MONTGOMERY-The Alabama Wildlife Federation will present this year’s Alabama Wildlife Federation Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards at a formal banquet, beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 2, at the Marriott Legends at Capitol Hill in Prattville.
The Alabama Wildlife Federation Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards, considered the most prestigious conservation honors in the state of Alabama, promote leadership by example and in turn increase conservation of our natural resources including our wildlife, forests, soils, water and air. Over the past 30 years, Alabama Wildlife Federation has presented these awards to individuals and organizations that make great contributions to the conservation of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources.
This year’s award recipients are:
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Youth Conservationist of the Year
Catherine Anne Wofford
Catherine Anne Wofford has a passion for the outdoors. Her conservation ethic shines in all that she does, especially her volunteer efforts related to clean water and the natural resources of our great state.
Catherine has organized volunteers for the City of Andalusia Electronics Recycling Day (2010-2012), served as Chairperson for the last four years for the Alabama Coastal Clean-up, and helped organize and assist with the Covington County Groundwater Festival. Her talents and efforts also include designing and painting barrels in support of pollution reduction and stormwater re-use for the Alabama Rain Barrel Project (2008-2012). As a freelance photographer and website/social media guru, she has utilized those talents to provide volunteer support to the Alabama Clean Water Partnership.
Catherine Anne Wofford is simply a talented, intelligent, and dedicated individual that is making a difference for her community, her state, and the natural resources upon which
we depend.
For outstanding conservation achievements by a youth, we present the 2013 Youth Conservationist of the Year, Miss Catherine Anne Wofford.
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Hunter Safety Instructor of the Year
Barbour County Youth Hunt
In February of 2013, the Eufaula Lions Club hosted the 16th Annual Barbour County Youth Hunt at the Barbour County Wildlife Management Area. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers like Pat Kott and Richard Reed, along with support from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a host of sponsors, what began as a simple idea to provide a fun and interactive opportunity to share safe and responsible hunting skills has grown by leaps and bounds.
The original event included 37 youth. This year’s event hosted over 250 attendees for activities such as BB gun marksmanship, archery, skeet, turkey calling, wilderness survival, squirrel and rabbit hunting, hunter safety education training, and natural resource appreciation. Today, the Barbour County Youth Hunt is the largest youth hunt in Alabama and Georgia and is the 3rd largest in the nation. Since the program began, more than 3,500 children have participated in the event and received valuable hunter safety instruction.
For their outstanding commitment to hunter safety education and youth involvement in the outdoors, we present the 2013 Hunter Safety Instructor of the Year, Barbour County Youth Hunt.
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Conservation Enforcement Officer of the Year
Officer Elliott Waters
Officer Elliott Waters serves in Tuscaloosa County as a Conservation Enforcement Officer with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Members of the community have referred to him as a hardworking, dedicated, and helpful officer.
Officer Waters averages a minimum of 100 conservation-related arrests each year, many associated with poachers involved with illegal night hunting, hunting without permission, and hunting from public roads. In additions to his arrest efforts, he has also taught hunter safety education courses involving over a thousand students in Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties.
Officer Waters is a member of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Minority Recruitment Committee and assists with recruiting statewide. He also serves as a Training Emergency Management Coordinator for the Emergency Response Committee and has participated in numerous search and rescue missions, including the 2011 Tornado Response in Tuscaloosa.
In recognition of his service and dedication to conservation law enforcement and beyond, we present the 2013 Conservation Enforcement Officer of the Year, Officer Elliott Waters.
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Conservation Organization of the Year
Roundstone Native Seed
From a simple need for local native seed sources for conservation plantings sixteen years ago, Randy and John Seymour developed Roundstone Native Seed. Today, they are a leader in the native plant and habitat restoration arena.
From their beginning selection of foundation seed and only garden-size production plots, Roundstone Native Seed has grown to thousands of acres in seed production with the highest quality native seed on the market. They are the largest producer of native warm season grass seed and wildflower seed in the Southern Ohio Valley and the southeast.
Roundstone is specifically known for their skill in developing useable quantities of seed from specific native plant ECOTYPES – seed from plants which are naturally adapted to the soil, temperature, geology and local conditions of a specific region. Roundstone not only grows, harvests and conditions seed, they have also successfully planted and established over 100,000 acres of native plant communities across the southeast.
