmental Learning for Kids, National Park Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Denver Parks and Recreation
• Utah Conservation Corps Bike Crew, Utah Conservation Corps
• Upper Valley High School Trail Corps, Upper Valley Trails Alliance

2017

• Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Park, Arizona State Parks and Trails, Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board, Arizona Department of Transportation, and Arizona Public Service
• LatinXplorers, The Next Door, Inc., Willamette Partnership, Sierra Club, and Partners
• Community Empowerment Initiative, California Department of Parks and Recreation External Affairs Division
• Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Plan, Cities Of Brownsville, Harlingen, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Ranch Viejo, Los Indios, Combes, San Benito, Laguna Vista, Los Fresnos, and Planning Partners

2016

• E-911 Help Locator Trail Marking System, Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation
• Lafitte Greenway and Revitalization Corridor, Design Workshop
• Conservation Interpretation along Iowa's Byways, Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development
• Charting a New Tomorrow: Montana State Parks Strategic Plan, Montana State Parks and Recreation Board

2015

• Natural Environment Trail Strategy, LEES+Associates
• Careers in Conservation Summer Internship Program, Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation
• Kachemak Bay Water Trail, Kachemak Bay Water Trail Association
• Blue Hole Regional Park, Design Workshop, Inc. and City of Wimberley

2014

• The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork, 21st Century Parks, Louisville, KY
• Our Lands – Our Future: Recreation & Conservation Choices for Northern Colorado Regional Conservation Study, Logan Simpson Design
• Exploring the Benefits of Outdoor Experiences on Veterans, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and Sierra Club Outdoors
• SR 28 Corridor Management Plan, America's Most Beautiful Drive, Design Workshop and the Tahoe Transportation District

2013

• North Eastern State Trail, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Partners
• Vision 2030 Strategic Plan and 2012 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, Montgomery County, Maryland, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, (M-NCPPC) Montgomery Parks; Montgomery County Department of Recreation; and GreenPlay, LLC
• Elk Meadow Park Dog Off-leash Area, Jeffco Parks and Open Space, Jefferson County, Colorado
• Trail Inventory Database and “Trails of Missouri State Parks” book, Missouri State Parks

2012

• Imagine Your Parks Strategic Plan, Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, National Park Service
• Recreation Proposal for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh, California State Parks Planning Division
• Alberta Recreation and Tourism Data System, O2 Planning and Design

2011

• Denver Mountain Parks Master Plan, Denver Parks & Recreation Department and Mundus Bishop Design, Inc.
• Redevelopment of Johnson's Shut-ins State Park, Missouri State Parks
• Roads and Trails Plan for Rampart Motorized Recreation Area of Pike National Forest, USDA Forest Service and AECOM
• Snake River Corridor Management/Ownership Transfer Plan, Bureau of Land Management and ERO Resources Corporation

2010

• Game Plan 2020: Building an Active Community, Halff Associates
• Bayhorse: Land of the Yankee Fork State Park, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
• Texas Highland Lakes Recreational Boating Studies, Tim Bradle and Gerard Kyle

2009

• Bob Epperson, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

2008

• Floyd Thompson, USDA Forest Service
• Canyon Lake Gorge Master Plan, Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, Gorge Preservation Society, Halff Associates, Inc.
• Sustainable Niche Based Strategic Recreation Budget Approach, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region
• Winter Recreation Assessment & Use Guide for the Diamond Lake Ranger District, Christina Lilienthal, USDA Forest Service

2007

• Matagorda Bay Nature Park, Lower Colorado River Authority
• El Paso Parks Master Plan, City of El Paso and Halff Associates

2006

• Recreation Site Facility Master Planning Model, USDA Forest Service
• Mississippi Headwaters Center, Itasca State Park, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

2005

• Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s, Idaho
• PacifiCorp Lewis River Project, Washington State
• Ribault Club House, Florida

2004

• Suwannee River Water Trail, Florida