Annual Awards
Vermont Coverts presents two awards each year. One honors an outstanding Coverts Cooperator who exemplifies the Coverts mission and goals, through action on their own land, within the Coverts network, and within their communities. The second honors a person who is not necessarily a Cooperator but who demonstrates strategies to further the mission of sound forest management and wildlife stewardship in Vermont.
At the 25th Anniversary of Vermont Coverts, these awards were named after foundational leaders of the Coverts community. The award for outstanding Coverts Cooperator is the David Clarkson Award, and the award for furthering the mission of Coverts in Vermont is the James Engle Award.
Outstanding Coverts Cooperator
David Clarkson Award
Susan Depeyster – 1991
David Clarkson – 1992
Steve Parker – 1993
Hank Paynter – 1994
Allen Yale – 1995
Thom McEvoy – 1996
Alan Calfee – 1997
James Engle – 1999
Allen Yale – 2002
Douglas Murray – 2003
Robert Lloyd – 2004
Lucy McCullough – 2005
Farley Brown – 2006
Glenn Macy – 2007
John Whitman – 2008
Barry Lawson – 2009
Peter Upton – 2010
Sidney Craven – 2011
John Evans – 2012
Ramsey Yoder – 2013
Rich Chalmers – 2014
John McNerney – 2015
Abelson Family (Arnold, Don and Skip) – 2016
Karen Douville – 2017
Don Mitchell – 2018
Mary Dodge – 2019
Elise Tillinghast – 2020
Tina Barney – 2021
Larry Mengedoht – 2022
Tim McKay – 2023
Tracy Winn – 2024
Tim Stout – 2025
Furthering the Coverts Mission in Vermont
James Engle Award
Kim Royar – 1991
George Weir – 1992
Bill Guenther – 1993
Mollie Beattie – 1996
Ruffed Grouse Society – 1997
David Brynn – 1998
Northern Woodlands Magazine – 2000
Connie Motyka – 2001
Scott Darling – 2002
Darby Bradley – 2003
Tom Decker – 2004
John Austin – 2005
Putnam Blodgett – 2006
Jamey Fidel – 2007
Nate Fice – 2008
Patricia Ayers-Crawford – 2009
John Elder – 2010
Annette Smith – 2011
Eric Hansen – 2012
Toby Alexander – 2013
Jon Bouton – 2014
Mary Beth Adler – 2015
Markus Bradley – 2016
Nancy Patch – 2017
Steve Hagenbuch – 2018
Kate Forrer – 2019
Ethan Tapper – 2020
Dan Kilborn – 2021
Liz Thompson – 2022
Travis Hart – 2023
Andrea Shortsleeve – 2024
Caitlin Cusack – 2025
25th Anniversary Awards
On September 25, 2010, Vermont Coverts celebrated its 25th anniversary. Several special awards were given to recognize individuals and organizations who demonstrated an enduring dedication to Coverts’ goals. The awards were given to:
- Farley Brown (pdf), former Executive Director
- James Engle (pdf), former Council president and U.S. diplomat
- Bob Lloyd (pdf), former Council president
- Thom McEvoy (pdf), UVM Extension Emeritus and founder
- Kim Royar (pdf), VT Fish and Wildlife and long-time partner
- The Ruffed Grouse Society (pdf), original sponsor