Will Dockery, a U of A senior who participated in last week's commencement ceremonies, was recently recognized as the 2024 individual winner of the Mayor's Environmental Stewardship Award presented by Fayetteville Major Lioneld Jordan.

This is the fourth year for the Mayor's Environmental Stewardship Award, which recognizes excellence in environmental stewardship demonstrated through sustainable practices, programs or projects undertaken by Fayetteville community members, non-profits, businesses and educators.

Dockery, an environmental, soil and water science major in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, was the individual recipient. Butterfield Trail Village was the nonprofit winner, the Pick Me Up program the community initiative winner and the Fayetteville High School Eco-Fashion Club was the young innovators winner.

Recipients were recognized by Jordan during the city's Earth Day Celebration April 20 at the Marion Orton Recycling Center.

"I am very humbled to be chosen for this award," Dockery said. "The other nominees are incredible in their own right and have done amazing things, so I am a bit shocked and completely flattered to have been chosen."

Dockery served two terms as a member of the Urban Forestry Advisory Board, and he worked on amendments to the city's tree and landscape codes to increase tree protections and strengthen landscaping standards.

He was responsible for the development and implementation of the city's invasive species "bounty" program, and his advocacy for Lewis Park was instrumental in its preservation. He is currently a member of the Parks, Natural Resources and Cultural Affairs Advisory Board. He was appointed to both boards by the Fayetteville City Council.

Dockery, who is from Fayetteville, is a member of the Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Club and conducted research in the lab of Rebekah Samsonraj, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering.

Dockery will be pursuing a master's degree in crop, soil and environmental sciences with an emphasis on soil greenhouse gas emissions in prairie ecosystems under the direction of university professor of applied soil physics and pediology Kris Brye in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.