Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal

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The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal
HillaryMedal.jpg
Awarded forAwarded for remarkable service in the conservation of culture and nature in mountainous regions
Country Nepal
Presented by
  • Mountain Legacy
First awarded
  • 2003;20 years ago (2003)
No. of laureates11 medals as of 2019
Website www.hillarymedal.org

The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal is awarded every one or two years to an individual (rarely, two individuals working as a team) "for remarkable service in the conservation of culture and nature in mountainous regions." The medal both recognizes the service of Sir Edmund Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) on behalf of mountain people and their environment and also encourages the continuing emulation of his example. [1] The Hillary Medal is a project of Mountain Legacy, a Nepalese non-governmental organization (reg. #1018/060-61; www.mountainlegacy.org); the president is biologist Kumar P. Mainali. The Hillary Medal was personally authorized by Sir Edmund in 2002, and ratified by the Namche Consensus, the declaration resulting from the 2003 Namche Conference: "People, Park, and Mountain Ecotourism." [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Hillary Medal presentations have taken place at various venues, including two in Tengboche, Nepal, (2003 and 2008); two in Melbourne, Australia (2006 and 2010); one in Khumjung, Nepal (2011); two in Kathmandu, Nepal (2013 and 2017); and one in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (2015). The 2017 Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal was presented to Peruvian engineer César Portocarrero in Kathmandu, on 11 December 2016. [7]

History

As a member of John Hunt's British Everest Expedition, Edmund Hillary earned international fame as a result of his achieving the first ascent of Mount Everest, along with Tenzing Norgay, in what Time magazine has characterized as "the last major earthly adventure and also the last great symbol of [the British] Empire." [8] Reaching the "Top of the World" was one of a series of adventures that brought Hillary world attention; these included the ascent of ten other Himalayan peaks between 1956 and 1965, an expedition to find the yeti; and an expedition to the South Pole as a member of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1958, a jetboat expedition up the Ganges in 1977, and a flight to the North Pole along with Neil Armstrong in 1985. [9]

Starting in the 1960s, Sir Edmund undertook numerous small-scale development projects on behalf of the Sherpa communities of the Solu, Khumbu, Pharak and Rolwaling districts of eastern Nepal. Working with friends, family, and volunteers, Hillary built some 27 schools, 3 airstrips, 2 hospitals, and an indeterminate number of bridges, water supply systems, clinics, and other infrastructure. He founded the Himalayan Trust to facilitate fundraising, and this non-governmental organization (NGO) was joined by Himalayan Trust UK, the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation (Canada), the American Himalayan Foundation (USA), the Hillary-Stiftung Deutschland (Germany), and other non-profit organizations.

The idea for the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal came from the Nepal-based ecotourism and volunteer organization, Bridges: Projects in Rational Tourism Development (Bridges-PRTD), [10] directed by Seth Sicroff. The award was conceived as a means of both honoring the humanitarian accomplishments of Sir Edmund and also encouraging their emulation by others. [11] It was authorized by Sir Edmund himself in December 2002, and formally ratified by the Namche Consensus, the final declaration of the 2003 Namche Conference ("People, Park, and Mountain Ecotourism"). The Nepalese NGO Mountain Legacy was founded to carry out the selection and presentation of Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medals. [12] [13]

Past recipients

2003: Michael Schmitz and Helen Cawley, for renovation of Tengboche Monastery, Khumbu, Nepal

2006: Alton Byers, of West Virginia, USA, for research and development of protected areas in mountainous regions

2008: Anthony "Papa Tony" Freake, for Phortse Community Project, Khumbu, Nepal [14]

2010: Scott MacLennan, for projects in mountain ecosystem conservation, sustainable economic development and support for unique mountain cultures, especially in Nepal [15] [16]

2011: Ang Rita Sherpa, for management of remote mountainous protected areas in Nepal, Central Asia, and South America

2013: Harshwanti Bisht, for her Save Gangotri project in the Indian Garhwal [17] [18] [19] [20]

2015: Jack D. Ives, for wide-ranging accomplishments in protection of mountain ecosystems and cultures, and for leadership in placing mountain issues on the international political agenda [21] [22]

2016: Civil engineer César A. Portocarrero Rodríguez of Huaraz, Peru, for his work in mitigation of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) hazards in Peru [23]

2017: Explorer and anthropologist Johan Reinhard, of West Virginia, USA, for archeological discoveries and scholarship in the Himalayas and the Andes. [24]

2018: Mountain climber and philanthropist Daniel Mazur of Olympia, Washington, USA, for rescue, recovery, and development projects in the Himalayas. [25]

2019: Cultural preservationist and social activist Didar Ali of Gulmit in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, received the Hillary Medal in December 2019 for his work in preserving and promoting the Wakhi language and culture. [26]

2022: Kathryn March and David Holmberg, anthropologists, for their many decades of friendship and assistance to Nepal, and their leadership in educational exchange programs between Tribhuvan University and Cornell University [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Hillary</span> New Zealand mountaineer (1919–2008)

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenzing Norgay</span> Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (1914–1986)

Tenzing Norgay, born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He was one of the first two people known to certainly reach the summit of Mount Everest, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary on 29 May 1953. Time named Norgay one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan Trust</span>

