by George Smith
Bangor Daily News column
Maine is blessed with many environmental leaders, and it’s nice when they are recognized. The Natural Resources Council of Maine recently honored wonderful folks from Falmouth, Georgetown, Walpole, and Brunswick.
Here’s NRCM’s announcement.
Augusta, ME – The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) has named its 2018 Conservation Leadership Award winners. The award recipients include a former Republican legislator who crafted several of Maine’s most important environmental laws; a shellfish grower turned climate activist; a couple of fearless advocates for Maine’s natural resources, and this year’s winner of the People’s Choice Award, the creator and manager of the 18,000-member Facebook group, MaineBirds.
The award is given each year to individuals or groups who have made an extraordinary contribution to the protection of Maine’s land, air, waters, or wildlife.
The award winners are:
- Horace “Hoddy” Hildreth (Falmouth), Lifetime Achievement Award winner, for more than four decades of public service in conservation and as a business voice for the environment
- Sandy and Ole Jaeger (Georgetown) for exemplifying an informed and highly engaged citizenry necessary for holding their elected officials accountable
- Bill Mook (Walpole) for putting his real-life experience as a shellfish grower and business owner into advocacy work for clean water and a healthy climate
- Robin Robinson (Brunswick), People’s Choice Award winner, for creating a flourishing online educational community of people who share photos and information about all aspects of Maine’s wild birds, including threats to their habitats and opportunities to make a difference
The Conservation Leadership Awardees received their awards Wednesday, October 17, at the First Universalist Church in Yarmouth.
“All four of these individuals have gone to extraordinary measures to safeguard Maine’s environment. I could not be more pleased to be presenting them with NRCM’s Conservation Leadership Award,” says Natural Resources Council of Maine Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann. “They set an example for each of us, and across generations, about what it means to take care of the home we treasure: Maine’s land, air, waters, and wildlife. Congratulations to each of them.”
For more than 30 years, NRCM has presented the award to citizens across the state, who work to protect the natural resources that are so important for Maine’s economy and way of life. Past recipients include Senator George Mitchell, natural history author Phyllis Austin, former Baxter State Park Director Buzz Caverly, Olympic champion/clean air activist Joan Benoit Samuelson, and more than a hundred other citizen heroes who have made a difference in their communities and beyond.
