Years of commitment to introducing people to the wonders of nature and conservation have earned national recognition for Deborah Hauswald of Lincoln.

Hauswald was named National Audubon Society's prestigious Tamar Chotzen Audubon Educator of the Year award in a ceremony in Columbus, Ohio.

She was honored for nine years of work with children at the Spring Prairie Audubon center near Denton, where she serves as education coordinator.

"Deb has managed to take nature discovery beyond the pages of text books and strict programming so that children are able to explore and learn at their own pace," Audubon Vice President for Education Judy Braus said in a news release.

In addition to directly reaching thousands of young people, Hauswald's efforts have made the Spring Creek center a valued partner for community education activities and helped train area teachers through sessions run by the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Those efforts also earned her recognition in 2006 as the Nebraska Wildlife Educator of the Year.

The Tamar Chotzen Educator of the Year Award, bestowed since 2006, is named in honor of a pioneer of Audubon's conservation education programs.