Terry and Jane Lewis, Powell, Tenn.

When the Lewises noticed a herd of elk were frequenting one spot in a wildlife management area that borders their property, they realized it was an ideal location for a viewing area. So, with approval from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the couple created a year-round food plot at the site, and paid for and built a public viewing tower. Terry was instrumental in the initial effort to restore elk to Tennessee, and he and Jane continue their advocacy and habitat work—which includes coordinating volunteers for prescribed burns—with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

Carl Cagle, Summerton, S.C.

As a member of the Goat Island Boat Club, Cagle has dedicated himself to conserving Lake Marion, which was threatened by hydrilla, a nonnative weed, in the 1990s. He led a fund-raising effort to aid the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, which used sterile grass-eating carp to curb the plant. A lifelong angler, Cagle also participates in annual lake cleanups. “We try to make fun out of everything we do,” he says. “We can go pick up trash and have a ball.”

Raymond Jacquot, Laramie, Wyo.

For 10 years, Jacquot has led an inventory of beaver dams in the Medicine Bow National Forest—data that helps the Wyoming Game and Fish Department know how many brook trout to stock, and where. Jacquot, along with other members of his Izaak Walton League of America chapter, hikes the drainages and takes note of beaver activity, flow conditions, and vegetation. The flyfisherman also helps maintain riparian-zone fences that prevent erosion from cattle.