Recognizes collaborative/integrated efforts in aquatic resource management or monitoring that resulted in or will result in meaningful changes in National Forest System aquatic resource condition:

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program: Kerry Kemp, Andrew Hart, Jennifer Ramsay, Seth Kammer and Alyssa Robbins

Over the past four years, the North Central Washington team worked tirelessly with their aquatic and watershed program to raise $15 million to fund, plan and accomplish 16 aquatic organism passages, floodplain restoration, road removal and upgrades, stream habitat improvements benefitting 120 miles of sensitive fish habitat, and important headwater streams. The team worked with a host of partners to integrate aquatic restoration with hazardous fuels reduction. Partners came from the timber industry, other governments, tribes and others interested in repairing damaged streams, lakes and wetlands.   

Honors a Forest Service individual in the fisheries or watershed program with less than a decade of service who has made significant contributions to the field and who exemplifies outstanding Forest Service professionalism:

Sam Spengler began his career with the Forest Service in 2017 and exemplifies what it means to be innovative and collaborative. His attention to detail and work ethic have earned the respect of peers and partners alike. His passion for restoring hydrologic processes has led to a series of successful aquatic restoration projects on Malheur National Forest Prairie City Ranger District. He has also taken a highly active role within the district range and fisheries programs from implementing range improvement projects to leading mussel salvage efforts. His work has improved ecosystems, strengthened partnerships and advanced restoration science.  

Honors an individual or a group of soil scientists, located on a field unit or research station, for exceptional effectiveness and creativity in applying soil and site information to maintain ecological integrity on national forests and grasslands:

Mark Farina has spent the last two years developing soil moisture monitoring protocols to support vegetation management. This work to improve ecological integrity and operational efficiency on national forest lands is leading the way to transform vegetation and soil management practices on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, introducing a data-driven, conditions-based approach. Farina has gone above and beyond to find increased efficiencies and data that will help him make recommendations faster and more accurately.

Recognizes significant endeavors in promoting aquatic resource awareness or management highlighting recreational fisheries. Emphasizes connecting people to the outdoors through fishing, boating and other aquatic activities while promoting the value and benefits of fish and aquatic resources. Honors the champions of fishing events for kids and families, removing barriers to fishing access and increasing angler visits to national forests:

Adriana Maria Morales inherited the Siuslaw National Forest Family Fishing Day on the Hebo Ranger District. Morales was passionate about fishing day and expanded it to three annual events at Hebo Lake. She coordinated with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and secured funding for events and prizes. The 20 fishing days since Morales’ takeover have connected hundreds of youth from nearby communities to recreational fishing and the forest.

The Jack Adams Award is presented annually to a Forest Service wildlife biologist, fisheries biologist or botanist who exemplifies the characteristics and qualities of Jack Adams, wildlife biologist for the Forest Service from 1961 to 1984:

Denise Pengeroth’s career personifies leadership, integrity and unwavering dedication to wildlife conservation and public service. Pengeroth has championed biodiversity and sustainable management practices that have left an enduring legacy across Region 1. One of Pengeroth’s most significant contributions centers around the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit, the only congressionally designated wildlife management unit within the National Forest System where wildlife habitat is explicitly the principal resource value. Pengeroth has served as the Elkhorns coordinator since 2007, prioritizing the wildlife management unit as a model of collaborative conservation. Through partnerships with the Elkhorn Working Group, Big Elk Divide Restoration Committee, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, she has ensured that the unit maintains diverse habitats and sustainable resource management, resulting in abundant wildlife populations.

Honors science leadership, accomplishment and intellectual curiosity contributing to freshwater ecology, fisheries, and watershed management. Weaves new knowledge, discovery or synthesis into watershed research or management, more fully developing the story of why we should care about aquatic resources:

Johnny Boggs has dedicated his career to the fundamental advancement of forest hydrology and watershed science and its applications to forest management. His long-term research on the effects of forest management on hydrology and water quality is outstanding. Watershed experiments have been the cornerstone of watershed science for managing water resources for over 100 years in the United States, including long-term research using the Paired Watershed Experiments on the effects of forest management on hydrology and water quality. Boggs’ accomplishments include more than 30 reports and publications that quantify the effects of forest management activities, giving watershed tours and training, and mentorship of both undergraduate and graduate students.

This award is presented periodically to a current or past Forest Service employee in the field of wildlife, fisheries and rare plants who exemplifies the characteristics, accomplishments and qualities of Lloyd W. Swift Sr., a wildlife biologist for the Forest Service (1928-1963). As part of his long and illustrious career with the Forest Service, Lloyd served as the National Wildlife and Fisheries Director from 1944 through 1963.

John Kilgo has been extensively involved with The Wildlife Society, the professional organization of wildlife biologists, serving in leadership roles at all levels of the organization. For that service and for his professional accomplishments, he was recognized as a Fellow in 2022, making him at the time one of only seven Forest Service biologists ever to receive such designation. The scope of Kilgo’s research accomplishments and impact are felt within the scientific community and beyond. His extensive body of published literature includes 153 primary and co-authored peer reviewed journal articles, 10 books and book chapters and a book review in the Wilson Bulletin. Kilgo’s work has been cited more than 5,000 times through Google Scholar and covered on television, radioand podcasts and in magazines and newspapers.

