The SRF Restorationist of the Year Award was conceived as a way to honor grassroots restorationists. It was first presented, in 1992 to Bill Eastwood, co-director of the Eel River Salmon Restoration Project to acknowledge his work to help salmon and for his innovative design modification to the McBain downstream migrant trap.

The award was renamed the Nat Bingham Memorial Restorationist of the Year award following Nat's death in 1998. Nat was a fisherman and a tireless advocate for salmon.

Since his death, SRF has honored a restorationist each year at our annual conference with a roast and toast fitting for our cabaret. Each year the recipient gets to steward a most exceptional brass sculpture, created by noted sculptor Dick Crane, that captures the spirit of salmon, fish-loving people and the state of California where these practitioners live and work a life dedicated to the recovery of the species. Each year the last restorationist of the year has to part with their "precious" sculpture and pass it on to the next honoree. SRF decided that each restorationist of the year deserved their own award so this year we honored the past restorationists who were at the 2005 conference with wooden fish sculptures of their own created by John Sutter.

Long-time SRF Board member Jan Vaughn awards California Conservation Corps Director Mel Kreb with the Restorationist of the Year award.

In addition to the SRF Restorationist of the Year award, SRF has created two new awards to honor restoration heroes: the Golden Pipe award for Innovation and a Lifetime Achievement award. The beloved Randy Stemler who helped preserve Redwood National Park, was a founder of the Mattole Restoration Council, and planted thousands of trees was the 2005 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ross Taylor received the Golden Pipe Award for his many culvert replacements and fish passage projects.

To nominate someone for one of these awards, please write 200 words about their qualifications and submit it to srf@calsalmon.org by January 9, 2006.
Please write restoration hero nomination in the subject line.
Remember to specify which award you think that the nominee should receive.
The SRF Board will vote on these nominations and the awards will be given to the recipients at the conference banquet on February 25, 2006.