Two to Receive Biodiversity Science and Conservation Awards From UW

The University of Wyoming's Biodiversity Institute will honor Charles Preston and Taylor Phillips with awards that showcase their commitment to enhancing knowledge and conservation of biological diversity in Wyoming during an awards ceremony Friday, Sept. 13, in the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center.

The awards ceremony will start at 6 p.m., with a meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m. A reception, also in the Berry Center, will follow the awards ceremony.

"The Biodiversity Institute and its friends and partners are very excited to honor Charles Preston and Taylor Phillips with the Contributions to Biodiversity Science and Conservation awards," says Brent Ewers, director of the UW Biodiversity Institute. "Their research, mentorship, publications and conservation leadership have changed the way biodiversity conservation is understood within Wyoming and well beyond."

Preston will receive the Contributions to Biodiversity Science Award, which acknowledges his achievements in museum curation and avian ecology. He is the Willis McDonald IV Founding and Senior Curator Emeritus at the Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. He retired from the center in 2018 after garnering international recognition for his visionary design and development of the Draper Museum, including the Draper Museum Raptor Experience, and forging a groundbreaking partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to foster biodiversity conservation in greater Yellowstone.

Since 2009, Preston has directed long-term monitoring and research on golden eagle nesting ecology in Wyoming's Big Horn Basin and serves as a research associate with Teton Raptor Center. He now splits his time between Wapiti and the Ozark Highlands of Arkansas, where he has partnered with a team to establish a new natural history museum and arboretum focused on Ozark ecology. He continues to write, lecture and consult widely in his emeritus role with the Draper Natural History Museum.

Phillips is the recipient of the Contributions to Biodiversity Conservation Award for his commitment to financially supporting conservation in Wyoming. In 2008, he founded EcoTour Adventures, which aims to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving Wyoming's diverse habitats and species. To date, EcoTour Adventures has educated over 50,000 visitors and has donated over $165,000 to local and national nonprofit organizations that give their efforts to the conservation of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

In 2021, Phillips established the WYldlife for Tomorrow initiative, which encourages businesses and individuals benefiting from Wyoming's wildlife to directly invest in conservation efforts. His work has resulted in the funding of various conservation projects, including highway crossings, wildlife disease and migration studies, fish passages, habitat restoration and sagebrush restoration. In less than three years, WYldlife for Tomorrow has raised over $350,000 for the funding of conservation and biodiversity research and projects for generations to come. Through his ingenuity and determination, Phillips has pioneered an innovative approach to funding conservation projects and research in Wyoming.

The Contributions to Biodiversity Science and Conservation awards were created in 2013 to publicly thank individuals who have dedicated their lives to increasing public and professional understanding, appreciation and conservation of biological diversity in Wyoming.

Previous winners of the Contributions to Biodiversity Science Award are Bob and Jane Dorn (2013); Wayne Hubert (2015); Ron Hartman (2017); and Dennis Knight (2019). Previous winners of the Contributions to Biodiversity Conservation Award are Chris Madsen (2013); Richard Baldes (2015); Fred and Stephanie Lindzey (2017); and Duane Keown (2019).

"We welcome anyone who has been touched by Charles' or Taylor's work or is excited to support biodiversity conservation in our region to attend the ceremony," Ewers says. "These two individuals are cornerstones of biodiversity science and conservation, and your support and appreciation will make the awards ceremony even more significant and memorable."

For more information about the Biodiversity Institute and the Contributions to Biodiversity Science and Conservation awards, visit www.wyobiodiversity.org or call Brett Addis, associate director of the Biodiversity Institute, at (307) 766-6279 or email [email protected].

About the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute

The UW Biodiversity Institute fosters conservation of biodiversity through scientific discovery, creative dissemination, education and public engagement. In this setting, scientists, citizens, students and educators come together to share a wealth of perspectives on the study and appreciation of biodiversity -- from microbes to poetry and ecosystems to economics.

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