Two Youth to Park Scholarship Recipients Join NPT in Presenting Senator Udall with Award

Colorado Senator Mark Udall accepted the 2010 Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award on June 17th, 2010 at a D.C. reception. In his remarks about the Senator, NPT’s board chair, William Brownell said, “This year NPT is very pleased to be celebrating the 10th Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award. It has been said that the Udall family shares a belief that the 11th commandment is ‘thou shalt protect the environment’ and he lives by that belief every day.” The Award recognizes the Senator for his leadership and innovation in the protection of public lands in Colorado and for his life-long commitment to connecting children with the outdoors.

Sue Vento, wife of the late Congressman Bruce Vento and NPT board member, remembered her late husband Congressman Bruce Vento and his relationship with the Udall by saying “Bruce would be honored this evening to have an award given in his name to his good friend and the son of his mentor, Congressman Mo Udall. Senator Mark Udall has distinguished himself amongst his family’s environmental legacy, first as a world-class climber and outdoor educator, then as a 5-term congressman and now as the senior Senator from the state of Colorado.”

In accepting the award, the Senator said, “Even when you earn a great honor it’s got to be put into some kind of perspective and Jesse Owens, who is a great hero of mine, the great Olympian [who] said awards become corroded, but friends gather no dust and your award will gather no dust with me because it’s presented to me by friends and I have many in this room here and most importantly it’s being given to me by an organization that’s so highly respected.”

Youth-to-Parks Scholarship Recipients Share their American Park Experience
The Senator also received his ‘real’ award – Buddy Bison, NPT’s wooly mascot - by two recipients of NPT’s Youth-to-Parks National Scholarship Fund. Evan Forman and Lloyd Meeks, 6th and 7th graders from Baltimore’s Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy, an NPT Where’s Buddy Bison Been? pilot school, shared stories about their American park experience.

Lloyd Meeks said, “This past school year I attended the Buddy Bison Earth Day event in Washington D.C. and was able to go on the 3-day camping trip to the panhandle of West Virginia. These two trips were the biggest highlights of my 7th grade year.” Lloyd took what he learned from his experiences and has gone back to his Baltimore neighborhood to advocate for a new park, meeting with city officials and garnering support from his neighbors.

Of his trip to West Virginia, Evan Forman said, “When I got to West Virginia we explored the woods, learned about nature, played in a stream and ate. The food was really good and when we cleaned up I learned how to compost my trash. The next day we went to Harpers Ferry and learned about the Potomac River, the Great Depression and John Brown’s raid. Even though there was still a lot of snow from the blizzard, the weather was really nice. It was the best spring vacation I ever had. I learned new things and it was really fun.”

About the Vento Award and Senator Udall’s Record
Established in 2000 by NPT, the Vento Award honors the memory and legacy of Bruce F. Vento, a twelve-term Congressman from Minnesota, dedicated environmentalist and champion of legislation for America’s parks. The award honors a public servant for his or her commitment to the environment as well as skill and innovation in support of our nation’s public lands.

Senator Udall has an outstanding record in land conservation and environmental protection, the highlights of which include the creation of the James Peak Wilderness Bill and the transformation of the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility into a wildlife refuge. As the chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, Senator Udall has reaffirmed his priority of protecting our parks, a commitment that was established long before he became an elected official.

The Senator’s passion to connect children with the outdoors began years ago when he served as an educator and executive director of Colorado Outward Bound. His commitment is an inspiration to NPT’s Youth to Parks™ programs and the organization’s vision that ‘everyone will have an American park experience’.

Senator Udall has also become a national leader on renewable energy and “green” jobs, including numerous initiatives to establish alternative energy resources and enact a national renewable electricity standard. NPT celebrates his proven track record in establishing bi-partisan partnerships to achieve important environmental milestones.

Past recipients of the Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award include: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nevada Senator Harry Reid, California Congressman George Miller and Arizona Senator John McCain.

Vento Event Carbon Neutral
For the second year in a row, the Vento Award reception is carbon neutral. Through a generous donation from Hunton & Williams and CantorCO2e, NPT has purchased verified carbon credits in the Van Eck Forest Project in Humbolt County California to offset the emissions caused by travel of attendees as well as energy consumed by the venue and catering service.

Thanks to NPT Sponsors
NPT's Executive Director, Grace Lee expressed gratitude to the lead organizations and individuals who sponsored the event:

Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd, LLC
The Rocksprings Foundation
National Association of REALTORS®
3M
Bingham McCutchen, LLP
Edison International
Hunton & Williams, LLP
Paladin Capital Group
Walmart
Lynn and Bill Brownell
Michael DeSantis
Susan Vento
The Yolande Leon Foundation
Verizon

and to NPT’s Adopt a School Partners:
Capital One
Gilbert
Harrah’s Entertainment
Wachovia

Click here to see photos of the event.