by Michael Howell
Nicole Ballard, Education Program Manager for the Teller Wildlife Refuge, was selected last week as the 2022 recipient of the Emerging Conservationist Award by the Missoula Conservation Roundtable. The informal organization gathers annually to remember, honor and celebrate leaders in the wider Missoula community, including the Bitterroot and Blackfoot River valleys, for their accomplishments in many areas of resource conservation. Each year past candidates of the awards gather to select a new slate of awardees for recognition. As a result the group making the selection has grown since its founding in 1995 to include 85 past members.
The Emerging Conservationist Award recognizes emerging leadership in the field of natural resource management or environmental protection through individual action and effective partnerships. Ballard’s love of wildlife and the outdoors is palpable to anyone who has met her. The enthusiasm she exudes in talking about wildlife and conservation is visceral and authentic.
Growing up in the small town of Hermosa (population of 300), located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Ballard did a lot backpacking, camping and fishing in her youth. It was this early experience with wildlife and the outdoors and talking about it with others, she said, that engendered a passion in her that has only intensified over the years.
“I knew before I was out of high school that I wanted to do something with wildlife,” said Ballard, “so I looked into wildlife programs at four-year colleges and chose the University of Montana.” At the UM she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Non-profit Administration.
Her first outdoor job as a 15-year-old was actually giving guided tours in Rushmore Cave. Later she picked up quite a bit of hands-on experience with wildlife by working at a reptile zoo for a couple of years and one summer as zookeeper at the North Dakota Zoo, where she got to handle about 120 species of wildlife.
But as much as she likes working with wildlife, Ballard has just as much passion for talking to people about it. It was always part of her job. Whether in the cave, in the zoo, or in the wild, Ballard always found herself educating people at the same time.
“That’s the part I loved the most,” she said, “watching a young person’s face light up when they are learning these facts. They want to know more. When you can see that excitement and passion growing in people, that’s what it’s all about. I realized that’s where I want to go with wildlife, to save our natural world and protect what we love and what we need to survive.”
From her college training she jumped right into her “dream field” by accepting a full-time job offer from the Teller Wildlife Refuge as Education Program Manager where she has demonstrated not only an effusive passion for the job, but a lot of skill and expertise that is proving itself to be effective and the proof is in the pudding, as they say.
Tom Powers, who nominated Ballard for the award, said, “Nicole has done an amazing job in just one year at Teller.” Since starting on June 1, 2021, Ballard has grown the refuge’s education program by 270%.
“When I arrived, there wasn’t a really aggressive education program,” said Ballard. “It was passive. There wasn’t an active educator. My job was to create an education program from the ground up.”
“Teller Refuge’s mission is to inspire, educate and demonstrate conservation action,” she said. “My position is at the heart of that mission.”
Under her leadership, Teller’s education program grew from four offerings to 25. The number of school programs grew from five to 11 and the number of partnered programs grew from five to 14. The total number of programs grew from 14 in 2021 to 50 in 2022 under her management. She also succeeded in bringing in about $30,000 in grant funds for educational supplies that include things like model animal tracks, scats, skulls and horns for identification lessons. She is also working directly with teachers at the schools to tailor educational programs to the teacher’s interests. The programs can be conducted in the school classroom or at the refuge.
Sam Lawry, Teller’s executive director, said, “We are so thrilled to have Nicole deliver this diverse conservation education program here at Teller. Conservation education is key to our mission and Nicole is growing the program in a way that connects the community to on the ground conservation messaging to a diverse audience. Her passion and enthusiasm not only reaches classrooms, it includes adult education as well as social media platforms. She is truly a conservation warrior.”
Ballard is also putting together a library for school and community use. She emphasizes that the refuge’s programs are for the whole community, serving kindergarten to high school students as well as adults. The number of youth served is expected to grow from 370 to 1,350 over this year. The number of adults served is anticipated to grow from 95 in 2021 to 350 in 2022.
The refuge’s summer camp program is also booming, according to Ballard. The first are already filled and have waiting lists. An adult speaker series is also in the works and is scheduled on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. from June through September. The talks are free and held at the refuge.
The actual award presentations are scheduled to be held outdoors at the Fort Missoula Regional Park, Bella Vista Pavilion, on Thursday, September 22nd at 6 p.m.
The complete list of 2022 Conservation Roundtable Awardees include: Don Aldrich Award – Len Broberg; Arnold Bolle Award – Beth Schenk; Burk/Brandborg Award – Kevin Davis; Emerging Conservationist Award – Nicole Ballard; Lifetime Conservation Award – Mike Thompson.