Thanks to support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Southern Company’s Power of Flight program, the Alabama Wildlife Federation has been developing Native Warm Season Grass projects across the state. Even though they are located in Kentucky, Roundstone has been with us the entire way. From helping us with seed sources and mixes for our demonstration sites to extensive assistance here in Alabama with our training efforts, they invested both personal time and expense to help insure project success.
In recognition of their commitment to native habitat restoration in Alabama and beyond, we present the 2013 Conservation Organization of the Year, Roundstone Native Seed.
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Conservation Communicator of the Year
David Rainer
David Rainer is a writer, communicator and photographer who has been promoting outdoor recreation and conservation for well over 30 years. His love of the outdoors and hard-core newspaper background give him the ability to report thoroughly about fishing, hunting and conservation. His ability to provide readers with good, valuable information is apparent in everything he writes. After 14 years as an outdoor editor at the Mobile Press-Register he joined the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 2006. His position with the department allows him to share his love of the outdoors in a weekly column on outdooralabama.com. He also writes feature articles for the Outdoor Alabama magazine, as well radio and television appearances.
David is a natural leader and team player and has an uncanny ability to convey information in an unbiased way. He serves as current president of Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and has been a loyal member since 1988. He also serves on the Outreach and Education Advisory Panel of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the Outreach and Education Subcommittee of Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.
For his dedication and professionalism in sharing the conservation message, we present the 2013 Conservation Communicator of the Year, Mr. David Rainer.
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Conservation Educator of the Year
Traci Knight Ingleright
Traci Knight Ingleright’s passion for conservation is bold and inspiring. As a teacher, that passion fuels her commitment to encourage her students to be the best they can be and to become the next generation of natural resource stewards.
Throughout her career, Traci has participated in a variety of state and national endeavors and organizations that are both an extension of her conservation ethic and an investment in being the best she can be as an educator. She has served on the Alabama Environmental Literacy Plan Task Force, as a Board Member of the Environmental Education Association of Alabama, the Governor’s Task Force for Environmental Literacy in Alabama – and on top of that she is Life Member of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and a member of Ben Knight Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, named in honor of her father.
As the Enrichment Teacher at Gwin Elementary School in Hoover, Traci’s commitment to excellence is second to none. Her efforts and real world approach to teaching kids about conservation and our environment has resulted in a variety of stellar achievements. In 2008, her school achieved Certified Alabama Outdoor Classroom Status. And this year, it was simply over the top. Gwin Elementary School received the Project Learning Tree Green School Award, the National Wildlife Federation Green Flag Award, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Award – the first school in the nation to receive all of these awards.
For her untiring efforts for conservation education, we present the 2013 Conservation Educator of the Year, Mrs. Traci Knight Ingleright.
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Air Conservationist of the Year
Aviation Center Logistics Command
The Aviation Center Logistics Command at Fort Rucker has the mission to provide superior maintenance on helicopters and ground service equipment. At the same time, these services must be conducted safely and insure the integrity of the work and natural environment.
Aviation Center Logistics Command is preventing the unnecessary exposure of employees to hazardous materials and the unnecessary generation of hazardous waste and volatile organic compounds emissions to the environment through incorporation of the STAR 4D painter training program. This advanced certification program has the potential to eliminate 10,615 pounds of hazardous waste per year and reduce the amount of coating materials used by 302 gallons per year. Not only will these voluntary efforts reduce net annual costs by almost $50,000, they will reduce volatile organic compound emissions by 13%.
In recognition of their exemplary efforts on behalf of Alabama’s air quality, we present the 2013 Air Conservationist of the Year, Aviation Center Logistics Command.
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Water Conservationist of the Year
Roy H. Collins
In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded, sank and discharged oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days – creating the largest environmental disaster in the nation’s history. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) was assigned responsibility to lead the states disaster relief response which required coordinating the activities of twelve state agencies. Over the last three years the work to deal with the impacts to Alabama’s coastal environment have consumed more than 60,000 ADEM work hours.
