The Steward of the Year Award is one of Latter-day Saint Earth Stewardship’s favorite traditions. Each year, we give this ward to someone who has demonstrated exceptional earth stewardship in their community. Meet this year’s winner—Carolina Allen!

Birds play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They pollinate plants, control pests, disperse seeds, and much more. Sadly, habitat destruction threatens these winged friends. I remember a time when two friends of mine from UK visited Uganda. One of the things they wished to see was the Abyssinian Ground hornbill. I knew of a tree where a couple was breeding for over five years.

When Wilford Woodruff first arrived in Salt Lake Valley, piercing-blue eyes taking in mountains sharp as pyramids, freshwater streams criss-crossing the valley floor, and a vast inland sea so salty he could hold its crystals in his hands, he wrote in his journal: 

“We gazed with wonder and admiration upon… a large lake of salt water of miles in extent… creeks, brooks and rivers of various sizes all of which… wend[ed] their way into the great salt lake; our hearts were surely made glad…”  

One February morning I wrote in my journal, “I just saw the sun come up over the mountains by watching the light gradually fill my kitchen…and that’s how I know that God watches over the earth and me.” I have Annie Dillard to thank, at least in part, for my eyes being open to that sunrise. Anyone who has read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek knows of Dillard’s gift for noticing and describing the wonders and perplexities of the natural world. 

I currently work as a scientist in North Dakota where I study how individuals learn biology. I love being able to know the best ways to teach and talk about the complex intricacies of life through a biological lens – ones that bring wonder and awe to students. But as an educator and researcher, what science and what I teach in my class is only knowledge. Some of my students will actually care about a topic and want to do something about it because of what they learn. Most, however, will not.

It’s easy to take the many blessings we might personally have for granted. We don’t often think about the investment and cooperation that was needed for us to enjoy clean water, nutritious food, and clean air, or how lucky we are to have those privileges. A changing world reminds us that those privileges can become harder and harder to come by.