Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 North Dakota Leopold Conservation Award®. The award honors ranchers, farmers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.
“Leopold Conservation Award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”
The 2025 recipient of the award was the Brian and Vicki Maddock family.
The application form can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/
The application deadline is April 15, 2026. Applications must be emailed to NorthDakotaLCA@
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In North Dakota, the $10,000 award is presented with North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.
The Leopold Conservation Award Program in North Dakota is made possible thanks to the generous support of American Farmland Trust, North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts, North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, Sand County Foundation, Starion Bank, North Dakota Game & Fish Department, Audubon Great Plains, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, Cass County Soil Conservation District, Cow Chip Ranch, Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, Emmons County Soil Conservation District, KEM Electric Cooperative, Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, Pheasants Forever, Roughrider Electric Cooperative, Slope Electric Cooperative, The Nature Conservancy, The Wildlife Society, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of North Dakota.
Award applications may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves.
For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.
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