JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE

P.O. Box 2728

Jackson, WY 83001

(307) 733-9417

www.jhalliance.org

12/6/07

Conservation Alliance Names Kathe Henry

Outstanding Conservationist of 2007

Philanthropist and longtime valley resident Kathe Henry was honored at the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s Annual Meeting Dec. 5 with its Outstanding Conservationist of 2007 Award for her lifelong commitment to preserving and protecting natural resources.

A genuine friend of the Alliance and many other conservation groups across the country, Kathe describes her first hike up a mountain at age 12 as an epiphany that eventually led her to “never meet an environmental cause I didn’t like.”

Kathe grew up on Long Island, attended Middlebury College in Vermont and spent 35 years in the Chicago area raising four children and teaching tennis before her westbound journey finally landed her and her husband Ed in Jackson Hole, where they soon became Conservation Alliance members. When Kathe’s son died of AIDS in 1993, she became the president of the Scott Opler Foundation in his memory. The foundation supported the Alliance and other environmental groups, and after she stepped down from running it, Kathe joined the Conservation Alliance board in 2006.

On presenting the award to Kathe, Alliance executive director Franz Camenzind said she was “selected for her conservation commitment not just to the Alliance but to the whole community.”

“Kathe provided the inspiration and challenge which resulted in the Alliance having its own building,” Franz said. “She lives her values and doesn’t hesitate to share her thoughts with others. As an active and valued member of our board, Kathe always brings clear and precise focus to the issues.

“I was in a public meeting a few years ago where Kathe ended her public comments with this phrase: ‘I never met a conservation issue I didn’t like!’ Well, I’ve never met a conservationist that I’ve liked more,” Franz said. “It’s with great respect and appreciation that I present Kathe Henry with this award.”

Kathe Henry is the fifth recipient of the Alliance’s prestigious Outstanding Conservationist award, which is given annually to those who have made a lifelong commitment to -- and impact on -- conservation in Jackson Hole. Others previously honored with the award are: Gil and Marge Ordway, Tom Wiancko, Bert Raynes and Yvon Chouinard.

###

The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic and other natural resources.