Iowa Division Awards
Conservation Award
This award is given to a member of the league in recognition of their contributions to conservation work. Some portion of the work must be done during
the preceding calendar year and must be done in conservation activities other than membership.
Conservation Youth Award
An award is presented to a youth or a group of youths under 21 years of age who have done outstanding work in conservation activity.
Conservation activity in the following areas will be considered: wildlife study / management, planting, improvements, soil water conservation, forestry and attendance
to special camps, schools, or workshops.
Fish & Game Officer of the Year
A plaque is presented to a DNR Conservation Officer that has upheld the fishing and gaming laws in your area and has been involved in the betterment of your community. A summary of these activities is required to be submitted with the nomination form.
Hall of Fame
To commemorate those Iowa Izaak Walton League members whose dedication to the League and its objectives is so superlative they deserve to be
memorialized. Neither long-term membership nor single achievement, however great, shall be sufficient for this award. The minimum requirement is long and devoted service to the league’s beliefs which result in a record of truly outstanding accomplishment. This requires nomination from a chapter.
Ronald Kuntz Legislator of the Year Award
A plaque is presented to the Iowa Legislator that best exemplifies the goals of the league in sound representation of the environmental and conservation interest in Iowa. This award is funded by the Ronald Kuntz trust.
Beverly McCrindle “Cleaner Streams Award”
A plaque is presented in recognition for an accomplishment in water pollution abatement in any of the following
areas: industrial, municipal, or agricultural.
Rookie of the Year Award (Every Chapter)
This award is given to a new chapter member who has shown outstanding work during their first three years as a member.
Soil Conservationist of the Year
This awarded is presented to a landowner who has shown advanced practices in soil conservation. This may be through terracing, no-till, ponds, wildlife plantings, etc… A summary of these activities and chapter nomination are required.
Teacher of the Year
This award is presented to a teacher in conservation education in the school system. A summary of conservation activities of what they have done in
the past 1-3 years, 2021 -2024.
Ries Tuttle Communication Award
This award is presented to a person or organization that best exemplifies the goals of the League by informing people of conservation needs and issues. Or by providing information to the conservationist through newspapers, radio, TV, lectures, photographic display, or social media.
Iowa Division New Awards Since 2022
These awards are National awards, that we added to our Iowa Division Awards in 2022. It’s a great way to acknowledge our chapters and to highlight and promote conservation in Iowa. Most of these awards would be certificates or a small token of our appreciation.
Iowa Honor Roll Award – (Honor Roll Award)
This award is designed to recognize non- members (groups or individuals) who have achieved outstanding accomplishments involving
conservation, public education, or publicity efforts in keeping with the League’s goals.
Save Our Streams Volunteer Awards
This award recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations (member or non-member) judged to have done outstanding work in
demonstrating the principles of environmental education and citizen activism for clean water during the past year. The IWLA offers different programs that can be shared with others, such as: Winter Salt Watch, Chemical Monitoring, Macro Monitoring or Creek Critters.
Leopold Chapter Conservation Award – (James Lawton Childs Award)
This award recognizes the chapter that has carried out the most outstanding conservation program(s) during the past year. (Must be more than membership meetings.) (Aldo Leopold, 1887- 1948 was born in Burlington, IA. was an American author, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester,
conservationist, and environmentalist.
Considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology and the United States’ wilderness system, Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast. Among\ his best-known ideas is the “land ethic,” which calls for an ethical, caring relationship between people
and nature.)
Iowa Chapter Youth Program Award – (Robert C. O’Hair Award)
This award recognizes the chapter that has carried out the most outstanding youth program(s) during the past year.
(Must be more than trap.)
Iowa Outdoor America’s Future Award
This award is presented to one youth or student member, or someone considered a member as part of a family membership. Who has volunteered many hours at the local or state level in conservation projects, related efforts in school, community service, or chapter leadership development. By virtue of his/her grassroots
efforts, is considered an “up and coming” future leader of the League.
Ding Darling Newsletter Award
This award is presented to a chapter judged to have the best newsletter(s) in terms of appearance, originality, timeliness, and news coverage. Focused
on local chapter events but also provide information about Iowa Division and National news, as well as community-related conservation topics. (Electronic newsletters; make sure your chapter includes president.state.division@gmail.com or send printed to Iowa Division of the Izaak
Walton League, P.O. Box 1631, Des Moines, IA 50305-1631.)
Jay Norwood Darling (Ding Darling)1876-1962 was born in Norwood Michigan, in 1876. He spent much of his youth in Sioux City, Iowa, Winner of Pulitzer Prizes, Ding was a top-ranking political cartoonist syndicated in 130 daily newspapers, Darling reached an audience of many millions with cartoons noted for their wit and political satire. He was awarded Pulitzer Prizes in 1923 and 1942, and in 1934 was named the best cartoonist by the country’s leading editors.
Best Chapter Website
This award is presented to a chapter judged to have created and/or maintained the most effective website during the past year in terms of appearance, originality,
timeliness, and news coverage. Focused on local chapter events but also provided information about Iowa Division and National news, as well as community-related conservation topics.
R3 Award
Recruitment, Retention, & Reactivation – this award is presented to a chapter that carried out the most effective membership recruitment and retention programs in
the prior year.
Lifetime Above & Beyond Achievement Award
This is the highest honor from the Iowa Division. This award is presented to a member that has made an outstanding contribution to the League on the local, state, and national levels in outstanding accomplishment in furthering the mission and goals of the League over the course of 30 years. This “Lifetime” special award will be decided by the Iowa Division Board and given out when appropriate.
In 2019, at the National Convention in Des Moines, the Iowa Division Board gave out a new award to honor Dale Brentnall, a member, for his “Lifetime Commitment to Conservation and our IWLA Mission You Have Gone Above and Beyond”. In 2021, we gave out two of these special awards to Tom Holm and Dean Knight. In 2022, at the state convention we gave it to Jim Caliguri.