Year In Review 2012 The Leopold Conservation Award in California was presented in 2012 to Dino Giacomazzi. (pictured) Photo credit: Paolo Vescia PROFILES OF ALL EIGHT 2012 LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD RECIPIENTS CALIFORNIA COLORADO NEBRASKA SOUTH DAKOTA TEXAS UTAH WISCONSIN WYOMING ABOUT THE AWARD Aldo Leopold, whose writings and land ownership inspire Sand County Foundation’s devotion to the cause of private landowner conservation leadership, wrote that the landscape of any farm is the owner’s portrait of himself. Our Leopold Conservation Awards honor landowners who work ceaselessly to paint beautiful landscapes across our nation. The Leopold Conservation Awards recognize landowners actively committed to a land ethic. Working with prominent state conservation partners, Sand County Foundation presents the award, which consists of $10,000 and a Leopold crystal, in settings that showcase the landowners’ achievements among their peers. The Leopold Conservation Award is a productive investment in private lands conservation. The $10,000 that accompanies each award would not go very far as a direct investment in a conservation project. However, by using it to highlight, nationally, the outstanding stewardship being practiced by exemplary landowners, the award program indirectly leverages hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements to natural resources by a growing array of private landowners who make measurable, lasting enhancements to the land, water, and wildlife in their care. The Leopold Conservation Award program has several positive outcomes. It recognizes and celebrates extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation by private landowners and inspires countless others by example. It provides a prominent platform by which agricultural community leaders are recognized as conservation ambassadors to citizens outside of agriculture. Finally, the program builds bridges between agriculture, government, environmental organizations, industry, and academia to help advance the cause of private lands conservation. Sand County Foundation and its many partners and sponsors actively seek others to join this effort. An award program like this could not exist without quality landowner nominees or sustainable funding. So, please consider nominating a landowner for this prestigious award and/or making a financial contribution to the program. The Leopold Conservation Award program offers corporate sponsors or individual investors an opportunity to align themselves with outstanding agricultural families, while helping to ensure that these landowner conservationists receive the recognition they deserve. For more information, please visit: www.leopoldconservationaward.org Celebrating modern leaders of conservation In December 2012, Sand conservation -- issues that are important to the agricultural County Foundation and its community and the general public. The event will convene partners presented the Leopold Leopold Conservation Award recipients from across the Conservation Award to the 54th nation to address potential solutions to the most critical agricultural family since the agricultural and environmental issues facing our nation today. program began a decade ago. In the years ahead, we look forward Our 2012 Leopold Conservation Award recipients truly to honoring more committed, embody the concept of private conservation for the public effective leaders who embody the good. They recognize that their works of good stewardship spirit of a land ethic described in have far reaching benefits that touch all of us, and will for the writings of Aldo Leopold. generations. We have just begun showcasing meaningful stories of land For example, Colorado LCA recipients, Russell and Tricia owning families and their environmental achievements. Most Davis successfully integrate the needs of a productive beef of our ranch, farm, and forest conservation champions are not operation with the habitat needs of a suite of shortgrass yet visible to their peers, the general public, environmentalists, prairie wildlife species. Their 12,000-acre ranch focuses not or policy makers. Why? Because they are busy and impactful only on beef production but makes a meaningful connection out of our sight. with the community at large through birding, eco-tourism, agri-tourism and hunting. The Leopold Conservation Award program is intended to identify, honor the efforts, and tell some the stories of Similarly, California LCA recipient, Dino Giacomazzi is a America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters who are committed fourth-generation dairy farmer whose influence doesn’t stop to improving the health of the natural resources in their care. It at the boundaries of his land. He embraces conservation is our great honor to meet and learn from these and the many tillage to enhance soil, water, and especially air quality, in future families to be recognized through this program, while an area that experiences high air pollution levels. And he is making sure their accomplishments become more evident to a leader in communicating the importance of conservation those inside and outside of agriculture. In other words, bring practices to others inside and outside the agricultural their stories to light among other citizens. community through demonstrations, field days, and an active social media presence. Independent judging panels in each state must select one recipient from a number of worthy candidates each year. Innovation is a characteristic of all Leopold Conservation The number of quality applications reflects the tremendous Award recipients. The families mentioned here are but a few conservation work being done on private lands nationwide, but of the terrific landowners who advance “innovations on the it also makes the judges’ task very difficult. Selection standards land” through the Leopold Conservation Award program. are high, and those who are nominated have exemplary These families and their fellow award winners and finalists credentials. in each state, are modern leaders of conservation, and we benefit from their environmental improvements. Following is The eight Leopold Conservation Award recipients in this report a tribute to the 2012 award winners’ innovation, leadership, have made conservation a family tradition, many over several and fortitude. generations. It is a privilege to recognize them through the award program. And we will have an opportunity to honor Sincerely, many of them, along with their predecessors, as they gather for our 2013 Symposium entitled “Innovations on the Land: Private Conservation for the Public Good.” On July 25-26 in Lincoln, Neb., Sand County Foundation and partners will bring together award-winning landowner Brent M. Haglund, Ph.D. conservationists to exchange ideas about agriculture and President GIACOMAZZI DAIRY Dino and Julie Giacomazzi PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Photo credit: Paolo Vescia CALIFORNI2012 Leopold Conservation Award Recipient || CALIFOARNIA GIACOMAZZI DAIRY Hanford, “One of the greatest benefits of being California a dairy farmer is the relationship you have with the land and that, at the end of the day, you can go home, knowing that you produced Photo credits: something of value.” Paolo Vescia — DINO GIACOMAZZI Dino Giacomazzi is a fourth-generation dairy farmer whose farm is Not content to confine these successes to his own farm, Dino is a leader in comprised of 900 dairy cows on 900 acres in Hanford where the farm has communicating about the importance of conservation and agriculture to operated since 1893. Dino represents what it means to farm responsibly and other farmers. His communication methods are both new and traditional, sustainably, enhancing natural resources as part of his work. utilizing social media channels, including Twitter and a variety of blogs, and hosting demonstrations and field days at his farm to connect with “Ever since I started thinking about conservation as a practice, I have been those inside and outside of the agricultural community. He also published a seeking a reward,” Dino said. “The reward of leaving this farm for my son in farming guide to help dairy farmers transition to conservation tillage. These better condition than my father left it for me. It isn’t as much of a desire as outreach efforts have led to the adoption of conservation tillage on more than an obligation since my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had done 25,000 California acres. that for me. Conservation farming is really the only way I know how to do it … adapt to change, preserve the land, try to make money, and move the “Dino Giacomazzi exemplifies what it means to farm responsibly and family farm forward.” sustainably, improving overall land health and reaching out to others to advocate such practices,” wrote Michael Marsh, Western United Dairymen, Dino participated in one of the first conservation tillage projects in California, in his letter of recommendation. “He is the type of farmer the Leopold which has proven to enhance soil, water, and, especially, air quality in an area Conservation Award is designed to honor.” that typically experiences high air pollution levels. Dino credits conservation tillage for leading to higher yields with reduced costs for labor, equipment, and fuel. Building upon his experience with conservation tillage, Dino participates in research to help define the relationship between dairy farms and air and water quality. 2011 Koopmann Ranch 2008 Three Creeks Ranch PAST Tim Koopmann Chet Vogt CALIFORNIA 2010 Montna Farms 2007 Sierra Orchards RECIPIENTS Al Montna Craig and