Montpelier, VT— The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) is thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2026 community awards: the 2026 Arthur Gibb Award for Sustainable Community Leadership will be presented to Amy Sheldon of Middlebury, and the inaugural Local Leadership Award will be presented to Kate Kelly of Hinesburg.
Every year, the Art Gibb Award is presented to a Vermont resident who has made a lasting contribution to their community, region or state in the ways they integrate smart growth and conservation.
Arthur Gibb dedicated much of his life to ensuring that Vermont was a better place for future generations. Gibb began his Vermont-based public service in Weybridge, where he served his community and state in countless ways until his death in 2005 at the age of 97. This award is given in honor of this legacy of commitment to safeguarding Vermont’s environment and communities, and Amy Sheldon, this year’s recipient, exemplifies these characteristics.
Sheldon, a natural resource planner by trade, has spent her career working to ensure that Vermont’s natural resources are protected, from her early years leading the Middlebury Area Land Trust, where she helped create the Trail Around Middlebury, through nearly a decade guiding the White River Partnership and running her own consulting practice, Landslide Natural Resource Planning, helping Vermont communities plan for a changing landscape and rising waters. In 2014, she brought that experience to the Vermont Statehouse, where she served eight years as a committee chair, always leading with learning and listening, and working collaboratively to advance policies on wildlife and biodiversity protection, land use, clean energy, healthy waters, flood resilience, and more.
“Amy has been steadfast in her vision, gently moving the ball forward even in the face of targeted opposition,” writes Ashar Nelson, who nominated Sheldon for the award. “She understands that her work is in service of the greater good and that her role was to serve all Vermonters.” Nelson also points to Sheldon’s belief that people become better stewards of the natural world once they feel connected to the landscapes they live in, a conviction that has run through every chapter of her career, from teaching wilderness leadership skills for over thirty years with the National Outdoor Leadership School, to her legislative work protecting the land and water Vermonters depend on.
A new addition to the VNRC award slate for 2026 is the Local Leadership Award that celebrates environmental and sustainability stewards for their town or region through local community groups, advocacy, or public service. And for its inaugural year, the award will go to Kate Kelly, a conservation biologist and herpetologist, who has been the Program Manager for the Lewis Creek Association (LCA) since 2018. In addition, she serves her community as chair of the Hinesburg Conservation Commission, and has been a longtime core member of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas alongside founder Jim Andrews.
“Kate’s disarming approach in her work with town officials, landowners, volunteers, and colleagues has allowed her to be a leader who quietly makes positive changes to move Vermont’s conservation efforts forward both locally and statewide,” writes Andrea Morgante, founding board member of the LCA and a past recipient of the Art Gibb Award. “Her leadership is founded on her deep belief in meeting people where they are at, listening, and sharing her knowledge and ability to collaborate.”
Both Sheldon and Kelly will receive their awards at the VNRC Annual Celebration that will be held at Holley Hall in Bristol, VT on the evening of October 7th. For more information about the event and the register to attend, please visit https://vnrc.org/2026-annual-