Pine Forest

Illustris Palustris Award:

Photo of Illustris Palustris Award

Since 2013, the North Carolina Longleaf Coalition has recognized significant accomplishments to longleaf conservation efforts in North Carolina through the Illustris Palustris Award. This annual award is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to promote the maintenance and restoration of North Carolina’s Longleaf Pine ecosystem. Qualified nominees have gone “above-and-beyond” in their longleaf efforts through leadership, advocacy, and outreach.

Honorees are recognized at an award ceremony with a certificate and inclusion on the Illustris Palustris Pine Cone Award.

2022 Winner: Jesse Wimberley with the Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association

Previous Award Recipients:

2013     Susan Miller   US Fish & Wildlife Service
2014    Boon Chesson   Private Landowner
2015    Bill Pickens   NC Forest Service
2016    Brady Beck   NC Wildlife Resource Commission
2017    Lark Hayes   Lark Conservation Consulting LLC
2018     John Ann Shearer    US Fish & Wildlife Service
2019     Angie Carl    The Nature Conservancy
2020     Julie Moore    U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, formerly
2021     Jeff Marcus    The Nature Conservancy


Any interested party within the longleaf community may submit a candidate for consideration. Please fill out this nomination form if you are interested in nominating a worthy individual. Nominations for the 2024 award are due July 31, 2024 and should be emailed to barry.new@ncagr.gov.