Denise Henderson Vaughn recently received the Daughters of the American Revolution Conservation Medal and Conservation Certificate Award.
Mary Ann Mutrux, conservation committee chair for the Ozark Spring chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, presented the award March 7.
The national award is a one-time honor recognizing people and businesses with distinguished records of improving the environment and educating the public on conservation issues.
Vaughn, an award-winning journalist and video producer, has spent more than four decades educating Missouri Ozarks residents about forest and water quality in the region's sensitive karst terrain. Her efforts primarily focus on protecting groundwater and facilitating sustainable forestry on private lands.
She previously worked as an investigative reporter for the West Plains Daily Quill for more than 20 years, where she covered water quality, forestry management and air quality. Over the past decade, she has continued to contribute articles to the Quill on topics such as karst topography and wild boar management. Today, she works as a media consultant, producing newsletters, videos and other content for ecologically focused nonprofits.
Vaughn also serves as a leader for the Ozark Resource Center, a volunteer-run nonprofit that promotes sound ecological practices. The organization was recently added as a qualifying charity by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The center was the first fiscal sponsor of the Ozark Land Trust, where Vaughn has served as a board member since the 1980s.
Additionally, she helped establish a recycling center that continues to serve residents in Mtn. View and Eminence. As a board member for the Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri, she speaks at the association's annual Woodland Owners conference.
Vaughn holds a master's degree in journalism and conservation biology. She frequently volunteers as a guest speaker in classrooms and staffs information booths at local festivals.
