WNPA Nominations and Applications

Review the Haury Lifetime Achievement Award description

ELIGIBILITY

Individuals who have demonstrated a continuous commitment and contribution to scholarly research in national parks and monuments leading to measurable, long-term, and noteworthy impact with sustained results over a career or lifetime are eligible to nominate.

Nominees must have demonstrated a clear personal commitment to the management, preservation, and interpretation of national parks and monuments and to turning research findings into relevant, engaging narratives that both inform and engage the public. The nominee’s contribution should be substantial enough to have influenced a particular field by sharing new research findings, new interpretations, or new theoretical analysis to advance a society’s knowledge or understanding of the subject.

The Emil W. Haury Award is a one-time lifetime achievement award.

REQUIREMENTS

The nominee’s body of work is

• Deemed exceptional in scholarly research over the course of a career or lifetime.
• Significant in its unique or innovative findings, theoretical constructs, inclusive mentorship, educational approaches, or practices and/or has made exceptional practical application(s) of other’s research.
• Represented by a single highly significant book, or a minimum of five publications as primary author in refereed academic journals, or a minimum of eight publications as a secondary author in refereed academic journals, or significant contributions as a presenter at professional conferences, or any combination thereof.

NOMINATION OPTIONAL UPLOADS

• Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV, course of life) or resume summarizing the nominee’s body of work. Although this is optional, it is highly recommended.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows relative to the uploaded document: nominee’s firstname.lastname.cv or nominee’s firstname.lastname.resume (Example: john.smith.cv or john.smith.resume)
• One PDF file with all documents that support your nomination, not to exceed five pages.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows: nominee’s firstname.lastname.haury (Example: john.smith.haury)

Submit your Haury Award Nomination

Review the Danson Award description

ELIGIBILITY

Current and former National Park Service staff, educators, researchers, and others who display exceptional support for WNPA and national parks are eligible to nominate.

NOMINATION OPTIONAL UPLOADS

• Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV, course of life) or resume summarizing the nominee’s body of work. Although this is optional, it is highly recommended.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows relative to the uploaded document: nominee’s firstname.lastname.cv or nominee’s firstname.lastname.resume (Example: john.smith.cv or john.smith.resume)
• One PDF file with all documents that support your nomination, not to exceed three pages.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows: nominee’s firstname.lastname.danson (Example: john.smith.danson)

Submit your Danson Award Nomination

Review the Udall Award description

ELIGIBILITY

Authors, poets, artists, photographers, writers, publishers, and others who are inspirational conservationists are eligible to nominate.

NOMINATION OPTIONAL UPLOADS

• Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV, course of life) or resume summarizing the nominee’s body of work. Although this is optional, it is highly recommended.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows relative to the uploaded document: nominee’s firstname.lastname.cv or nominee’s firstname.lastname.resume (Example: john.smith.cv or john.smith.resume)
• One PDF file with all documents that support your nomination, not to exceed three pages.
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows: nominee’s firstname.lastname.udall (Example: john.smith.udall)

Submit your Udall Award Nomination

Review the Nature’s Classroom Grant description

AWARD

You may apply for one of the following awards:

• Up to $750 for a virtual classroom experience that connects the park ranger to the classroom via Zoom or another video conferencing tool.
• Up to $750 for an in-classroom experience that brings the park ranger to the school.
• Up to $2,000 for an in-park experience that takes the classroom to visit a park.

ELIGIBILITY

• K-12 public, private, parochial, or home-school educators may apply.
• More than one application per school can be submitted. Only one application per class will be accepted.

REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants must
  • Create their experience with a WNPA-affiliated park.
  • Meet the definition of underrepresented youth: groups of individuals that have limited access to participating in outdoor recreation opportunities (e.g., hiking, biking, fishing, and skiing) or in-park interpretive/educational programs and may face barriers to participating in those activities (e.g., income, physical access, social economic factors).
• Experiences must take place between November 19, 2022, and September 29, 2023. Funding expires September 30, 2023.
• Applications must include
  • Park-themed educational component focused on environmental education/science, history, and either outdoor recreation or healthy lifestyles that will aid in fostering a new generation of park advocates. Examples
  • Park-steward element. Park stewards support ways to preserve and improve national parks for everyone. This can be an activity or educational lesson done at a park, in the classroom, or virtually. Examples

QULIFIED BUDGET EXPENSES

Funding can be used toward transportation costs, program fees, park entry fees, educational component supplies, park-steward component supplies, materials for arts and crafts, scientific equipment for gathering nature-study data, and supplies for citizen-science projects; in addition, virtual classroom equipment rental fees and Zoom access, provided complimentary by WNPA if needed, supplies for pre-visit and/or post-visit activities, and other materials needed for a powerful learning experience will be considered.

Examples: Books, maps, science kits, materials for a letter-writing campaign or posters, bulletin board supplies, journals for each student to write about their park experience, fishing gear, camping gear, iPad, LCD projector/screen rental, trail camera (with advance permission from the park), microphones, and tripods.

RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS

Grant awardees

• Are required to submit a final report to WNPA within 45 days of the experience date noted in the application.
• Will receive 95 percent of the grant award in advance, with the remaining 5 percent paid upon fulfillment of the final report requirement. Failure to meet the final report requirement within the allocated time frame will result in a forfeiture of all unpaid funds.
• Are responsible for meeting all school and park safety and health guidelines, and regulations, including but not limited to COVID-19.

Submit your James E. Cook Nature’s Classroom Grant Application

 Learn more about our WNPA Research Grant and download a copy of the RFP

WNPA supports the acquisition of knowledge by providing grants in support of research that benefits the management, preservation, and interpretation of National Park Service resources served by WNPA. The research grant program supplements research programs of the National Park Service.

Grant projects must originate in a WNPA-affiliated park in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

All fields of scholarly research are supported, including anthropology, archaeology, botany, citizen science, ecology, geology, history, natural story, social science, and zoology.

For this cycle, multiple awards in varied amounts are available. The funding limit is $10,000 per project per year.

Submit your Research Grant proposal

Review the Quintana-Sterkel Education Scholarship description

AWARD

Two (2) scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each, will be awarded.

ELIGIBILITY

This award is open to applicants whose intended use of the scholarship and their own career goals will increase diversity in the workforce of the National Park Service, similar government agencies, or nonprofit heritage (cultural or natural) conservation organizations.

QUALIFIED USE OF SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

This scholarship assists with college tuition, internships, or other special study opportunities relevant to park management or conservation.

APPLICATION REQUIRED UPLOADS

• One-page letter of recommendation from a professional reference
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows: your (applicant) firstname.lastname.qs (Example: john.smith.qs)

RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS

• Scholarship recipients are required to submit a final report to WNPA within 45 days of the completion date stated in the application.
• Recipients will receive 95 percent of the scholarship award in advance, with the remaining 5 percent paid upon fulfillment of the final report requirement. Failure to meet the final report requirement within the allocated time frame will result in a forfeiture of all unpaid funds.

Submit Your Ernest Quintana and Marty Sterkel Education Scholarship Application

Review the Pepe Marcos-Iga Leadership Scholarship description

AWARD

One scholarship will be awarded. The funding amount will vary depending on the program or certification being pursued.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be employed by Western National Parks Association as a full or part-time team member at the time of application.

QUALIFIED USE OF SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

The scholarship can be used for leadership or professional development training or to support an experience, such as a job, trade, or other endeavors of inquiry, study, or another form of engagement that develops skills, knowledge, or experience relevant to the missions of WNPA and the National Park Service.

APPLICATION REQUIRED UPLOADS

• One-page letter of recommendation from a WNPA manager or executive leader
  • File must be a PDF.
  • Before uploading, name the file as follows: your (applicant) firstname.lastname.p (Example: john.smith.p)

RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS

• Scholarship recipients are required to submit a final report to WNPA within 45 days of the completion date stated in the application.
• Recipients will receive 95 percent of the scholarship award in advance, with the remaining 5 percent paid upon fulfillment of the final report requirement. Failure to meet the final report requirement within the allocated time frame will result in a forfeiture of all unpaid funds.

Submit Your Pepe Marco-Iga Leadership Scholarship Application