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2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of the National Wetlands Awards program. Since 1989, the program has honored 143 champions of wetlands conservation; helped draw local and national media attention to their causes; and played an important role in securing funding for and convincing policy makers to consider seriously the issues they have championed. Please consider nominating someone for the 20th Anniversary National Wetlands Awards.

The 2009 nomination form and nomination guidelines are now available.

The 2008 National Wetlands Awards winners accept their awards. View more photos from the ceremony.

 

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2000 National Wetlands Award Recipients

 

Outstanding Program Development

When environmentalists want to protect wetlands in North and South Carolina, they seek out Derb Carter. Since he returned to his native Carolina in 1982, Derb has been working with conservation groups to force state and federal agencies to scrutinize and regulate large-scale wetland conversions in the two states.

Mr. Carter’s most recent project is protecting tens of thousands of coastal North Carolina wetlands from unregulated drainage. The U.S. Court of Appeals’ 1338 invalidation of the “Tulloch rule” left wetlands nationwide vulnerable to drainage without federal regulation. Derb Carter led the effort to stop the massive wave of wetland drainage on several fronts. He spearheaded an in-depth investigation of numerous huge drainage projects, and he worked with regulators to stop the unprecedented wetland destruction. He also led a coalition of environmental groups in convincing North Carolina to promulgate and use state standards to protect wetlands in the wake of the Tulloch decision. The enforcement of these standards stopped drainage activity at many sites.

In the early 1980s, Derb Carter’s efforts to force environmental scrutiny of large-scale wetland conversions stopped a 36,000-acre agricultural conversion project and a 35,000-acre peat-mining project, both in the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound watershed. The wetlands were subsequently transferred to the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Derb Carter’s command of and respect for the science, law, politics, and stakeholders on all sides of the wetland debate, makes him a highly respected voice for wetland protection. Both locally and nationally, has raised the level of debate and substantially advanced the cause of wetland protection.

— Jan Goldman-Carter, environmental attorney, Edina, Minnesota

Outstanding Program Development

Roger Holmes, who retired from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources this year after four decades of service to the agency, has been one of the state’s great conservationists and a national leader in wetland protection and management. Director of the department’s Division of Fish and Wildlife since 1990 and wildlife section chief for 18 years before that, Mr. Holmes is best known for helping create and secure passage of the Reinvest in Minnesota program. Established in 1986, the program has reinvested $135 million in state funds into more than 450,000 acres of public and private wetlands and other fish, wildlife, and native plant habitat. Along with the Reinvest in Minnesota program, Roger Holmes has said that his two other proudest achievements were to help expand Minnesota’s public wildlife management system to more that a million acres of wetlands and other habitats, and to help shape the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Reserve Program to benefit grassland wildlife.

A national expert on wetland programs and public policy, Mr. Holmes twice served as chair of the Mississippi Flyway Council, and he also chaired the National Flyway Council. In 1999, as president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Roger Holmes worked on securing passage of the federal Conservation and Reinvestment Act. His many honors include national awards from The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League of America, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

— Dave Schad, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, Minnesota

Volunteer Leadership

When Jean Harris and Roma Armbrust call a meeting to discuss preservation of Ormond Beach, environmentalists, property owners, and officials from all branches of government flock to the table. These two activists have spent a cumulative total of 36 years championing their cause—preservation of Ormond Beach, an undeveloped remnant of a rare salt marsh located in Oxnard, California.

Ms. Armbrust and Ms. Harris are retired teachers who became conservationists after joining the League of Women Voters. Both have spent countless hours educating the community about the biological value of Ormond’s resources, speaking out against ill-conceived development proposals, and increasing community involvement in the planning process for the Ormond Beach area. In 1383, they formed the Ormond Beach Observers, which unified the voice of a number of diverse organizations interested in protecting the wetlands. When the city of Oxnard ultimately formed the Ormond Beach Task Force, these two grandmothers served enthusiastically and patiently. Their tenacity and open-mindedness kept key participants involved and brought the group to final consensus. Earlier this year, the California Coastal Conservancy validated the critical importance of preserving the wetlands by agreeing to acquire a sizable portion for restoration and permanent preservation. As Jean Harris would say, their efforts continue to be “a work in progress” because the city has yet to approve a final development plan for the Ormond Beach area. Undoubtedly, both women will continue to persevere to secure permanent protection for the invaluable Ormond wetlands.

