Breaux Act Newsflash - New Orleans Journalist Heads Cast of Top Conservation Award Winners
***********************************************************************Times-Picayune Environmental Editor, Mark Schleifstein was honored Saturday
evening (February 28) with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation's Governors'
Award. The award is presented annually to the person or organization
deemed to have made the most outstanding contribution toward the protection
and wise use of the state's natural resources - air, soil and minerals,
forests, waters, fish and wildlife during the previous year from among
nominations submitted by the public. The selection for this and 8 other
awards was made by a panel of independent judges with expertise in a wide
range of conservation fields.
Schleifstein received the award, a handsome statuette of a bald eagle, at
the 40th Conservation Achievement Recognition Banquet held at the Holiday
Inn in New Iberia where the Louisiana Wildlife Federation convened for its
65th Annual Meeting. The awards were presented by Dr. Earl Matthew, Region
8 Director of the National Wildlife Federation and LWF President Joe L.
Herring.
Schleifstein was cited for his award-winning environmental writing and
particularly for the series, "Washing Away," an expose on the Louisiana's
coastal land loss and the increasing vulnerability of coastal communities
to tropical storms. The work has given renewed momentum to the coastal
restoration effort and was influential in the adoption of 3 critical
constitutional amendments at the polls last fall. He was also commended
for convening a major conference of environmental journalists in New
Orleans that succeeded in informing hundreds of key communicators about the
loss of America's WETLAND.
Five individuals, two organizations and a company were also recognized for
their outstanding conservation achievements in 2004. They are:
(Professional Category) Robert E. Stewart, Jr., Director of the National
Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, for developing and guiding the
Nation's premier wetlands research facility and lending its expertise to
better understand and preserve wetland resources;
(Volunteer Category) James Walker Moore, Jr. of Monroe for dedicating his
time, skills and energy to conserve wildlife in his community though his
work with Friends of Black Bayou and the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife
Refuge;
(Youth) The Ascension Parish Youth Council for numerous clean-up and
beautification projects in the parish, particularly the effort to restore
New River;
(Business) Roy O. Martin Lumber Company for leadership in forest
stewardship and wildlife management on over 600,000 acres of company forest
lands in Louisiana;
(Education) The Louisiana SeaGrant Extension Communications Committee for
facilitating the delivery of fisheries and wetlands science and
conservation information to the people of Louisiana through the development
of the web site: SeaGrantFish;
(Elected Official) Senator Reggie P. Dupre, Jr. of Bourg for championing
the cause of coastal restoration in the Louisiana Legislature;
(Communicator) John N. Fesher, Outdoor Editor for the Lake Charles American
Press for advocating, in word and deed, the preservation of Louisiana's
outdoor heritage;
(Organization) The Toledo Bend Lake Association for being Toledo Bend
Reservoir's chief citizen stewards and tenacious guardians of its natural
resources.
The Louisiana Wildlife Federation is a statewide conservation education and
advocacy organization with over 13,000 members and 35 affiliate groups.
Established in 1940, it is affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation
and represents a broad constituency of conservationists including hunters,
fishers, campers, birders, boaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
For additional information contact Randy Lanctot at (225) 344-6707 or
randy@lawildlifefed.org
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