Previous Homer Campbell Award Winners

• 2013- Joel Geier
• 2012- Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank
• 2011- Steve Northway
• 2010- Jeff Mitchell
• 2009- Elsie Eltzroth
• 2008- Bill & Carla Chambers, Stahlbush Island Farms
• 2007- Wally & Mary Eichler
• 2006- Bob & Liz Frenkel
• 2005- Elzy Eltzroth

• promotion of environmentally sustainable practices.
• leadership on local environmental issues.
• classroom education of environmental stewardship.
• habitat restoration or preservation.

Both long-standing and short-term but significant contributions will be considered for this award.

A committee from ASC will recommend one of the nominees for approval by the entire Board. The selected awardee will then be recognized at the April ASC General Meeting and presented with an engraved plaque. The awardee's name will also be engraved on a permanent plaque that hangs at Hesthavn.

Nominations should consist of a letter that describes how the actions or activities of the nominee fit the above-described (or related) criteria. Nominations should include contact information for both the nominee and the nominator and will be accepted until January 31st.

Email submissions may be sent to Linda Campbell, lcampbell@peak.org; Karan Fairchild, alderspr@peak.org; or to Dave Mellinger, mellinger@oregonstate.edu

Snail mail submissions should be addressed to:

ASC
PO Box 148
Corvallis OR 97339
ATTN: HC Award Committee

Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank are the winners of the Homer Campbell Environmental Award for 2012. They have both exemplified green living and have guided many people in appreciating and understanding the natural world. Both of them exemplify environmentally sustainable practices, both in their daily life and also in how they communicate this to others. They are never "preachy" but are always demonstrating how it's possible to live happily without a car, commute by bicycle, work in the community gardens, enjoy and respect nature, and so on. Many of us wish that we could live up to their positive example.

Both of them show leadership on local environmental issues, again mostly by example. Through their organization Neighborhood Naturalist, they conduct nature walks for the public at which they point out interesting features -- birds, plants, tracks, mammals, insects, scat, herps, and so on. They consistently encourage mid-valley residents to focus on the environment that is close to all of our back yards. In so doing, without being strident in any way, they give others the knowledge and sense of attachment that is so vital to environmental advocacy.

Also through Neighborhood Naturalist, they publish a seasonal newsletter that highlights an interesting plant, animal, or other organism, promoting education and exploration to all ages. The Neighborhood Naturalist web site also features photos, sounds, and videos they have made of local wildlife as well as educational materials for downloading.

Through Neighborhood Naturalist, they have been instrumental in making the first two years of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition's Natural Areas Celebration Week a resounding success. The Neighborhood Naturalist program led many of the hikes during the celebration week and helped us introduce plants, animals and local natural areas to over 300 members of our community. In addition to the hikes, they also offered a showing of their movie, A Mid-Valley Safari, as well as a collection of high quality photos illustrating bird migration. They were instrumental in creating posters and fliers for the event.

Their Birding in the Willamette Valley and Birding By Ear classes offered through the Corvallis Environmental Center over many years have introduced many local residents to the natural world around us. When opportunities are posted to work on habitat restoration and preservation, Don and Lisa have shown up and worked hard, usually adding quite a bit to the event by sharing their knowledge with other volunteers.

Don and Lisa's passion for the outdoors is obvious in how dedicated they are to sharing their knowledge with those around them. Their natural talent for observing, attracting and documenting wildlife is truly a gift that we are thankful they are so willing to share.

Dave Mellinger