The Himalayan Trust is an international non-profit humanitarian organisation first established in the 1960s by Sir Edmund Hillary, who led the trust until his death in 2008. The Himalayan Trust aims to improve the health, education and general wellbeing of people living in the Solukhumbu District. The Himalayan Trust is headquartered in New Zealand where it is a registered charity through the Charities Commission. The Trust has charitable and donee status being a member of the Council for International Development (CID).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tengboche</span> Place in Province No. 1, Nepal

Tengboche is a village in Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality in the Khumbu subregion of Province No. 1 in Nepal, located at 3,867 metres (12,687 ft). Within the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region. The structure was built in 1923. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake but subsequently rebuilt. It was destroyed again by a fire in 1989, and again rebuilt with the help of volunteers and the provision of foreign aid. Tengboche has a panoramic view of the Himalayan mountains, including the well-known peaks of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. Tenzing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, was born in the area in the village of Thani and was once sent to Tengboche Monastery to be a monk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khumjung</span> Former Village Development Committee in Nepal

Khumjung is a village in Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality of Solukhumbu District in Province No. 1 of north-eastern Nepal. It is located in the Khumbu subregion inside Sagarmatha National Park, a world heritage site. The village is at an elevation of 3,790 metres above sea level, and is situated near Mount Khumbila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baruntse</span> Mountain in Nepal

Baruntse is a mountain in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, crowned by four peaks and bounded on the south by the Hunku Glacier, on the east by the Barun Glacier, and on the northwest by the Imja Glacier. The mountain was first climbed May 30, 1954 via the south ridge by Colin Todd and Geoff Harrow of a New Zealand expedition led by Sir Edmund Hillary. The first ascent of the East Ridge was made on April 27, 1980 by Lorenzo Ortas, Javier Escartín, Jeronimo Lopez and Carlos Buhler (America) of a Spanish expedition led by Juan José Díaz Ibañez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thame, Nepal</span> Village in Koshi, Nepal

Thame and its neighbouring Thameteng are small Sherpa villages in Namche VDC of the Solukhumbu District in Nepal. These were the last year-round villages on the salt trading route that existed between Tibet, Nepal and India. It is the home to many famous Sherpa mountaineers, including Apa Sherpa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Hawley</span> Journalist and chronicler of Nepal Himalayan expeditions

Elizabeth Hawley was an American journalist, author, and chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering expeditions. Hawley's The Himalayan Database became the unofficial record for climbs in the Nepalese Himalaya. She was also the honorary consul in Nepal for New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everest base camps</span> Staging areas for mountaineering activities on Mount Everest

There are two base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft), while North Base Camp is in China at 5,150 metres (16,900 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hillary</span> New Zealand mountain climber

Peter Edmund Hillary is a New Zealand mountaineer, philanthropist, and writer. He is the son of adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, completed the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. When Peter Hillary summited Everest in 1990, he and his father were the first father/son duo to achieve the feat. Hillary has achieved two summits of Everest, an 84-day trek across Antarctica to the South Pole, and an expedition guiding astronaut Neil Armstrong to land a small aircraft at the North Pole. He has climbed many of the world's major peaks, and on 19 June 2008, completed the Seven Summits, reaching the top of the highest mountains on all seven continents, when he summited Denali in Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everest Marathon</span>

Everest Marathon is an annual marathon event, held in the district of Solukhumbu, Nepal, around the vicinity of Mount Everest in May. With its starting point at 5401m Meter from where the Climbing of Mount Everest Peak starts through the Ice Fall, the marathon is considered to be one of the highest and toughest races in the world. The marathon starts at the Mt. Everest Base Camp, and moves through the traditionally used high Sherpa trails of Khumbu Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunde Hospital</span> Hospital in Khumbu District, Nepal

Kunde Hospital is a community hospital in the town of Kunde, Nepal, that serves 8,000 people from Khumbu district. It is situated 3,840 metres (12,600 ft) above sea level and was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1966. The hospital was funded and operated by The Himalayan Trust until 1976 and is now supported by the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tengboche Monastery</span>

Tengboche Monastery, also known as Dawa Choling Gompa, in the Tengboche village in Khumjung in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Sherpa community. Situated at 3,867 metres (12,687 ft), the monastery is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It was built in 1916 by Lama Gulu with strong links to its mother monastery known as the Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake and was subsequently rebuilt. In 1989, it was destroyed for a second time by a fire and then rebuilt with the help of volunteers and international assistance.

The 1953 British Mount Everest expedition was the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit on 29 May 1953. Led by Colonel John Hunt, it was organised and financed by the Joint Himalayan Committee. News of the expedition's success reached London in time to be released on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, on 2 June that year.

Pertemba, also called Pertemba Sherpa, is a professional Nepalese mountaineer, trek leader and businessman. He reached the summit of Mount Everest by the Southwest Face on the first expedition to successfully take that route, in 1975.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality</span> Gaunpalika in Province No. 1, Nepal

Khumbu Pasanglhamu is a rural municipality (Gaunpalika) out of 7 rural municipalities located at Solukhumbu district of Province No. 1 of Nepal. Khumjung, Namche & Jubing and Chaurikharka were incorporated while creating it. It has the total population of 9,133 according to the 2011 Nepal census and area of 1,539.11 square kilometres (594.25 sq mi). The admin centre of this gaunpalika is that of the Chaurikharka.

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Ang Tshering Sherpa is a Nepalese mountaineer, who belongs to the Sherpa ethnic group and is president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association and Honorary Consul of Belgium.

References

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