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About the Award

The Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship honors those who address the root causes of environmental injustice in the United States, with a strong focus on racial justice in the face of oil, gas, and petrochemical activity. The award recognizes the leadership of those standing up for their communities to protect the places they love. 

For too long, the oil and gas industry has wreaked havoc on our landscapes and farms with millions of miles of dangerous pipelines, invaded neighborhoods with fracked wells, choked towns with noxious petrochemical emissions, littered streams littered with throwaway plastics, and accelerated the climate crises. But hope abounds in the thousands of volunteers working in their communities and cherished places to document, report, and confront such fossil fuel harms.

To honor these environmental heroes, FracTracker Alliance created the annual Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship, now in its seventh year, to celebrate individuals whose noble actions exemplify the transformative power of caring, committed, and engaged people. In collaboration with a supportive lineup of sponsors and partners, the award is presented to multiple recipients at a festive reception before a group of fellow activists and others who champion a healthy, sustainable future. Each awardee will also receive $1,000 in recognition of their efforts.

Additionally, each year during the Community Sentinel Award ceremony, we take a moment to honor environmental heroes who passed away in the previous year with the Legacy of Heroes recognition.

Donate to support the Sentinels award program
Donate to support the Sentinels award program

The 2021 Community Sentinel Award Winners

John Beard Headshot
Love Sanchez Headshot
John Beard

Founder, Chairman, & CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network

Veronica Coptis

Executive Director, Center for Coalfield Justice

Travis London

Community Organizing Fellow & Project Lead, Public Lab

Love Sanchez

Co-Founder of Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend

Watch the 2021 Sentinel Awards Ceremony here.

Questions about the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship or becoming a partner/sponsor?

Email Us

2021 Sponsors

Logos of sponsors

2021 Partners

2021 Judges

  • Eleanor Goldfield, Creative Radical/Journalist/Filmmaker, Art Killing Apathy
  • Natasha Leger, Executive Director, Citizens for a Healthy Community; Former Sentinel Award Recipient
  • Scott Skokos, Executive Director, Dakota Resource Council
  • Justin Thompson, Environmental Climate Justice Chair, Ashtabula County NAACP;  Board of Directors, FaCT Ohio (Faith Communities Together for a Sustainable Future); Ashtabula County Water Watch

Previous Sentinel Award Winners

2015
Dory Hippauf – Dallas, PA
Craig Stevens – Herndon, VA
Therese Vick – Raleigh, NC

2016
Alma Hasse – Fruitland, ID
Alex Lotorto – Milford, PA
Vera Scroggins – Brackney, PA

2017
Ranjana Bhandari – Arlington, TX
Frank Finan – Hop Bottom, PA
Ray Kemble – Montrose, PA

2018
Ellen Gerhart – Pennsylvania
Natasha Léger – Colorado
Rebecca Roter – of Pennsylvania, now Georgia
Youth award: Nalleli Cobo – California

2019

Ron Gulla – Canonsburg, PA
Sharon Lavigne – St. James, LA
Allie Rosenbluth – Medford, OR
Melissa Troutman – Pittsburgh, PA

Legacy of Heroes recognition:

Bill Hughes – Wetzel County, WV
April Pierson-Keating – Buckhannon, WV
Ricky Allen Roles – Silt, CO
John Trallo Sr. – Sonestown, PA

LEARN MORE ABOUT PREVIOUS SENTINELS

A Community Sentinel’s leadership continues: Melissa Troutman since 2019

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January 5, 2022
2019 Community Sentinel winner Melissa Troutman shares with FracTracker what she has been up to since winning the Sentinel award.
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14552757886_bf82b79d2d_o.jpg 911 1500 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2022-01-05 11:18:332022-01-06 14:45:32A Community Sentinel’s leadership continues: Melissa Troutman since 2019

Congratulations to the 2021 Community Sentinels!

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January 4, 2022
The 2021 Community Sentinel Awards include John Beard, Jr., Veronica Coptis, Travis London, and Love Sanchez.
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Meet-the-2021-Community-Sentinels-2.jpg 566 1500 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2022-01-04 15:50:272022-01-24 18:37:20Congratulations to the 2021 Community Sentinels!

2020 Community Sentinel Awards Recap

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December 14, 2020
The 2020 Community Sentinel Awards include Edith Abeyta, Yvette Arellano, Theresa Landrum, and BJ McManama.
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Community-Sentinel-Award-feature-general-scaled.jpg 667 1500 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2020-12-14 15:30:082021-10-14 15:50:232020 Community Sentinel Awards Recap

A successful 2019 Community Sentinel Award Reception- a full summary

October 29, 2019
There are many courageous and determined individuals to be grateful…
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Announcing the 2019 Sentinel Award Winners

September 25, 2019
Congratulations to the winners of this year's Community Sentinel…
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2019 Community Sentinel Award nominations now being accepted

August 1, 2019
…
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/markus-spiske-n52HL8hmsdg-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1000 1500 Shannon Smith https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png Shannon Smith2019-08-01 08:55:212021-04-15 14:56:272019 Community Sentinel Award nominations now being accepted
2018 Community Sentinel Award Recipients and Reception

A Sincere Thank You, 2018 Community Sentinel Award Recipients

December 4, 2018
Reflecting back on the Community Sentinel award reception, held…
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Sentinels-2018-Feature.jpg 400 900 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2018-12-04 17:44:212021-04-15 14:57:04A Sincere Thank You, 2018 Community Sentinel Award Recipients
Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship

Four environmental stewards receive the 2018 Community Sentinel Award

October 24, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – As oil and gas representatives descend on…
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SentinelAward-Feature.jpg 400 900 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2018-10-24 10:14:212021-04-15 14:57:35Four environmental stewards receive the 2018 Community Sentinel Award
Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship

2018 Community Sentinel Award nominations now being accepted

August 20, 2018
The impacts of the oil and gas industry are visible across the…
https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SentinelAward-Feature.jpg 400 900 FracTracker Alliance https://www.fractracker.org/a5ej20sjfwe/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-FracTracker-logo-horizontal.png FracTracker Alliance2018-08-20 13:00:282021-04-15 14:57:402018 Community Sentinel Award nominations now being accepted
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