The Wildling Museum of Art & Nature has named Joan Easton Lentz as the recipient of the 13th annual Wilderness Spirit Award, and Pete and Becky Adams and Jack and Judy Stapelmann as recipients of the museum’s first Legacy Award.
Throughout the years, the Wildling has presented the Wilderness Spirit Award to a person or group that strives to encourage conservation of natural places and species through various platforms.
From artists to naturalists, winners of the Wilderness Spirit Award have accomplished incredible feats for the local area and the world. Past honorees are:
Ray Strong, 2002; Ansel Adams, 2003; Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, 2004; Bob Kuhn, 2005; Dick Smith, 2006; Fred and Nancy Emerson, 2008; Peter C. Howorth, 2009; Gretel Ehrlich, 2010; Patti Jacquemain, 2012; The Oak Group, 2013; Bud Bottoms, 2015; Jan Hamber, 2017.
For their years of support, the Wildling is honoring Pete and Becky Adams, and Jack and Judy Stapelmann with the Legacy Award. Without their efforts, the Wildling would not be what is today.
They have served on the board of directors, supporting strategic planning efforts, then helping to purchase the Wildling building.
The award presentation will take place at the spring barbecue at Creekspirit in Mission Canyon in Santa Barbara on April 29.
Ticket prices start at $135 and can be purchased at the Wildling Museum in Solvang, online at www.wildlingmuseum.org or by calling 686-8315. Sponsorship opportunities and silent auction items are being sought.
Easton Lentz is a naturalist and author who grew up in Santa Barbara, and has spent much of her life studying the region’s natural history.
Her grandfather Robert E. Easton was a rancher and businessman who was instrumental in setting aside the first sanctuary for the California condor in the backcountry in 1937.
Her father Robert O. Easton was an author and environmental activist who helped establish the San Rafael Wilderness area in 1968. Early visits to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History as a child sparked her interest in the natural world here.
Over the years, her volunteer work has been focused on the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, where she was a docent, sat on the board of trustees, and was named a research associate in the department of vertebrate zoology.
Easton Lentz’s passion for birds grew into an avocation that led her to teach birdwatching classes through the Museum of Natural History, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and the Center for Lifelong Learning.
She has enjoyed being in the field with numerous other groups, and loves interacting with students and sharing her enthusiasm for birds with participants.
She has written several books, but most significantly, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Region, which celebrates the Santa Barbara region as an ecological hotspot — a unique place on the planet.
The book has become a vital resource for the Wildling and helped shape its second-floor gallery space. Easton Lentz’s thorough research has left a lasting legacy for all local nature lovers.
Adams graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1961. He currently serves on the board of governors at its Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies.
After retiring from a 45-year manufacturing career as founder of Quadrastat Corp. and chairman/president of Adams Rite Mfg. Company, he discovered a love of plein-air oil painting.
Adams moved to Santa Barbara for its natural beauty and the opportunity to learn from its many artists. This rekindled his love of nature, which was formed over many summers at his family’s cabin at Huntington Lake.
Together, these interests led him to the Wildling Museum, where he served on the board for six years, the last three as chair. He said he is proud of the strategic plan he and the board developed, which has led to the museum’s relocation, growth and stability.
Adams remains on the advisory council, and said he is grateful his business experience in finance, marketing and executive leadership has helped the Wildling flourish.
He and his wife Becky live in Hope Ranch. They attend All Saints Episcopal Church in Montecito, where they are involved with the seismic retrofitting and renovation of the sanctuary.
In 2005 they founded and now direct the Adams Legacy Foundation, whose mission is much like the Wildling’s: to get people out in nature, unencumbered, free from electronics, free to discover, learn and be rejuvenated.
After receiving a masters degree in immunology from UCSB Santa Barbara, Judy Stapelmann taught biology and ecology at Ventura College, Glendale College and Santa Barbara City College.
A concern for environmental issues led her to volunteer work for Planned Parenthood, where she has served in capacities from clinic work to presiding over the board.
She chaired a major capital campaign, helped grow the book sale, helped with fund raising, and recently returned to serve on the board.
Stapelmann’s love of nature stimulated her participation and support of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, SLO Conservancy, Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Barbara County Trails Council, Santa Barbara Sage Hens, Hope Ranch Riding and Trails Association, Los Padres Trail Riders, and Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center.
She served for nine years as a trustee of the Santa Barbara Foundation, is a member of the Women’s Fund and is a trustee of the UCSB Foundation.
She served an extra year on the Wildling Board to help with fundraising for the purchase of the museum building. A lifelong horseback rider, she has organized trail-ride fundraisers for the museum.
For more about the Wildling, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.
— Katie Pearson for the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature.
Third Page: Judy and Jack Stapelmann
