On April 27, well-known Bitterroot environmentalist Stewart Brandborg of Hamilton was presented with the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award by the Conservation Roundtable. About 50 people attended the presentation of the award at the Brandborg home. The award was presented by Bruce Bugbee of Missoula, chairman of the Conservation Roundtable, Robin Tawney Nichols of Missoula, a member of the Roundtable, and Dale Burk of Stevensville, also a member of the Roundtable, who read the citation giving the award to Brandborg.
Brandborg was nominated for the award by Bitterroot Star publisher Michael Howell who was unable to attend due to a family emergency.
Burk said that Brandborg’s induction was long overdue. “His humble beginnings and practiced insistence on caring about policies protecting the powerless people in our society as well as wild things and wild places emanated from the land of his origin where his convictions regarding wildness were formulated, the Bitterroot Valley. We further hold that that beginning, his upbringing, and his early education led directly to a lifelong, unshakable conservation ethic.”
According to Burk, Brandborg has been “tirelessly” fighting for wilderness and wildlife for six decades, including wildlands from Montana to Alaska.
Brandborg earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife technologies from the University of Montana in 1947, subsequently worked for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and in 1954 accepted a position as assistant conservation director of the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, D.C. While still with NWF, he was elected to the governing board of The Wilderness Society. He began working for The Wilderness Society in 1960, and in 1964 accepted the position as the society’s director. He worked to propose and support wilderness for designation under the 1964 National Wilderness Preservation Act after it was passed. He also lent the support of TWS to stopping a proposal for a Trans-Alaska pipeline that threatened wilderness and wildlife in Alaska. Although the pipeline was eventually built, the efforts of TWS led to greater environmental regulations and the declaration of more than 100 million acres of parks, refuges and wild rivers in Alaska. In 1982, Brandborg became the national coordinator for the Regional Environmental Leadership Conference Series – a project that empowered hundreds of citizens across the country to involve themselves effectively in issues of their heart. He closed out his career in Washington, D.C. working for the U.S. Department of Interior.
Since returning to the Bitterroot Valley in 1986, Brandborg has continued to be involved in environmental issues. He is a founding member of Friends of the Bitterroot, an early member of Bitterrooters for Planning and a founding member and advocate of Bitterrooters for Responsible Government. And, in 2010, he was honored by The University of Montana, his alma mater, with an Honorary Doctorate of Science.
In his remarks, Burk quoted Brandborg: “I think it is vitally important for people living close to the land to recognize a continuing responsibility to work to protect it.”
“The greatest element of his (Brandborg’s) legacy,” said Burk, “is the teaching, inspiring, and empowering of others of similar thought and intent to join, here in Montana and across the country, in a unified effort to save wild things and places that we all love so much.”
The award was only the fourth Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award given by the Conservation Roundtable in its 25-year history. The group annually presents three awards, the major one called the Don Aldrich Award that goes to an individual for her or his involvement in conservation issues over a long period of time, the Arnold Bolle Award to a professional in natural resource management or environmental protection who has performed exceptional public service in those fields, and the Burk-Brandborg Award to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding activism in the fields of natural resource management or environmental protection.
“Brandborg is truly inspirational,” said Michael Howell later. “Anyone who knows him recognizes his indomitable spirit. Whether you agree with his views or not, he deserves tremendous credit for acting on his deeply-held beliefs, never giving up, and always looking ahead toward what needs be done next. He has so much personal integrity.”
The award happens to coincide with the release of a book about Brandborg’s father, Guy, also known for his conservation efforts.
“The Bitterroot and Mr. Brandborg,” by Frederick H. Swanson, tells the story of Guy M. Brandborg and his profound impact on the practices of the U.S. Forest Service. According to the book’s press release, “Swanson’s crisp narration of how one national forest supervisor understood the connection between the forests and grasslands under his care and the communities that were dependent on these resources brings a fresh perspective to a long-standing controversy over public land management. This compelling study will appeal to scholars as well as those concerned about forestry and the environment.”
A book signing with the author is scheduled for Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton.