Sand County Foundation Announces New Leopold Conservation Award Program Director
February 02, 2016
MADISON, Wis. – Sand County Foundation has named Lance Irving as national director of the Leopold Conservation Award Program®.
He joins Sand County Foundation with more than 15 years of experience in sales and marketing. Irving previously served as chief sales and marketing officer at Martin Sports and at Precision Shooting Equipment.
In addition to his executive experience, he spent several years as a professional fishing and hunting guide in Alaska and outside of the United States.
“Lance has accepted the challenge of expanding the award program to new states, securing new national sponsorships, and mobilizing the more than 80 awardees as spokespeople for voluntary land conservation,” said Sand County Foundation President, Kevin McAleese. “After an intensive national search process, we finally found the ideal leader for this dynamic program and a wonderful addition to the Sand County team.”
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. It inspires other landowners through these examples and provides a visible forum where farmers, ranchers and other private landowners are recognized as conservation leaders.
In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”
