The Iowa Association of Naturalists (IAN) and the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) are proud to award Dr. Jean Eells with an IAN/ICEC Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. The award is the Aldo Leopold Environmental Education Award for lifetime achievement in environmental education excellence and leadership. The IAN/ICEC Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education are awarded annually to recognize incredible contributions to the advancement of environmental literacy in Iowa.

Dr, Jean Crim Eells is a familiar face to those involved in environmental education in Iowa. Her influence on environmental education started in 1982 while she was the Environmental Education Coordinator for the Hamilton County Conservation Board. In 1988, she won the President’s National Environmental Youth Award. She won Conservation Educator of the Year from the Iowa Wildlife Federation in 1991, and the Outstanding Environmental Educator Award from the Iowa Sierra Club the same year. She has been a board member for numerous organizations over the years and the list of her accomplishments is astounding. Her current work focuses on conservation outreach to women farmland owners. Her consulting business in environment, education, evaluation and energy, E Resources Group, has been operating for 22 years.

Learn more about Jean at her website https://eresourcesgroup.com/.

Eells joins a long history of outstanding environmental educators in the state of Iowa. The lifetime achievement award is named in honor of renowned conservationist and native Iowan, Aldo Leopold. Leopold is considered the father of the modern conservation movement. His “land ethic” is the philosophy of making decisions to protect the environment.