NOLS Honors Exemplary Land Managers from the National Park Service

Lander, Wyo.— The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has honored Tamara Naumann, Botanist for Dinosaur National Monument, and Kelly Hartsell, Education Program Manager for Shenandoah National Park, for their dedication to wilderness education and management. Ms. Naumann will receive the 13th annual NOLS Stewardship Award during the school’s annual awards ceremony on October 12, 2002 in Lander. Mr. Hartsell will receive his award in Boulder, Colorado in November.

In her more than eight years working in partnership with NOLS, Ms. Naumann has shown a commitment to improving public lands through education and volunteer stewardship. Her efforts to create hands-on service projects for NOLS students who visit the Monument have greatly enhanced the quality of the NOLS environmental curriculum, while making a positive impact on park resources. She master minded and received outside funding for her “Weed Warrior” program that educates and employs 770 volunteers each year who dedicate thousands of hours to improving the Monument’s natural resources.

Mr. Hartsell was instrumental in starting the Shenandoah National Park Wilderness Education Program, which has reached more than 350 Park Service staff and thousands of park visitors and local school children. In his role as national Leave No Trace (LNT) coordinator for the Park Service, Mr. Hartsell has shown exemplary commitment to the program. He has produced a National Park Service (NPS) LNT video, hosted four LNT masters courses in two years, and authorized funding for NPS employees to become certified LNT instructors.

Says Jennifer Lamb, NOLS’ Public Policy Director, “With these Stewardship Awards, NOLS applauds Ms. Naumann’s and Mr. Hartsell’s creativity, leadership and commitment to education as a critical wilderness management tool. We commend them for the dedication they have shown to developing partnerships with organizations like Leave No Trace and NOLS.”

NOLS initiated the Stewardship Award in 1990 to recognize land managers who have exhibited exceptional stewardship of the wild lands entrusted to their care. The school recognizes that to achieve its educational goals it needs high-quality land managers as key outreach partners. NOLS also recognizes that, with shrinking budgets and increasing demands on public land, these are challenging times for land managers. NOLS’ goal is to celebrate land managers like Tamara Naumann and Kelly Harstsell who rise to the occasion.

Founded in 1965 by mountaineer and educator Paul Petzoldt, NOLS is the recognized leader in wilderness education. As a private non-profit school, NOLS operates field expeditions around the world. Students learn wilderness skills and safety, conservation, and leadership. NOLS alumni include more than 60,000 graduates worldwide. Based in Lander, the school runs 14 to 95-day courses from nine locations around the world.