COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Conservation Commission recently honored Susan Flader of Columbia for her lifetime commitment to conservation during a special ceremony on Sept. 12 at the Stoney Creek Hotel in Columbia. Flader was honored with the Department’s Master Conservationist Award.

The MDC Master Conservationist Award was created in 1941 to honor living or deceased citizen conservationists, former commissioners of the Department, and employees of conservation-related agencies, universities, or organizations who have made substantial and lasting contributions to the fisheries, forestry, or wildlife resources, including conservation law enforcement and conservation education-related activities in the state. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/about-us/awards-honors/master-conservationist-award-nomination.

Flader is a professor emerita of American western and environmental history at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has written extensively about Aldo Leopold -- considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation -- and served as board chair of the Leopold Foundation. Flader also is a founder and past president of the American Society for Environmental History and the Missouri Parks Association (MPA). 

Flader is best known for her scholarship on Aldo Leopold. In addition to numerous articles, she has authored or edited 10 books including her seminal book, Thinking Like a Mountain: Aldo Leopold and the Evolution of an Ecological Attitude toward Deer, Wolves, and Forests (1974), which established her as a leading voice in environmental history. 

She has combined her academic work with conservation advocacy, taking on leadership roles in organizations such as the MPA and teaching at the University of Missouri. 

“Susan Flader has played pivotal roles in advocating for the preservation of our state's natural landscapes through her involvement with the MPA and the Missouri Department of Conservation,” said MDC Director Jason Sumners. “Her efforts have raised awareness about sustainable forest management, water quality, and public land conservation.”

Sumners added that as an influential educator at the University of Missouri, Flader has inspired generations of students in environmental history and policy. 

“Her leadership has extended beyond academia into public service where she has served on numerous conservation boards and commissions, advocating for policies integrating scientific research with conservation practice.”

Flader's research focuses on the relationship between people and natural ecosystems, and the evolution of conservation thought and practice. Key areas of her research include Aldo Leopold and ecological thought, Missouri conservation history, public lands and park preservation, and conservation policy and water resources. 

“Her research provides a historical lens for understanding contemporary conservation challenges to help policymakers and citizens make more informed decisions regarding natural resource management,” Sumners said. 

Flader has also been involved with the L-A-D Foundation since the 1970s where she has had significant leadership roles in the organization that owns and manages the 146,000-acre Pioneer Forest and a dozen natural areas and parks in the Missouri Ozarks. She most recently was board president for the past seven years. 

She has also served in leadership roles on the National Audubon Society board of directors and the Audubon Missouri board of directors. As an Audubon Missouri board member, she championed the establishment of the Audubon Center at Riverlands in the St. Louis metro area to engage urban and underserved communities in conservation. She is currently on the Audubon Center at Riverlands advisory board and continues to contribute her time, expertise, and resources to the center.

She has lectured extensively across the United States and internationally, served on numerous professional and environmental boards, and received many awards for her publications and conservation efforts.

“Susan Flader is a distinguished historian and conservationist whose work has significantly impacted natural resource conservation in Missouri,” said Sumners. “Her efforts have preserved Missouri's natural heritage and fostered public appreciation for conservation. Through her scholarship, advocacy, service, and education, she has made a lasting impact on Missouri's conservation landscape.”