Missouri Environmental Educator Awards
The Missouri Environmental Education Association annually recognizes those individuals and organizations, agencies, businesses or community groups that contribute to their vision of an environmentally literate citizenry.
Outstanding Service Award to an Individual
This award is presented to an individual to recognize his or her efforts to promote and provide EE leadership. Criteria: This MEEA member must have a minimum of 3 years experience in the field of EE and have made a significant contribution to EE. He or she should be known for one or more of the following: Dedicated service in the field of EE; Contributions in EE (e.g. developed curriculum, research, innovations, publications, legislation); Outstanding environmental action, contribution, or stance in supporting EE.
Recipients of the Individual Award
- 1999 - Mary Ann Carr
- 2000 - Steve Schneider (Lifetime Service Award), DNR, retired
- 2001 - Toni Piccini
- 2002 - Nancy McClintock, Center for Creative Learning, Ballwin
- 2003 - Jean Ponzi, St. Louis
- 2004 - Joan Leavens, Blue River Watershed Association
- 2005 - Barbara Lucks, City of Springfield
- 2006 - Jack Bowels, Ferguson Florissant School District, Clayton
- 2007 - Russ Barton
- 2008 - No Award
- 2009 - No Award
- 2010 - No Award
- 2011 - Keith Hannaman, Blue Springs South H.S.
- 2012 - No Award
- 2013 - Erica Cox, Projects WET, WILD, Learning Tree, Missouri State University
- 2014 - Nancy Schnell, Ferguson Middle School, retired
- 2015 - Tana Pulles, City of Springfield
- 2016 - Cathy Backs, Grace the Earth, Springfield
- 2017 - Rebecca Groebe, Heritage and Liberty Middle School, Kansas City
Environmental Education Service Award to an Organization, Agency (Public or Private) or Business.
This award is presented to an organization, agency, or business that promotes EE and supports the purpose and mission of MEEA. Criteria: This organization, agency, or business must have made a significant contribution to EE. It does not have to be a MEEA member, but should be known for one or more of the following: Contributions in EE (e.g. developed curriculum, research, innovations, publications, legislation); Creating a standard practice of EE within the organization (e.g. educating staff on important issues, putting into practice the use of environmentally-friendly products); Supporting other educational entities through collaboration or grant funding.
Recipients of the Organization Award
- 1999 - Mid America Energy and Resource Partners (now Earthways, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden)
- 2000 - St. Louis County Department of Health Recycling Program
- 2001 - The James Foundation
- 2002 - Bridging the Gap
- 2003 - Missouri Department of Conservation
- 2004 - Missouri River Relief
- 2005 - Grow Native
- 2006 - Department of Natural Resources Field Services: Environmental Education
- 2007 - AbitibiBowater Recycling Division: Paper Retriever Program - St. Louis, Kansas City
- 2008 - EarthShare of Missouri
- 2009 - Missouri Master Naturalist Program
- 2010 - No Award
- 2011 - No Award
- 2012 - St. Charles Soil and Water District
- 2013 - Discover Nature Schools
- 2014 - Columbia Water and Light
- 2015 - Greater Ozarks Audubon Society
- 2016 - Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
- 2017 - KC Water
Environmental Education Service Award to a Community-based or Local Grass-roots Organization
This award is presented to a grass-roots group (comprised of two or more individuals) to recognize the group's commitment to and success at improving the quality of community education and/or the local environment. Criteria: The group has successfully developed and implemented an outstanding community-based project that has positively enhanced the health of the environment/community and involves some kind of community education and/or mobilization; The group is not a for-profit enterprise; Individuals in the organization need not be members of MEEA.
Recipients of the Community or Grass-roots Organization Award- 2004 - PedNet - Pedestrian and Pedaling Network, Columbia
- 2005 - St. Louis Earth Day
- 2006 - No Award
- 2007 - KC Wildlands
- 2008 - Sustain Mizzou, University of Missouri, Columbia
- 2009 - Blue River Watershed Association
- 2010 - No Award
- 2011 - Greenway Network St. Peters
- 2012 - Kit Bond Incubator and St. Joseph School District GATE Program
- 2013 - Shaw Institute for Field Training (SIFT) and Tyson Environmental Research Fellowships (TERF), Washington University
- 2014 - No Award
- 2015 - Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems
- 2016 - James River Basin Partnership
- 2017 - Green Works, Kansas City
Environmental Education Service Award to a Student Group (initiated in 2009)
This award is presented to an active Student Organization (K-20) to recognize the group's commitment to and success at improving the quality of their school or campus and/or the local environment. Criteria: The group has successfully developed and implemented an outstanding school or campus based project that has positively enhanced the health of the school or community's environment and involves some kind of community education and/or mobilization of students; Individuals in the organization need not be members of MEEA.
Recipients of the Student Group Award
- 2009 - Missouri State Students for a Sustainable Future
- 2010 - No Award
- 2011 - North East Nodaway (NEN) Hope Foundation
- 2012 - No Award
- 2013 - No Award
- 2014 - No Award
- 2015 - Ladue Middle School Green Team
- 2016 - Missouri Southern State University Biology Club
- 2017 - Park Hill Plaza Middle School
Outstanding Lifetime Environmental Education Service Award
This award is presented to an individual to recognize his or her long-standing efforts to promote and provide EE leadership as a lifelong pursuit. Criteria: This MEEA member must have a minimum of 20 years of experience in the field of EE, and have demonstrated lifelong contributions to EE; He or she should be known for a combination of the above listed criteria for Outstanding Service; A non-MEEA member may be nominated if he or she demonstrates the listed criteria and his or her work supports MEEA's mission.
Recipients of the Lifetime Service Award
- 2004 - Jim Lubbers, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City
- 2005 - No Award
- 2007 - Joe Pitts, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City
- 2006 - No Award
- 2008 - Loring Bullard, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Springfield
- 2009 - Janice Greene, Missouri State University and Bull Shoals Field Station
- 2010 - No Award
- 2011 - No Award
- 2012 - Charles Marshall, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Retired), Squaw Creek NWR, Mound City
- 2013 - Nancy Snider, Missouri Department of Conservation, St. Charles
- 2014 - Jay Barber, Missouri Department of Conservation, Springfield
- 2015 - No Award
- 2016 - Melvin Johnson, Springfield-Greene Co. Parks (Retired)
- 2017 - Debby Barker, Lakeside Nature Center, Kansas City
Nominations Process
To nominate an individual, organization, agency, or business for any of the previously described award categories, please provide the following:
- Name of person, organization, agency, or business nominated;
- Title and address of nominee;
- Award Category (indicate one)
- Outstanding Service
- Certificate of EE Service for an:Organization, Agency, or Business
- Local or Grass Roots Organization
- Student Group
- Lifetime Service
- What contributions has the nominee made to the field of EE? (You may attach supporting documents. We may contact you for additional information.)
- Your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and a description of your relationship with the nominee.
Deadline: September 15, 2018
Email this information to Jan Weaver at weaverjc@missouri.edu