The Stewart L. and Morris K. Udall Society

One sure way to tell an organization's values is by whom they honor. ELI honored Stewart L. Udall and the late Morris K. Udall for their leadership in environmental protection with the 1993 ELI Award, and we're pleased the Udall family has let us continue honoring them through the Udall Society.

The Udalls' values grew out of their Mormon pioneer heritage in the small community of St. Johns, Arizona. In The Forgotten Founders, Rethinking the History of the Old West (2002), Stewart challenges the idea that "wild west" values tamed the land. He describes how native peoples, missionaries and pioneer families like the Udalls built communities through "amity, not conquest, stability, not strife; conservation, not waste; restraint, not aggression."

Those values are remarkably close to ELI's of today. We seek to be an honest broker, working with all parties with diverse perspectives on achieving environmental progress. We value fair, effective, and efficient solutions to environmental problems.

Udall Society members, through their contributions (from $250-$4,999), are helping ELI carry out ideas to engage and empower environmental leaders the world over. Your generosity is needed because government and foundation grants alone would never support this important and innovative work. Last year ELI attorneys and professional staff worked hard on important projects to advance environmental protection by strengthening law, policy and management in the United States and around the world.