On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, the Public Lands Alliance (PLA) recognized 11 nonprofit organizations who have stepped up and have swiftly worked with their land management agency partners to help their public lands recover from recent wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. PLA established the Public Lands Hero Award to celebrate individuals and organizations whose actions exceed the high standards to which all public lands partners aspire. The PLA Board of Directors honored the following nonprofit organizations in recognition of their exemplary responses to natural disasters and crises affecting the public lands and communities that they support:
- Timucuan Parks Foundation
- Eastern National
- Friends of the Smokies
- Friends of Virgin Islands National Park
- Glacier National Park Conservancy
- Great Smoky Mountains Association
- National Park Foundation
- South Florida National Parks Trust
- Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
- Student Conservation Association
- Western National Park Association
The Public Lands Alliance is a network of more than 130 member organizations that serve more than 600 public lands and contribute over $250 million dollars annually to the preservation and visitor enhancement of those lands. PLA members are found in all states and territories and provide operational and interpretive support to nonprofit organizations and their land management agency partners.