Roy Collins, the Alabama State On-Scene Coordinator to the Gulf Coast Incident Management Team is a shining example of the intense dedication and commitment that was required by people involved with the oil spill response. As he coordinated the vast array of clean-up and restoration activities, 90 hour weeks, seven days a week has been the norm, with no additional compensation, and he remains determined to complete the task.
As the leader of a large team, under Roy’s oversight, thousands of tons of oil and tar have been removed from Alabama’s coastal waters and shoreline, avoiding incalculable damage to key estuaries essential to our oyster, crab, shrimp, and fishing industries. By insisting on the highest levels of cleanup efforts, thankfully, Alabama’s white, sandy beaches are returning and the tourism industry is recovering.
Dedicated, tireless, diligent, exemplary, constant and consistent are just a few of the terms used to describe Roy Collins and the job he has done.
For his tireless efforts to protect the coastal waters of our great state, we present the 2013 Water Conservationist of the Year, Mr. Roy Collins.
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Soil Conservationist of the Year
Dr. William “Bill” Puckett
Dr. William “Bill” Puckett serves as the State Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama. In this role, he has become known for his proactive approach, can-do attitude, and building effective partnerships with a host of organizations and agencies committed to soil and water conservation and the wise stewardship of Alabama’s natural resources.
Under Dr. Puckett’s leadership, he has fostered effective implementation of Farm Bill programs that have resulted in millions of dollars invested in partnership with Alabama landowners to protect our soil resources through conservation tillage and the use of cover crops. At the same time, these programs have also increased crop productivity, improved water quality, and established beneficial forest and wildlife habitats.
During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Dr. Puckett spearheaded development of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative and worked with the Alabama Wildlife Federation, local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and coastal Alabama landowners to develop alternative, oil-free habitats for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. As a result, and in short order, almost 1,000 acres of new migratory shorebird and waterfowl habitat were created, providing the habitat necessary to support feeding areas for 50,000 migratory shorebirds and approximately 900,000 duck use days.
Dr. Puckett is a leader and is passionate about the soil and related natural resources of our state. He has also led in Alabama the National Water Quality Initiative, the Working Lands for Wildlife Initiative, and a host of other highly beneficial conservation efforts.
For his tireless leadership to promote use, management, and protection of our soil and related natural resources, we present the 2013 Soil Conservationist of the Year, Dr. William Puckett.
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Forest Conservationist of the Year
Bill Finch, Rhett Johnson, John C. Hall, Beth Maynor Young
Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See is a compelling narrative written by Bill Finch, Rhett Johnson and John C. Hall complimented by the breathtaking photography of Beth Maynor Young.
Bill Finch is Senior Fellow at the Ocean Foundation and Executive Director of the Mobile Botanical Gardens. Rhett Johnson is cofounder and President of The Longleaf Alliance, Inc. John C. Hall is curator of the Black Belt Museum at the University of West Alabama. Beth Maynor Young is an accomplished and acclaimed conservation photographer.
Released in 2012, this book explores the extent of longleaf across the landscape prior to human contact and how it came to be, what it has meant to our society, its effect on our culture, the decline of the ecosystem, and the path to restoration.
Longleaf forests once covered over 90 million acres across the southeast and represented the largest forest type in North America. Today, approximately 3 million acres of longleaf ecosystem remain. Thankfully, there is renewed interest in restoration of this ecologically diverse and economically productive forest ecosystem. The authors of Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See take the time to showcase the longleaf forest and share ways to conserve, expand and manage this unique and valuable natural resource asset.
It is clear that Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See strikes the balance between history, conservation, exploration, and the visual beauty and significance of the majestic longleaf ecosystem in a manner that will further inspire and elevate restoration of this southern forest legacy.
In recognition of their commitment to the conservation of the Longleaf Forest Ecosystem, we present the 2013 Forest Conservationist of the Year, the Authors of Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See.
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Wildlife Conservationist of the Year
Jeff T. Garner
Jeff Garner is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in Malacology – the study of mussels and snails. Over the past 18 years, Jeff has built a stellar career within his field, serving the last thirteen years as State Malacologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.
60% of all mussel species known to occur in the United States occur in Alabama. Mussels provide an important component of nature’s ability to clean our waters and support ecological health. Jeff’s work in Alabama is of vital importance to the sustainability of the commercial and non-commercial mussel industry and protection of aquatic habitats in general – habitats that also support everything from largemouth bass to aquatic snails.
