Duren presents Gregory with the Conservation Champion Award at the Spring 2026 AMJV Board Meeting.

The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) nominated Kevin Gregory, a West Virginia landowner and small business owner, to receive the Conservation Professional award. Kevin has been a partner to the AMJV for several years now. Every year he joins the AMJV in D.C. to meet with members of Congress and agency leadership to promote the work of the AMJV, the importance of Farm Bill Programs, and their nexus with advancing sustainable forest management for private landowners. He’s not only an exemplary landowner, improving forest health and wildlife habitat on his own property, he also helps other family forest owners do the same through his company, Eagle Land Transformations.

Close-up of the MBJV Conservation Champion Award, featuring a Cerulean Warbler and a Ruffed Grouse.

7 weeks after the D.C. reception, the AMJV Management Board gathered at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia for our annual meeting. We opened our meeting with an award ceremony to finally present Kevin with his well-deserved and long-awaited Conservation Champion Award. Todd joined virtually to share why we had nominated Kevin, and our Director of Conservation Partnerships, Amanda Duren, presented him with the award. Our Board members had an opportunity to hear about Kevin’s passion for keeping forests and wildlife populations healthy and ask questions.