Sand County Foundation and Nebraska Cattlemen are proud to announce the finalists for the 2007 Leopold Conservation Award in Nebraska.

The Leopold Conservation Award, named in honor of world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, is comprised of $10,000 and a Leopold crystal. The award is presented annually in seven states to private landowners who practice responsible land stewardship and management.

“These finalists were chosen from a number of exceptional, well-deserving candidates,” said Dr. Brent Haglund, Sand County Foundation President. “This is proof that Nebraska ranchers’ long-standing ethic of conservation continues to flourish.”

The 2007 finalists (in alphabetical order):

• Rod & Amy Christen – Steinauer

• Hamilton Ranch, Dave & Loretta Hamilton – Thedford

• Ridder Hereford Ranch, John & Mary Ridder – Callaway

• Wine Glass Ranch, Jeff & Connie Pribbeno – Imperial

The 2007 Leopold Conservation Award recipient will be recognized November 29 at the Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Convention in Kearney.

The panel of judges for 2007 was comprised of:

• Bobbie Kriz-Wickam – Nebraska Department of Agriculture

• David Sands – Nebraska Land Trust

• Jim Van Winkle – Sand Hills Task Force

• Mark Brohman – Nebraska Environmental Trust

The 2006 award recipient was the fifth generation Wilson Ranch, owned by brothers Blaine and Bryan Wilson, and located northeast of Lakeside in the Nebraska Sandhills.

For more information, please visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org or contact Mike Fitzgerald, 402-475-2333, mfitzgerald@necattlemen.org

ABOUT SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION

Sand County Foundation (www.sandcounty.net) is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. Sand County’s mission is to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes. Sand County Foundation works with private landowners because the majority of the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural resources are found on private lands. The organization backs local champions, invests in civil society and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that endure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health as an essential alternative to many of the commonly used strategies in modern conservation.

ABOUT THE LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD

The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. The award consists of a crystal depiction of Aldo Leopold seated on a horse and a check for $10,000. In 2006, Sand County Foundation will present Leopold Conservation Awards in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and California. We anticipate offering awards in four additional states in 2007.

The awards are presented to accomplish three objectives: First, they recognize extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation on the land of exemplary private landowners. Second, they inspire countless other landowners in their own communities through these examples. Finally, they provide a visible forum where leaders from the agriculture community are recognized as conservation leaders to groups outside of agriculture.

ABOUT NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN

The Nebraska Cattlemen (www.nebraskacattlemen.org) is a grassroots organization whose individual producer members determine issues of importance to the Nebraska beef industry. The mission of the Nebraska Cattlemen is to nurture profitability for Nebraska beef producers and to provide leadership to the cattle industry in Nebraska, across the United States, and around the world.

Nebraska Cattlemen performs three basic functions. First, the association represents the beef cattle industry to the legislative and administrative branches of the state and federal governments. Second, it explains beef production (including safety of the product, use of natural resources, care of animals, and beef economics) to the public and opinion influencers. Third, it provides economic and other information to members to aid them in their own planning and management.

The Nebraska Cattlemen association serves as the spokesman for the state’s beef cattle industry and represents professional cattle breeders, ranchers and feeders, as well as 48 county and local cattlemen’s associations. Its headquarters are in Lincoln and second office in Alliance serves cattlemen in western Nebraska.