River Network Recognizes 2011 National River Hero Award Winners
Watershed protection organization River Network announced the selection of its 2011 National River Heroes. The National River Hero awards honors individuals who have dedicated their lives to protecting the nation’s water supplies and their respective campaigns to do so.
Six recipients were named 2011 National River Heroes:
• Christopher Brown is conservation director and acting executive director with American Rivers. He has led campaigns to protect more than 1,000 miles of rivers and to secure $25 million in appropriations.
• Margo Farnsworth is one of only nine Biomimicry Fellows in the world and is currently working on a project using biomimicry as a model to restore coastal communities. She is adjunct professor at the Institute for Sustainable Practices at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
• Bob Hunter is a founding board member and staff attorney for river conservation organization WaterWatch of Oregon. Hunter co-drafted Oregon’s Instream Water Rights Bill in 1987 and is also a founding board member of the Oregon Water Trust.
• James McMillan is a farmer from Knox County in Tennessee. In 2002, McMillan’s creek overflowed with mud from upstream developments and he was instrumental in starting the storm water program at Tennesse Clean Water Network, where he continues to provide samples, photos and data.
• Beth Stewart has been executive director of the Cahaba River Society in Birmingham, Ala., since 1995. Stewart also founded the Kentucky Waterways Alliance and contributes to the society’s programs on storm water management and drinking water conservation.
• Dean Wilson is executive director of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. He came to south Louisiana in 1984 from Spain, and worked as a commercial fisherman and hunter. He began noticing the poor quality of the basin and continues to fight against pollution, illegal development, sedimentation and poor water quality.
The 2011 National River Hero award winners were honored at a ceremony during River Network’s annual National River Rally conference.
Source: PRWeb