Seven wetland stewards awarded

WASHINGTON, DC, March 17, 2008 -- Seven citizens have been recognized nationally for their on-the-ground wetland conservation efforts and decades-long dedication to protecting these important natural resources. A diverse panel of wetland experts assembled at the Environmental Law Institute earlier this month to select the winners of the 2008 National Wetlands Awards. This year's award winners hail from all regions of the country and exemplify the extraordinary commitment and innovation that is so instrumental to conserving wetlands in the nation's communities.

The 2008 awardees are:
- Valer and Josiah Austin, landowners from Arizona who have restored miles of wetlands on their ranch lands and worked on cross-border watershed management to restore wetland habitat;
- Caroline Dean, a horticulturalist and teacher from Alabama who has led advocacy and education efforts to protect native flora and wildflowers found in wetlands throughout the Southeastern United States;
- John Dorney, the Supervisor of the North Carolina Division of Water Quality's Program Development Unit who has been instrumental in the development of the state's wetland and stream protection programs;
- Mildred Majoros, a Project Manager with the Trust for Public Land in Florida who has led efforts to protect hundreds of acres of coastal habitat in Puerto Rico;
- Dianne Nygaard, the founder of the non-profit Preserve Calavera who has raised awareness and aided in the purchase and restoration of wetlands in California;
- Raymond Semlitsch, a Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia whose research on amphibian ecology has raised awareness about the need to protect small wetlands and surrounding terrestrial habitat.

More information on the National Wetlands Awards Program is available online at: http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org

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