Secretary Salazar Presents Missouri River Bank Stabilization Project with Partners in Conservation Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Missouri River Bank Stabilization Project, recognizing individuals from the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, federal and South Dakota state agencies as well as private engineering and contracting firms.

The Secretary presented the multi-group project with one of 26 national awards to individuals and organizations at a ceremony at Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C. to honor “those who achieve natural resource goals in collaboration and partnership with others.”

“The Partners in Conservation Awards demonstrate that our greatest conservation legacies often emerge when stakeholders, agencies, and citizens from a wide range of backgrounds come together to address shared challenges,” the Secretary said.

“This particular partnership developed a plan to protect the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System's infrastructure while stabilizing and enhancing the bank of the Missouri River within an area designated as a National Recreational River,” the Secretary said. “Cooperation produced a highly successful design that helps ensure delivery of water to three states as well as environmental protection of the river.”

“These 26 awards recognize the dedicated efforts of 600 individuals and organizations, from across our nation– and from across our borders with Canada and Mexico,” Salazar noted. “They celebrate partnerships that conserve and restore our nation's treasured landscapes and watersheds, partnerships that engage Native American communities, and partnerships that engage youth.”

Award recipients include:

Banner Associates

Ron Bergen

Timothy R. Conner

David C. Odens

Matthew Q. Rippentrop
Bureau of Reclamation

Joseph E. Hall

Theodore L. Hall

Scott A. Jacobson

James Kangas

Faye Streier

Jame L. Todd
HDR Engineering Inc.

John Engle

Daniel Graber

Charles “Chip” Haas

Meagan Hall

Teresa C. Konda

Terry Stoltenow
Lake Regional Contracting, Inc.

Thomas Powell
Lewis & Clark Regional Water System

Lennis “Red” Arndt

Jim Auen

Troy Larson

Dan Zulkosky
National Park Service

Tyler Cole

Wayne Werkmeister
South Dakota Department of Environment and Resources

David Ryan
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

John Kirk

David J. Ode

Steve VanderBeek
South Dakota State University

Gary Larson
TRC Environmental Corporation

Jan Hart

Bruce R. McClelland

Edward Schneider
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

David L. Derrick

Thomas Lowin

Daniel Pridal

John Remus

Jerome Tworek

Luke Wallace
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Charlene Bessken

Scott Larson
Welfl Construction Corporation

Jakob Brouwer

Kevin Schulz