2005 National Arbor Day Awards

Good Steward Award

Henry Kernan, Albany, New York

After graduating from Yale Forestry School in 1941, Kernan went to the Andes of South America to search for the cinchona tree, a source of the quinine that was the only remedy for malaria at the time. He later worked with the United Nations Mission to Bolivia on forestry issues and taught sustainable forestry practices in many other countries. In all, Kernan helped improve conditions in 45 countries and founded the Forestry School in Spain. Back at home in the United States, Kernan purchased 1,200 acres of forest where today he shares his knowledge with visitors. He currently hosts "Woods Walks" for area nature groups and, in an annual May give-away, has distributed more than 50,000 seedling trees.

Dr. Lawrence Burtner, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Burtner carefully manages his nearly 400 acres to slow urbanization and replenish overgrazed areas. Selling 25 acres for a new elementary school, Burtner has created ponds, picnic shelters, small wetlands, and wildlife habitat on the land. In addition to a sizeable garden space for himself, Burtner worked with the local school board to create a cross country track that runs through the property and is used by local high schools, colleges, and universities. Local schools enjoy Burtner's farm for field trips and a unique opportunity to learn about trees and plants and their relationship to the environment.

• Lifetime Stewardship Award

  • Dr. Pedro Sanchez, Palisades, New York

• Frederick Law Olmsted Award

  • Huey Johnson, San Francisco, California

• Lawrence Enersen Award

  • Bob Bickelhaupt, Clinton, Iowa
  • Alan Hirsch, Sacramento, California

• Good Steward Award

  • Henry Kernan, Albany, New York
  • Dr. Lawrence Burtner, Harrisonburg, Virginia

• Lady Bird Johnson Award

  • Interstate MAX Yellow Line, Portland, Oregon
  • Texas Department of Transportation, Houston, Texas

• Project Award

  • Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
  • TREE POWER, Washington, DC
  • International Olympic Committee, Switzerland
  • Burnham Park Association, Morris Township, New Jersey
  • OPPD Arboretum, Omaha, Nebraska

• Education Award

  • TreeKeepers Kids, Detroit, Michigan
  • Take a Tree Walk, written by Jane Kirkland and published by Stillwater Publishing, Lionville, Pennsylvania

• Media Award

  • Arboretum America, by Diana Beresford Kroeger
  • Native Trees for North American Landscapes, by Guy Sternberg with Jim Wilson, published by the Timber Press, Portland, Oregon

• Celebration Award

  • The Fairbanks Arbor Day Committee, Fairbanks, Alaska
  • Arborfest 2004 - Grand Junction, Colorado

• Promise to the Earth Award

  • Albertsons Inc., Boise, Idaho