THE 2024 LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals with exceptional achievements in the prescribed fire community.
TERRY ESKER
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Terry Esker has been at the forefront of utilizing prescribed fire in natural areas conservation for decades, and his work in southern Illinois has laid the foundation for understanding fire's critical role and its practical implementation in the restoration of natural communities in the region. Sites managed under his direction — Stephen A. Forbes State Park and Ramsey Lake State Park are two of many examples — showcase the richness and beauty of Illinois' historic landscapes. Experts and amateur naturalists seek out plant, insect, reptile, and bird diversity at these sites, which are likewise intuitively appreciated by hunters, campers, and general park visitors.
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In addition to his past service as a Natural Heritage Biologist fire practitioner for the IDNR, Terry has also supported the broader efforts of his agency to implement fire across the southern half of the state. His current official role is as a Regional Stewardship Specialist, through which he is able to prioritize the allocation of funds to critical land management needs. The reliable availability of funds to build and maintain firebreaks and to hire contractual fire assistance is a testament to his support of our most important tool. Additionally, you can always count on him to be an anchor on any fire crew, providing morale, wisdom, knowledge, experience, and even donuts if the occasion calls for it.
Moreover, more than any other individual, Terry has made it a mission to train and inspire successive generations of fire practitioners and natural areas managers. He is patient and supportive, leads by example, and gives encouragement to learn and succeed. Many IDNR biologists in southern Illinois have been trained under Terry and begun their careers within the past decade. It's a part of his legacy that almost all of the IDNR staff he trained are active land managers who are implementing and increasing prescribed burns across the region. Many now fondly refer to the process of restoration, of which fire is a large part, as "Eskerizing". |
THE 2024 Spark AWARD
The Illinois Prescribed Fire Council’s Spark Award recognizes individuals with high achievement early in a career.
NATHAN SPEAGLE
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Nathan started with The Nature Conservancy seven years ago out of SIU's School of Forestry. He joined the Southern Illinois Interagency Habitat and Fuels Crew as a Burn Crew Member. He took to the task of prescribed fire very quickly and became a very valuable member. Over the years he worked hard to advance his training and career. He was promoted to Burn Crew Manager and helped advance the program from roughly 3,000 acres to well over 15,000 acres annually earning a Forest Service Region 9 award as a partner. He has advanced his career to the point where he is knocking on the door to Burn Boss RxB2. He was promoted to Deputy Program Director this year because of his quality of work. In the 2024 season, Nathan and crew set a new program record of over 20,000 acres of Rx fire.
Nathan is always up for advancing his experience and readily volunteers to AD on western wildfire assignments. He was also instrumental in setting up a TNC Midwest Division fire partnership with other Business Units such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. The crew often travels out of state to assist TNC and other partners. He has helped to lead our Women In Fire program and advance many firefighters careers. |