Townsend Youth Conservation Award
This youth award began in 2022 and is dedicated in the memory of Butch Townsend, from Wyoming. Butch was passionate and devoted much of his life to wild sheep. He sat on the Wild Sheep Foundation Board of Directors and was an exceptional supporter of the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation. Butch was a visionary. He knew that there wouldn’t be sheep on the mountain in the future without kids on the mountain today. Thus, he and wife Kathy made considerable investments in putting and keeping kids on the mountain with wild sheep. It seems fitting to name a conservation award after him.
The award is for a youth in 7th-12th grade; as of January, of the year, the award is presented at Wild Sheep Foundation’s national convention, the Sheep Show®.
Individuals can apply, and chapters or affiliates can look within their organization for a youth who stands out in the area of wildlife conservation. Ideally, the chapter or affiliate would select a top candidate to be recognized locally, perhaps at the banquet. Once recognized by the chapter or affiliate, the official WSF application is submitted by the nominee to the Wild Sheep Foundation through Ryan Brock by August 15 of each year.
Watch the video of the 2024 Townsend Youth Conservation Award below.
The following application for the Townsend Youth Conservation Award can be utilized two ways. This is the actual application sent to Wild Sheep Foundation by a chapter or affiliate nominated youth candidate. Additionally, some chapters may use it for their actual selection process. Other chapters utilize a different selection process.
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
An award committee from the Wild Sheep Foundation and the National Bighorn Sheep Center will choose the annual national awardee. The awardee will be invited to the Sheep Show in Reno, where the award will be presented during the Conservation Night banquet.
