DOWNLOAD the FULL Program for the 2026 Fall Awards Event on September 30, 2026
View the 2026 Fall Awards Flipbook
The Partners for the Environment works to protect, restore, preserve and promote the environmental and agricultural resources of the Great Miami River and Little Miami River watersheds, an 18-county region in southwest Ohio. The Partners is an alliance of environmental organizations, government and civic organizations, as well as public and private educational institutions.
The Dayton Foundation, The Miami Conservancy District, Five Rivers MetroParks, and The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund are sponsoring this effort for the purpose of improving the capacity and effectiveness of local organizations and programs.
Participation in the Partners for the Environment is open to any organization with similar interests.
The Partners for the Environment Leader Development Program trains people on environmental issues, challenges, and opportunities, while buiding strong networks.
Each year, Greater Dayton Partners for the Environment recognizes individuals, organizations and communities whose leadership, collaboration and commitment are making a lasting difference for our region’s environment.
The 2026 Partners for the Environment Awards celebrate four honorees whose work demonstrates the many ways environmental leadership takes shape—from restoring habitat and inspiring conservation to building more sustainable communities and creating parks, trails and riverfronts that connect people with nature.
The 2026 awards were presented September 30 at the Partners for the Environment Fall Awards Celebration at Learning Tree Farm.
For nearly four decades, the Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) has demonstrated what long-term, place-based environmental stewardship can accomplish. At Mount Saint John, MEEC has helped restore nearly 100 acres of land while bringing people together to learn about and participate in caring for the natural world.
Its accomplishments include establishing a 62-acre permanent conservation easement with Tecumseh Land Trust; creating native prairie and pollinator habitat, including a three-acre solar prairie; and conducting 16 years of weekly butterfly monitoring that has documented more than 32,000 butterflies representing 65 species.
MEEC’s annual native plant sale has put more than 11,000 native plants into the community, while volunteers have contributed thousands of hours to restoration and education. Through partnerships with organizations across the region, MEEC continues to demonstrate how restoration, education, faith and community action can work together to create lasting environmental change.
Amanda Badger, founder and director of Wild Hearts African Farm, has built an organization where encounters with animals become opportunities to inspire curiosity, compassion and a deeper understanding of conservation.
Amanda has a remarkable ability to make environmental education approachable and memorable for people of all ages. Through Wild Hearts, she has developed partnerships with schools, libraries, civic organizations, nonprofits, businesses and local governments to bring conservation education directly into communities.
Her creativity, energy and collaborative spirit have helped Wild Hearts grow into an important conservation education resource for the region. Through hands-on experiences and engaging programs, Amanda inspires people to care about wildlife, conservation and their own role in protecting the natural world.
The City of Kettering is demonstrating how local government can turn sustainability goals into practical action.
Sustainability is incorporated into the city’s 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, and in 2025 Kettering appointed Dawn Kirchner as its first Sustainability Manager, creating dedicated leadership to advance that commitment across city operations and throughout the community.
Kettering’s growing sustainability efforts include waste reduction, recycling and composting; greenhouse gas inventory work; watershed stewardship through Adopt-A-Drain; and community programs such as EcoFest and Shred Day. The city has also developed partnerships with organizations including the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and Little Miami Watershed Network.
By combining municipal leadership, public education and regional collaboration, Kettering is showing how communities can make sustainability a meaningful part of everyday decision-making.
Carrie Scarff has devoted her career to protecting natural resources, expanding public access to nature and strengthening the parks, trails and river corridors that define the Miami Valley.
As Chief of Planning for Five Rivers MetroParks, Carrie has helped guide planning, design, construction and land protection efforts that have shaped some of the region’s most recognizable and valued public spaces.
Her influence can be seen in RiverScape MetroPark and RiverScape River Run, expanded outdoor recreation opportunities, protected open space, trail connections and efforts to reconnect neighborhoods with waterways. Carrie also helped lead the Dayton Riverfront Plan, bringing multiple partners together around a shared vision for the Great Miami, Mad and Stillwater rivers and Wolf Creek.
Throughout her career, Carrie has brought together conservation, recreation, public access and community development while building partnerships across organizations and communities. As she concludes her career with Five Rivers MetroParks, her legacy can be found not only in individual projects, but throughout a regional system that gives people greater access to nature, rivers and one another.
The Partners for the Environment Awards recognize people and organizations that achieve significant results, demonstrate leadership and vision, inspire others, build partnerships and increase community action on behalf of our environment.
Congratulations to our 2026 honorees—and thank you for the work you do to make the Great Miami and Little Miami watersheds stronger, healthier and more connected.
2026 Fall Awards Celebration Sponsors: Brukner Nature Center, Miami Conservancy District, Five Rivers MetroParks, Xylem, the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community at the University of Dayton, and Three Valley Conservation Trust.
Special thanks to Learning Tree Farm for hosting the 2026 celebration.
