The National Park Service has awarded the 2011 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award to four individuals and parks for excellence in cultural resource stewardship, including Lon Johnson at Glacier National Park.
The awards were given by National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis in a Sept. 19 ceremony at the Department of the Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Preservation of our nation’s historic resources is one of the key missions of the National Park Service,” NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis said in a statement.
“The passion, dedication and innovation of these individuals will benefit not only the resources in their own parks, but will serve as a model and inspiration for other projects throughout the National Park System.”
Johnson, a cultural resource specialist and historical architect, assembled a team of experts from the area tribes, eminent archeologists from regional universities and park personnel to protect and find artifacts and paleo-biological objects in ice and snow patches throughout Glacier. Melting related to climate change could lead to damage, loss or illegal removal of these objects. Johnson and the group successfully submitted the Glacier Ice Patch Archeology project and was awarded support under Climate Change Response funds. The project is designed to recover delicate items from melting ice patches, and contains a unique interpretive component for videos and interactive web design that target tribal youngsters and also be made available to the general public.
The Appleman-Judd-Lewis Awards recognize expertise and outstanding contributions to cultural resource stewardship and management by permanent full-time employees of the National Park Service. Offered annually, the awards were created to encourage creativity in cultural resource stewardship and management practices and projects, particularly those that may serve as examples or models for programs service-wide. Established in 1970, the awards are named for three distinguished former National Park Service employees: historian Roy E. Appleman, historical architect Henry A. Judd, and curator Ralph H. Lewis. The 2011 recipients are: