The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal

2011 Hillary Medal goes to Ang Rita Sherpa

Ang Rita Sherpa, Senior Program Manager for The Mountain Institute, received the 2011 Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal in the course of festivities for the Khumjung School Jubilee Celebration in Sagarmatha National Park on May 29, 2011. Mr. Sherpa has dedicated his career to the management of remote mountainous protected areas. His focus has been on conserving ecosystems while expanding sustainable livelihoods for mountain communities. [ More ]

Scott MacLennan wins 2010 Hillary Medal

Scott MacLennan, founder and Executive Director of The Mountain Fund, was presented with the 2010 Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal at a dinner hosted by the RMIT University on November 17. MacLennan's projects in Nepal include school for HIV-affected children, two clinics and a training hospital as well as the rehabilitation of two monasteries and the staffing of a public school. He has also set up voluntourism programs and mentored new NGOs around the world. [ More ]

The first Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal was awarded in May 2003 to Michael Schmitz and Helen Cawley, jointly, for their work on keystone cultural and ecological projects in the Solu-Khumbu districts of Nepal, including the restoration of Tengboche Monastery. [More ]

Hillary Medalists, from left to right: Cawley and Schmitz (2003); Byers (2006); Freake (2008)

The 2006 Hillary Medal was awarded to Dr. Alton C. Byers for his outstanding achievements in applied conservation research in the Mt. Everest (Nepal), Makalu-Barun (Nepal), and Huascarán (Peru) national parks. In 2007, he established the Alpine Conservation Partnership Project with the American Alpine Club, which, in collaboration with local communities, is now actively protecting and restoring alpine ecosystems in all three of these areas. [More ]

In 2008 British national Mr Anthony "Papa Tony" Freake received the Hillary Medal for his humanitarian and development efforts in Phortse, Nepal, over the past twenty years. [More ]