— Kim Uhlich and John Buse, Environmental Defense Centers, Ventura, California

Land Stewardship and Development

Raymond Beck, a retired city employee, has dedicated and managed his 60-acres of land for wildlife for more than 30 years. He has developed and enhanced wetland sites for wood ducks at nesting densities unheard of in south central Oklahoma. Between 500 and 1,000 wood ducks hatch on his property every year.

In this region of the United States, many major streams were cleared of timber and their channels straightened in the 1950s. As a result, wood duck nesting habitat declined drastically. Mr. Beck became concerned and began a wood duck nest box project more than 20 years ago with the construction of two wetlands. Over the years, he has experimented with box clusters, resulting in a high number of boxes in a relatively small area. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, he constructed three additional wetlands in 1939, which increased his wetland habitat to nearly 20 acres. In spring 1993, Mr. Beck maintained and monitored a total of 140 wood duck nest boxes, 13 Canada goose nesting structures, and 50 bluebird boxes.

Raymond Beck’s wetland project is an outstanding example of what one person can accomplish with limited financial resources, a strong land ethic, hard work, and dedication to wildlife.

Over the years, Mr. Beck not only has restored his land to its optimum wildlife habitat conditions, he ardently has advocated for wildlife habitat restoration and has constructed and given out more than 300 wood duck nest boxes, 100 Canada goose nesting structures, and more than 500 bluebird nest boxes to his neighbors, both locally and nationwide.

— Jontie Aldrich, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Education and Outreach

Four years ago, Linda Beyt discovered a passion for wetland education and began a journey that has made her an educational leader, research partner, and instructor of university faculty. In that short time, she has kindled the minds of thousands with her own zeal and passion for wetlands.

A middle-school teacher of 23 years, Ms. Beyt began exploring wetlands in 1996 when she coordinated a grant to demonstrate Louisiana’s annual 25-35 square-mile loss of coastal wetlands. Recognizing her lack of wetland knowledge, she attended dozens of workshops and participated in a practicum at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wetlands Research Center. She has shared her growing knowledge through more than 40 workshops, including Project WET, National Science Teachers Association Conference, and National Wildlife Federation Conservation Summit. She spent two years developing “Knee Deep in Louisiana Wetlands,” an interactive CD-ROM that has been distributed to all Louisiana middle schools.

Ms. Beyt volunteered her seventh grade class in 1997-1938 for a biodiversity program of the American Museum of Natural History. Ms. Beyt also participated in REEF Watch, an expedition to Florida’s coral reefs, and she suggested a hypothesis that a Bigelow Laboratory scientist in Maine is testing. In addition, she helped develop the Louisiana Wetland Education website. She is now a University of Louisiana instructor, training faculty from 19 universities to integrate technology and content. She also recently has been named Gulf Guardian of the Year by the Gulf of Mexico Program.

— Gaye Farris, U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana

Science Research

Ruth Patrick has been a leader in wetland research for more than 60 years. She is an ecologist whose research has concentrated on freshwater systems, specifically diatoms—small components of wetland ecosystems that are vital to the biology and chemistry of wetland functions. Dr. Patrick’s broad interests include national and international ecology and policy, She led research that focused on Tinicum marsh in metropolitan Philadelphia that contributed to its preservation as the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Most recently, her work has involved gathering and summarizing research on aquatic systems and wetlands conducted by scientists from all over the world. She is also an inventor-her diatometer measures the health of aquatic systems.

Dr. Patrick has been involved with nearly every federal agency. Her expertise and ability to effectively distill and convey important information has made her a valuable advisor to the National Academy of Science, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Power Commission, and the World Wildlife Fund, to name just a few. In addition, she received the National Medal of Science from President Clinton, has been awarded 25 honorary degrees, received the Eminent Ecologist award from the Ecological Society of America, and she has been honored by the University of South Carolina’s dedication of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

Ruth Patrick is a role model for ecologists, particularly for women scientists. Her diverse audience includes policymakers, students, and scientists who rely on her knowledgeable synthesis of complex research issues.

— John Teal, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Rochester, Massachusetts

 

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