Excellence In Wilderness Stewardship

Stephen E. Hendricks of Asheville has been awarded the 2010 Aldo Leopold Stewardship Award. The U.S. Forest Service has given the award annually for the past two decades to a Forest, Ranger District, team, employee or partner for excellence in wilderness stewardship. This year's award will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Oct. 14.

Stephen E. Hendricks of Asheville has been awarded the 2010 Aldo Leopold Stewardship Award. The U.S. Forest Service has given the award annually for the past two decades to a Forest, Ranger District, team, employee or partner for excellence in wilderness stewardship. This year's award will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Oct. 14.

The award is named in honor of Aldo Leopold, a U.S. Forest Service employee in the 1920s and the author of A Sand County Almanac and many other famous books, essays, and publications regarding the relationship of humans and nature. He's recognized as one of the nation's greatest conservationists and the father of the American wilderness system and modern wildlife management.

A National Forest Wilderness stewardship is a challenging job. Sound wilderness management reflects meeting stewardship objectives articulated in the National Wilderness Act of 1964. Decisions reflect an understanding and appreciation of wilderness values. Careful stewardship of the wilderness resource ensures this ongoing resource for today's public and future generations.

Hendricks, a recently retired 32-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service, served primarily in the Southern Appalachian National Forests and on many regional and national assignments. He served as Planner/Landscape Architect for the National Forests in North Carolina for the past eight years. Hendricks holds a master of landscape architecture and environmental planning degree and a bachelor of architecture degree; he also done post-graduate studies in natural resource management. Hendricks is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Says Hendrick, ''Wilderness protected in perpetuity is one of those great American ideas that continues to spread around the world. Working with the designation and management of Wilderness has been one of the highlights of my career. I'm humbled to receive an award named for Aldo Leopold, one of my all time heroes.''