Patricia Alquiza Receives Gary Bryner Distinguished Service Award

The GWC is thrilled to recognize Patricia Alquiza for this year’s Gary C. Bryner Distinguished Service award. Gary C. Bryner served as Director of what was then called the Natural Resources Law Center. He came to Colorado after a successful career as a Professor of Political Science at BYU, and while he left the Center’s Director position in 2001 he remained a regular presence at Center events, even serving a sabbatical year at the Center. Gary possessed two attributes that became the inspiration for the Bryner Award. First, he had a deep love and passion for the study of natural resources and he knowledgeably engaged people on a wide range of resource topics. What set Gary apart, however, was his deep sense of humanity, and his kindness and generosity toward others.Ìý

The Bryner Award honors a graduating student who shares Gary’s passion for natural resources law and especially his kindness and generosity to others and the deep sense of humanity that he practiced in his daily life.

We’re so pleased to recognize Patricia because she has brought a quiet strength, compassion, and grace to her work here at Colorado Law School. Chris Winter, GWC executive director shared, "I had the pleasure of spending 9 days with her during last year’s Advanced Natural Resources Field Seminar as we traveled across the Colorado Plateau. And I got to see how Patricia not only supported her friends on that trip, but also how she brought that same sense of caring and compassion to the natural world and especially the friendly dogs on the Hopi Reservation. For a second, I was afraid she was going to bring a couple of them with us on the rest of the trip." Patricia, thank you for everything you do.