Jerry Vineyard, formerly Assistant State Geologist and currently River Basin Coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey, has received the department's Natural Areas Stewardship Award. Natural areas are biological communities or geological sites in a natural or nearly undisturbed state.

Vineyard is a charter member (since 1977) of the Missouri Natural Areas Committee. The group consists of members from the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, as well as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. The committee's primary goal is to identify, select and protect outstanding examples of Missouri's terrestrial, aquatic, and geologic features that make up the state's natural heritage.

As a geologist, writer, editor and speleologist, Vineyard is widely respected for his knowledge of caves, springs and karst formations. He was born and raised on a Pulaski County farm. A cave and spring on the family farm sparked his early interest in geology. The spring was the family's source of water, and he often quips that they had running water in their home when he was a kid because every time they needed water, his mother would have him run to the spring to fetch it!

The list of credits to his name are far too extensive to list here, but he co-authored The Springs of Missouri (1982), and both contributed to the original edition and worked on the revision of Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri (1990). Both books have been used as references to recognize the state's outstanding geologic features. Vineyard also played a pivotal role in the development of the 1980 Missouri Cave Protection Act.

Many of the 122 natural area nominations reviewed by the Natural Areas Committee during his tenure reflect his contributions. His dedication served the committee well as he chaired the group from 1995 to 1998.

Although semi-retired, Vineyard's current position as River Basin Coordinator involves handling the water and water rights for the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, as well as the rest of the diverse waterways in Missouri.

Missouri Resources, Vol. 16, No. 2. Summer 1999.