EBS STAFF
Cam Sholly, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, has earned the 2023 Forest Resilience Champion Award for his efforts to conserve whitebark pine.
Whitebark pine is “a federally designated threatened species that has experienced rapid decline across its range in the western U.S. over the past several decades,” according to a March 20 press release from American Forests, which presented the award to Sholly.
The release added that Sholly oversaw “critical work” to protect and restore the threatened trees in the park, working with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and tribal partners, as well as researchers and organizations including American Forests, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Ricketts Conservation Foundation.
“Superintendent Sholly’s leadership in conserving and restoring whitebark pine ecosystems in Yellowstone has been second to none,” Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests, stated in the release. “Through advancing partnerships, implementing best scientific practices, and protecting landscapes and communities alike, Superintendent Sholly is helping to restore not only whitebark pine populations but forests in the park as a whole.”
American Forests presents its annual Champion Awards “to leaders who help advance the health and restoration of America’s forests.”
“Thank you to American Forests for this award and for our tremendous shared work in raising awareness of the need for science-backed restoration of the landmark whitebark pine,” Sholly stated. “Everyone has a role in the recovery and conservation of this iconic species in the West, and I’m proud of the work we’re accomplishing across jurisdictions to provide a better future for our forests.”
