2025 YBRA Uplift Award
The YBRA is pleased to recognize Joan Brownell and Denece Lord as the 2025 YBRA Uplift Award for Outstanding Support recipients.
Brownell and Lord have both individually, and in partnership, contributed to aspects of the preservation and recognition of the YBRA in the historic archives of Montana history.
Joan L. Brownell lives near Fishtail, Montana on land homesteaded by her husband’s grandparents. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in History from Montana State University-Bozeman and earned an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado. For over 30 years, she has served as a historical consultant for a broad array of local, state, federal and private clients in Montana. Her work involves historical and architectural inventories that consist of identification, recordation, documentation and evaluation of historic properties. She has successfully completed numerous National Register of Historic Places nominations and has also prepared Historic American Building Surveys (HABS) and Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation. She has conducted extensive research at the National Archives and other repositories for the development of historic context studies. Early in her career, she worked as a cultural resources specialist for the Montana Power Company and the Beaverhead National Forest in Montana. She has experience in historical archaeology and exhibit preparation, through her past association with the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. Brownell has served on several historic preservation boards in Montana over the years.
Denece Lord holds degrees in Geology, English and a Master in Science Education. For 30 years she was a science educator in the BIllings, Montana public school system and a part-time instructor of Geology at Montana State University-Billings. Over the course of her career Lord developed a hands-on middle school Physical Science curriculum and a place-based high school Earth Science curriculum, and for many years served as a member of committees at the state and national levels involving science standards, science curriculum and science assessment. She has been recognized for her remarkable work as an educator with The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching (1994), the Montana Geological Society Teacher of the Year Award (2012) and the AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Teacher of the Year Award (2012).
After moving to Red Lodge in 2016, Lord helped reignite the YBRA summer workshops for K-12 teachers, and upon joining the YBRA Board (2020-2023) was instrumental in generating the initiative to pursue listing the YBRA camp facilities in the National Register of Historic Places.
Brownell and Lord led a collective effort joined by Marv Keller and Greg Creasy to author the nomination that led to the 2022 YBRA listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and helped obtain funding for the restoration work of the Darton Cabin and Fanshawe Lodge. They continue to work in coordination with the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum, in archiving YBRA records dating back to the organization's founding in 1936.
It is with tremendous gratitude that we recognize their work in support of documenting and celebrating the YBRA's rich legacy. Established in 2021, the YBRA Uplift Award for Outstanding Support is given by the YBRA Board in recognition of individuals or organizations for outstanding support of the mission and activities of the YBRA.
Full list of awardees: https://ybra.org/ybra-awards/