The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission earned 17 awards at the Association for Conservation Information annual conference July 22-26 in Arlington, Virginia. The awards recognized excellence in outreach, education and communications for the prior year.
ACI is a nonprofit organization of natural resources communicators representing wildlife conservation and parks and natural resource agencies. Its annual awards contest recognizes excellence and promotes craft improvement through peer critiques.
The awards are:
First place
- Communications Campaign: Marketing, for Beneath Nebraska Skies, state parks promotion, by Jane Gustafson, creative team, and Swanson Russell.
- Conservation Post of the Year, for Conservation Officer Screech Owl Rescue, Kristin Carder and Hunter Pearson.
- Education, for Nebraska Nature Nerd Trivia, Monica Macoubrie.
- Graphics: Advertising/Display, for Track Chair Trailer wrap, by Tim Reigert.
- Magazine: Destination, Historical or Cultural Article, for The Last Relic (Nebraskaland July 2023 edition), by Eric Fowler.
- Photography: People, for Foggy Fishing, by Eric Fowler.
- Photography: Studio/Enhanced, for Milky Way Pine, by Eric Fowler.
- Video Feature: Natural Resource Conservation, for Riverine Wetlands of Nebraska, a video project produced by the Platte Basin Timelapse Project and Nebraska Game and Parks.
- Video Feature: Outdoor Recreation, for Urban Wetlands of Nebraska, a video project produced by the Platte Basin Timelapse Project and Nebraska Game and Parks.
Third place
- Best Social Media Campaign, for Wetlands of Nebraska, a collaborative campaign with the Platte Basin Timelapse Project and Nebraska Game and Parks.
- Calendar, for the 2024 Nebraskaland Calendar by graphic designer Tim Reigert and photographers Eric Fowler, Jeff Kurrus and Justin Haag.
- Education, for Reptileology Magazine, by Monica Macoubrie and Donna Schimonitz.
- One-time Publication: Book/Report, for Focus on the Future Strategic Plan, by Mel Severin and Game and Parks leadership.
- Photography: Scenic, for Sandhills Fog: Ethereal Embrace, by Justin Haag.
- Poster, for Nebraska Reptile Diversity Poster, by Monica Macoubrie.
- Video Feature: Natural Resource Conservation, for Saline Wetlands of Nebraska, a video project produced by the Platte Basin Timelapse Project and Nebraska Game and Parks.
- Website, for OutdoorNebraska.gov by Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Kristin Carder, Mel Severin, Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley, Renae Blum and Jaclyn Vogt.
“Connecting Nebraskans to conservation and outdoor recreation is essential to our mission,” said Christy Firestone, Game and Parks’ communications director. “Our talented and enthusiastic team works in creative ways to educate, engage and inform people about natural resources, and ways to get involved in conservation and have fun in the outdoors.”
