August 19, 2024: Linda Lehrbaum, who managed Bridging The Gap’s Kansas City WildLands program for more than 20 years, is being honored by the Natural Areas Association with the Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award.
Award recipients will be honored during the 2024 Natural Areas Conference: Where Science Meets Stewardship, October 7 – 10, 2024, in Manhattan, Kansas. The awards luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 10 at 11:00 am.
For more information about the annual conference or awards luncheon, please visit the link: https://www.naturalareas.org/2024_natural_areas_conference.php
About the Award
The Natural Areas Association recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated excellence in natural area stewardship. The Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award is given in recognition of excellence and achievement in managing the natural resources of reserves, parks, wilderness, and other protected areas. This prestigious award:
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have resolved or made a significant contribution to an issue related to identification, protection, and/or management of natural areas, and the mission of the NAA
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have developed creative or innovative strategies which have directly contributed to resolution of issues or otherwise greatly improved protection of natural areas.
- Recognizes individuals or groups who have made a major advance in the protection of natural areas and wildlands
About Linda and her work
Before her retirement in late 2023, Linda coordinated a large and diverse pool of volunteers and workdays for more than 20 years through her work with Kansas City WildLands. She also led natural resources coordination for partner organizations, which included conservation NGOs, city, county, and state agencies, and local universities. She lobbied for funding and support, promoted the organization, and personally performed land-management activities, including invasive species eradication and prescribed burning.
Lehrbaum’s creativity yielded a lasting legacy of conservation through programs like an early native seed collection program and an eastern red cedar Christmas tree harvest program, both novel ideas 15 years ago. Her persistence pushed the Johnson County Park and Recreation District and other county and city governments on both sides of the state line to take natural resource management seriously and supported the development of a national award-winning conservation program. She has shared extensive information on Kansas City WildLands restoration efforts at the local, state, and national levels, ensuring others could learn from the model she was foundational in creating.
Linda’s optimism and relentless willpower to push land managers to do better was critical in her career. There’s a lot of doom and gloom in conservation, but Linda never let a natural area collapse. She worked behind the scenes to bring whatever energy was needed to fight for the long-term success of these wild spaces. Her power to engage volunteers created several generations of land stewards across the region. Because of Linda’s consistent dedication for people and the land, the Kansas City metro is far better off. Her work was pivotal in upholding the integrity and biodiversity of our natural areas.
“NAA is thrilled to recognize Linda for her exceptional contributions to the natural areas profession,” said NAA Executive Director Lisa Smith. “Her leadership, dedication, and commitment to the protection and stewardship of natural areas are truly inspiring, and we are honored to celebrate her achievements.”
Congratulations, Linda!