Jeff is passionate about his work and has logged over 1,100 hours of bottom time diving and surveying Alabama’s large rivers and untold miles of smaller streams. His work led to the rediscovery of two aquatic snails that were previously thought extinct, finding new populations of other species that were rare or of limited distribution, and establishment of a new population of endangered snails through adult translocation techniques.
In 2008, Jeff co-authored Freshwater Mussels in Alabama, and has also co-authored more than 17 additional peer reviewed publications.
For his dedication and commitment to excellence in wildlife conservation, we present the 2013 Wildlife Conservationist
of the Year, Mr. Jeff T. Garner.
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Conservationist of the Year
James W. Porter, II
For over 100 years, Jim Porters’ family has owned land in Pickens County. Throughout that history, they have actively managed those lands to provide quality timber, productive wildlife habitats, and hunting opportunities for family and friends. It is those historical roots and experiences that form the foundation upon which Jim Porter’s conservation ethic is anchored.
As an outgrowth of his conservation ethic, Jim has provided key volunteer leadership on a variety of fronts. In the early 1990’s he was heavily involved in the drafting and development of the initial legislation to create the Forever Wild program and the efforts leading to legislative passage and voter approval of the original Forever Wild Constitutional Amendment in 1992. In 1998, Jim was appointed to serve a six-year term on the Forever Wild Land Trust Board and was instrumental in key Forever Wild purchases including the Mobile-Tensaw Delta purchase, the Freedom Hills purchase, and the Walls of Jericho purchase. True to his roots and convictions, Jim was the catalist in garnering the overwhelming support of the Forever Wild Board of Trustees to incorporate public hunting opportunities into the management plans for Forever Wild properties at all appropriate times. As a result, approximately 98% of Forever Wild properties offer hunting opportunities to Alabama citizens.
Also in 1998, he was appointed to serve a six-year term on the Governor’s Conservation Advisory Board where he assisted the Conservation Commissioner and the Conservation Department with deliberations on policies and procedures related to natural resources, hunting, angling, and outdoor recreation under the department’s jurisdiction. During that tenure, Jim’s goal and success was to help protect and enhance Alabama’s wildlife resources and insure the integrity of the hunting experience.
Jim has been a life-long and active member of the National Rifle Association. Over the last two years, he has effectively marshaled both his passion for Forever Wild and the National Rifle Association in a unique and effective way. During the effort to pass legislation providing the opportunity to reauthorize Forever Wild funding, Jim Porter testified in favor of Forever Wild, on behalf of himself and the National Rifle Association, at every public hearing held in the halls of the state legislature. Thanks to his efforts and those of a host of others, favorable legislation was passed allowing the people of Alabama to vote on renewing Forever Wild. Jim did not stop there. He marshaled the resources of the National Rifle Association to become a vocal advocate in Alabama for the Forever Wild Reauthorization Amendment that passed by 75% voter approval last November. And following in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Irvine C. Porter, earlier this year Jim was elected to and now serves as President of the NRA Foundation.
Jim Porter’s resume reflects a history of, respect for, and commitment to our hunting heritage, firearms freedoms, public access to the outdoors, and the conservation of our state’s natural resources that underpin each and every one of these elements.
For the commitment of his time, talents, and resources to the conservation of Alabama’s outdoor resources and the
enjoyment thereof, we present the 2013 Conservationist
of the Year, Mr. James W. Porter.
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For more information about the awards and recipients, visit www.alabamawildlife.org. Tickets to the banquet are $40 and are available for purchase by contacting AWF at 1-800-822-9453.
The Alabama Wildlife Federation, established by sportsmen in 1935, is the state’s oldest and largest citizens’ conservation organization. The mission of AWF, a 501(c)3 non-profit group supported by membership dues and donations, is to promote conservation and wise use of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources as a basis for economic and social prosperity. To learn more contact Alabama Wildlife Federation at 1-800-822-WILD or visit www.alabamawildlife.org.
MEDIA RELEASE/ALABAMA WILDLIFE FEDERATION/MARLA RUSKIN
