Home

The NatureServe Conservation Award

2012 Honoree: William D. Ruckelshaus

NatureServe will present William D. Ruckelshaus with the 2012 Conservation Award during a plenary session at Biodiversity Without Boundaries 2012 in Portland, Oregon, on April 24, 2012. The award recognizes Mr. Ruckelshaus’ distinguished career and the unique character, scale, and diversity of his contributions to the protection of the natural environment.

Best known for his tenure as the first (and fifth) administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Ruckelshaus has long demonstrated a commitment to science as a guide to policy in both the public and private sectors. The award honors the many contributions that the Indiana native has made to biodiversity conservation in both of his adopted Washingtons—D.C. and state—and beyond, including:

  • His principled service emphasizing the value of science in guiding public policy during two appointments as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  • His formal representation of the United States at the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (informally known as the Brundtland Commission) from 1983 to 1987.
  • His appointment to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which developed recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy.
  • His role as U.S. envoy to the Pacific Salmon Commission, responsible for setting long-term goals and implementing a bilateral treaty to benefit the salmon and the United States and Canada.
  • His establishment and leadership of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, which provides the Pacific Northwest with a forum for collaborative problem-solving and conflict resolution on natural resource and policy issues.
  • His past chairmanship of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, where he led efforts to achieve overall salmon recovery, and of the Puget Sound Partnership, a community effort to develop and implement science-based priorities that spur action and ensure measurable success for the restoration of Puget Sound.

Mr. Ruckelshaus possesses an equally lengthy private-sector record of service and is currently a strategic director in the Madrona Venture Group and a principal in Madrona Investment Group. He was previously chairman (1988–1999) and CEO (1988–1995) of Browning-Ferris Industries and senior vice president for law and corporate affairs (1976–1983) and a board member at Weyerhaueser Company. He is a past board member of numerous corporations and currently serves on the boards of TVW, Long Live the Kings, Meridian Institute, and The Energy Foundation. He is the founding director and board member of the Initiative for Global Development and a board member emeritus of World Resources Institute and the Ruckelshaus Institute at the University of Wyoming.

Mr. Ruckelshaus and his wife, Jill, reside in Seattle, Washington. They have five children and 12 grandchildren.

About the Award

The NatureServe Conservation Award recognizes the achievements of a key individual or organization who, through their actions or example, has advanced public understanding and appreciation of biodiversity conservation, and thus helped to advance NatureServe’s mission.

Nominees have significantly raised the public profile of the importance of biodiversity conservation, exhibited innovation and creativity in their approach and impact, and demonstrated leadership in advancing science-based conservation. They instill in others a respect for scientific information and provide inspiration to take action toward conserving biodiversity.

Nominations are solicited from throughout the entire NatureServe network. The recipient is selected by a committee comprised of NatureServe staff, Board members, member program representatives, and an independent regional voice identified by the rest of the committee.

Mr. Ruckelshaus is the third winner of the award, joining previous winners from 2011, biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Edward O. Wilson, and in 2010, Dr. Robert E. Jenkins, founder of the NatureServe network’s natural heritage methodology.