The Wilderness Society is honoring Jeff Bingaman tomorrow (Wed. June 24) with its Ansel Adams award for, among other things, his leadership of efforts earlier this year to pass a broad wilderness conservation bill. From the statement announcing the honor:

"Throughout his career, Sen. Bingaman has played an enormously important role in protecting our natural heritage for future generations," said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society. During the last Congress. Bingaman received a 96 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

 

"Earlier this year, as opponents threw a series of obstacles in the path of the most sweeping public lands protection bill in a generation, Sen. Bingaman's persistence and dedication played a critical role in turning this bill into law," Meadows added. That legislation preserved wilderness in nine states, designated more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers and protected cherished places such as the Wyoming Range.

(Image: 1935 Ansel Adams image of Mount Hoffman in Yosemite, courtesy Smithsonian)