Three Regional Leaders Win Cecil D. Andrus Leadership Awards for Sustainability and Conservation

Four-term Idaho Governor and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Cecil D. Andrus to present awards at Portland event.

Portland Oregon, Sep 15, 2009

Portland-based nonprofit Sustainable Northwest today announced this year’s winners of the annual Cecil D. Andrus Awards that recognize excellence in pursuit of sustainability from across the West. On the occasion of the organization’s 15th anniversary, Sustainable Northwest chose to highlight work that exemplifies innovation, partnership and conservation – the cornerstone of sustainability and an integral component of Sustainable Northwest’s own work.

“Governor Andrus has always been a leader ahead of his time, and so are this year’s recipients of the Andrus Awards. They are ground-breakers in conservation and sustainability and their leadership deserves to be recognized and followed,” said Martin Goebel, President of Sustainable Northwest.

Awardees (below) represent visionary leadership and entrepreneurship in higher education and philanthropy, business, and at the individual level. Awardees will be honored at the Sustainable Northwest Gala on Thursday, September 24. The public is invited to attend, more information is available at

• The partnership between Portland State University (PSU) and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation – in recognition of PSU’s institution-wide effort to integrate sustainability into their academic and operational programs and their partnerships with the wider community; and, the Miller Foundation’s vision to invest in PSU with a transformative gift that gives the university many opportunities to leverage the $25 million and extend the grant’s reach. PSU’s Center for Sustainable Processes & Practices is driving innovation in many facets of sustainability, helping establish the university as a role model nationally and globally.
• Lava Lake Land and Livestock, LLC – in recognition of its innovative grazing management, sustainability and conservation programs across nearly one million acres in the Pioneer Mountains of Central Idaho, and the company’s commitment to working with tribes, government agencies, neighboring ranchers and land owners, scientists and conservation groups to help shape land management decisions. Lava Lake has demonstrated how a social enterprise can blend ecological and recreational values, environmental sustainability of livestock grazing, and production of local food to benefit both the land and people. More information is available at https://www.lavalakelamb.com/index.php
• Melanie Parker, Executive Director of Northwest Connections – in recognition of her leadership to preserve and maintain a working wilderness in Montana’s Swan Valley. This one of the most significant recent conservation accomplishments in the Interior West and a landmark example of place-based collaborative conservation and sustainability. Parker demonstrates that one person’s vision can bring together diverse interests to craft solutions that support the local community, wildlife, and the environment.

About the Cecil Andrus Awards:

Named in honor of former US Interior Secretary under President Carter, four-term Idaho governor, and a founder of Sustainable Northwest, the Andrus Awards are bestowed annually to individuals, nonprofit organizations, or collaborative community-based efforts that demonstrate a commitment to conservation of the environment through sustainability, outreach and service to community, adaptability and innovation, and leadership of others to pursue similar sustainability paths.

About Sustainable Northwest:

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon and celebrating its 15th Anniversary, Sustainable Northwest is distinguished by its ability to bring multiple – often opposing – sides of an issue together to craft and promote solutions to land management challenges. Entrepreneurial and committed to collaboration, Sustainable Northwest works at the local, regional and national levels to ensure that natural, local economies and rural communities can thrive. This year, the organization launched two new projects: the Forest Investment Zone Initiative, an effort to create jobs and restore forests in Eastern Oregon and Northern California; and Sustainable Northwest Wood, a social enterprise that connects builders in the Seattle and Portland markets with locally sourced, eco-friendly wood products.

« back to News Releases

Lava Lake Lamb specializes in grass fed natural and organic lamb. If you are looking for organic lamb or all-natural lamb, Click Here.