Do you know a volunteer who is working hard to protect the state’s rivers and lands?
Help celebrate and elevate their important work with a nomination for our annual River Steward Award.
The deadline is Friday, August 22, 2025
It is time once again to celebrate the important work of an individual whose on the ground efforts to protect the state’s rivers and lands inspires us. There are many dedicated citizen volunteers around our state who spend countless hours working to protect Illinois’ rivers, habitats, and ecosystems. They educate us; they do the legwork; they speak the unpopular truths; they go above and beyond. Too often, their outstanding achievements are not known outside of their local community.
The River Steward Award recognizes and celebrates the most exemplary environmental stewards across Illinois; heroes with stories that we all need to hear. Prairie Rivers Network wants to recognize the people whose water and habitat victories inspire our staff and other environmental advocates around the state. The award recipient will be announced to the conservation community around the state, announced to the media in a press release, and posted on our website and publicly recognized at the PRN Annual Dinner taking place Friday, October 3.
Nomination Procedure
If you know a citizen volunteer you would like to nominate for the River Steward award, please fill out the nomination form below. Be sure to include your contact information, your nominee’s full name and contact information, and a summary of their conservation efforts. Please be sure to include an in-depth description of their conservation efforts so they standout and specific achievements for which you believe they deserve recognition. For more information or for help, please reach out to Sarah Scott at sscott [at] prairierivers.org.