Recognizes an external partner who has made outstanding contributions to or advanced the effectiveness of the Forest Service fisheries, aquatic resources or watershed stewardship programs:

Jeremy Geist has made exceptional contributions to the effectiveness of aquatic habitat management in northern Michigan for more than 10 years. Geist and his team have helped improve more than 250 stream miles, including nearly 30 road-stream crossing improvements, to support aquatic organism passage on the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Geist has led impressive collaborative restoration projects on state and private lands across the Lower Peninsula and other national forests on the Upper Peninsula, contributing to watershed-scale conservation benefits across Michigan. He has been a leader in the multi-year and multi-state Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Brook Trout Monitoring Effort, a collaboration among the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Recognizes an external partnership group that has made outstanding contributions to or advanced the effectiveness of the Forest Service fisheries, aquatic resources or watershed stewardship programs:

The South Yuba River Citizens League has been spearheading innovative meadow restoration projects across the Tahoe National Forest for more than a decade. They have taken on one of the largest meadow restoration projects in Van Norden Meadow, one of the largest sub-alpine meadows in the Sierras, restoring 485 acres of stream and wetland habitat. This effort required extensive collaboration among the Forest Service, Truckee Donner Land Trust, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and numerous other partners and universities. Since 2015, the league has fundraised and written grants for $18.5 million toward meadow restoration efforts that resulted in more than 840 acres of meadow restoration implemented and another 378 acres in the planning phase, contributing to significantly improved watershed health.

Recognizes line officers who have demonstrated sustained outstanding management resulting in protection, enhancement, interagency cooperation, and partnerships benefiting aquatic resources, especially threatened and endangered and at-risk species conservation through implementation and support of effective and innovative stewardship programs.

District Ranger Ruth D’Amico consistently exhibits leadership and management excellence across fisheries, hydrology, vegetation, soil science and wildlife programs. Her outstanding leadership has resulted in meaningful protection and enhancement of aquatic resources, including all five Pacific salmon species found on Chugach National Forest. These species are an invaluable resource to the overall health of the ecosystems, the Alaska economy, and residents and visitors. D’Amico is a natural leader whose contributions and meaningful collaborations, both on and off National Forest System lands, embody the spirit of this award. One of her significant accomplishments is her outstanding support and strategic oversight of the Resurrection Creek Phase II Stream and Riparian Restoration Project, where she secured nearly $8 million for stream and wetland restoration, as well as revegetation, to mitigate legacy mining impacts.

Recognizes singularly outstanding performance by an air quality specialist, manager, scientist or technician who displays excellence through initiative, skill, determination, commitment and/or achievement in furthering the stewardship of air resources on national forests and grasslands. The award honors the work of Dr. Paul Miller, a world-class Forest Service scientist who pioneered early studies of the effects of air pollution on forests:

Ralph Perron is recognized for 20 years of stewardship of air resources in the Northeast and his support to air specialists throughout the country. Throughout his career, Perron has exemplified the philosophy behind the Paul Miller award, furthering the stewardship of air resources through hard work, perseverance, and passion for the land. Without him, it would be difficult to evaluate the success of the Clean Air Act and other programs aimed at reducing air pollution.

Recognizes sustained high performance fostering technically sound fish/aquatic resource management or innovative approaches with lasting impact in any aspect of aquatic resource management, monitoring or mentoring:

Paul Powers exhibited work in sustained, science-based leadership in aquatic restoration, nationwide mentoring, and innovative, process-based approaches that measurably improved watershed and fish habitat function. Powers expanded the assessment, design and implementation of hundreds of technical sites, expanding the Enterprise Program’s aquatic restoration footprint primarily from Regions 6 and 10 to the rest of the agency. He built national capacity through mentorship and training, integrated aquatic restoration with critical agency priorities, including wildfire, and collaborated across disciplines and with external partners to establish consistent, high-quality restoration practices. He has expanded national capacity, accelerated delivery of complex valley and floodplain restoration, and elevated the technical proficiency of practitioners across multiple regions—leaving a lasting impact on aquatic resource management and the agency’s restoration culture.

Recognizes significant contributions in communicating the aquatic resource or watershed stewardship management story:

Ashley Bolwerk and Heather Bauscher: For more than a decade the Tongass National Forest has partnered with University of Alaska Southeast and Sitka Conservation Society to educate and engage students and other citizens to increase public involvement in the Alaska federal subsistence regulatory process. Ashley Bolwerk’s and Heather Bauscher’s dedication to the youth course has refined curriculum and expanded enrollment within Sitka and developed remote cohorts of students in the communities of Hoonah, Wrangell and Petersburg. This partnership provides education and avenues for the next generation to advocate for their community resources by teaching students to think critically and navigate regulatory processes. The pair has expanded relationships throughout multiple agencies and regulatory governing bodies to ensure that students have a meaningful and positive experience. It is vital for our youth to understand that their voices and participation in the public process matter—Bolwerk’s and Bauscher’s commitment to this partnership’s success ensures this.

Recognizes a high level of performance by hydrologists and hydrologic technicians that are engaged in watershed management on the nation’s forests and grasslands or in delivery of hydrologic services to domestic or overseas partners as part of their normal duties. This award, named in honor of the first watershed experiments in the United States at the Wagon Wheel Gap Experimental Forest on the Rio Grande National Forest:

Lindsey Goss demonstrates absolute dedication and love for Hiawatha National Forest, embodying her career philosophy to stay at one forest in order to accomplish larger, long-term projects and goals. Her work has brought the forest watershed program beyond standard by cultivating partnerships and securing millions of dollars in grant funding. She fosters a collaborative work environment by providing clear direction, technical oversight, and patient mentorship to partner crews, ensuring work meets agency standards.