WASHINGTON – Jim Range, a preeminent American sportsman-conservationist whose lifetime of accomplishments included co-founding and leading the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, has been posthumously honored as the 2010 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year Award, the TRCP announced today.

The Conservationist of the Year Award, presented last week by Budweiser and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation at the 2010 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to perpetuating the American outdoor way of life. The winner receives $50,000 to direct to his or her conservation organization of choice. In addition, the award can be matched, and its value could reach as much as $200,000. Range’s family has designated the TRCP to receive the proceeds from this honor.

“The TRCP is proud to be guided by the vision and legacy of Jim Range, one of the country’s greatest sportsmen-conservationists,” said TRCP Chairman Jim Martin, “and we are profoundly honored to have this legacy recognized through his selection as Budweiser Conservationist of the Year.

“In the 12 months since Jim was so suddenly taken from us, the thousands who knew him and supported his conservation work have struggled to find ways to express our sorrow at his loss – and sought ways to pay tribute to his tireless efforts to ensure responsible management of our natural resources,” Martin continued. “Budweiser and NFWF have given us the means to acknowledge all that Jim has done to uphold our outdoor way of life.”

In addition to his leadership in establishing and chairing the TRCP, Range served on the boards of directors for numerous organizations, including Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the Wetlands America Trust, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association, the American Bird Conservancy, the Pacific Forest Trust, the Yellowstone Park Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. He also was an original NFWF board member and worked directly with many other hunting, fishing and conservation groups to advance conservation and sportsmen’s interests in Washington and around the country.

To learn more about Jim Range and his many accomplishments, please go to trcp.org. To learn more about Anheuser-Busch's many conservation efforts and commitments, please go to anheuser-busch.com -- Jay Cassell