2012 Honorees
The following 2012 National Conservation Achievement Award winners are rich in inspiration and leadership. We’re proud to celebrate their achievements and contributions to the conservation movement in America.
The following will be honored during our “Connie” awards and dinner, May 17, 2012:
Communications: Jack Johnson
Corporate Leadership: Nickelodeon
Education: Jim Fowler
Government: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Legislative: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and First Lady Katie O’Malley
Legislative: Senator Richard Shelby
International: The Timberland Company
Philanthropy: Alicia Celorio
Science: Nimansha Jain
Special Achievement: Jack Spadaro
The following will be honored during our 2012 Annual Meeting:
Affiliate of the Year:
Delaware Nature Society
Special Achievement:
Don Baugh, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The following will be honored during a special engagement to be held in 2012:
Special Achievement: Dwayne Rambo, Wildlife Biologist, USDA Forest Service
Click here for a full listing of previous National Conservation Achievement Award winners.
Communications - Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson grew up surfing and playing guitar on the North Shore of Oahu. He released his first album Brushfire Fairytales in 2001 and since has released 5 studio albums and 2 live albums that have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. With his success, Johnson has always tried to take the spotlight and shine it on issues important to him. In 2003, Jack and his wife Kim founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation and Kokua Festival to support environmental education in Hawaii's schools and communities. Johnson, his Brushfire Records label, and his touring crew have been leaders in the greening of the music industry in all areas of tour production and album packaging. In 2008, Jack donated 100% of his Sleep Through the Static tour profits to establish the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, an endowment founded by Jack and Kim Johnson to support environmental, art and music education worldwide. 100% of Jack Johnson's recent To The Sea tour was also donated to charity. NWF joined with over 220 non-profit partners to educate fans at the concerts about local and global environmental issues, and a contribution was made to NWF’s Environmental Education and Gulf Oil Spill Support efforts. These tour profit donations, along with Johnson’s personal charitable activities, has resulted in over $25 million donated to charity since 2001
Corporate Leadership - Nickelodeon
More than just a children’s television network, Nickelodeon empowers kids to actively create social and environmental change. Launched in 1979, the network’s “kids first” philosophy has contributed to its success. The network is currently viewed in 100 million homes in the U.S. and in more than 150 territories around the world. In 1994 NWF began sponsoring Nickelodeon’s The Big Help social campaign. Connecting children to their passions, The Big Help encourages kids to take real world positive actions affecting their communities. To date, kids have taken close to 6 million Big Help actions. In 2010 Nickelodeon mobilized action in communities nationwide by offering 1 million dollars in grants to support local youth engagement projects. In 2011 Nickelodeon’s Big Help initiative worked closely with NWF to educate kids across the country about Louisiana wetlands and how they can make a difference. Nickelodeon also partnered with NWF and more than 50 partner organizations for its 8th annual Worldwide Day of Play celebration, which mobilized millions of kids across the country to get up, get out and get active.
Education - Jim Fowler
As one of the best-known spokesperson for the natural world, Jim Fowler introduced many of us to fascinating wild animals from all parts of the earth. Best known for his time on “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” Mr. Fowler has dedicated over 50 years to educating all ages on the importance of wildlife conservation. He has traveled the globe, living with aboriginal tribes in both South America and Africa and has dedicated time studying animal subjects throughout these regions. Through Educational Wildlife Services, a non-profit he founded in 1988, Mr. Fowler continues to travel around the country to speak about issues affecting wildlife. Jim Fowler also designs and develops revolutionary wildlife parks that combine adventure and education that connect families to the natural world and leave behind concepts of a traditional zoo. Joining NWF’s President’s Advisory Council earlier this year, Mr. Fowler’s personal philosophy and his life work are impressive examples of National Wildlife Federation’s own mission to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. Mr. Fowler is currently the Honorary Chairman of the Explorer’s Club.
Government - Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
For the last 50 years, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of Montana have been one of the great leaders in fish and wildlife conservation in the West. As a sovereign government, they have used their strong cultural ties to the land and wildlife to guide their decisions for conservation, protecting the Flathead Indian Reservation- which spans 1.34 million-acres. Some of their major conservation accomplishments include: the first tribally established wilderness area in the United States, the Mission Mountain wilderness area; wildlife crossing corridors on major U.S. highway 93; the re-introduction of trumpeter swans; and establishment of a grizzly bear conservation area in western Montana, just to name a few. CSKT has also joined NWF and other groups on several projects, including the opposition of an industrial transportation corridor supporting tar sands in Northern Alberta. The CSKT leadership role in wildlife and natural resource conservation and environmental protection are unparalleled. They go above and beyond what would be considered sufficient and never take the approach that a conservation challenge is unachievable.
Legislative - Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and First Lady Katie O’Malley
Governor Martin O’Malley and Judge Katie O’Malley were born and raised in Maryland and are committed to a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for the people of their State.
Governor O’Malley signed an executive order to promote outdoor activities and environmental education for the State’s youth in 2008, and he unveiled Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights in 2009. This progress aligns with National Wildlife Federation’s core beliefs of reconnecting children with nature and building a national movement that restores conservation ethic as a core American value. Governor O’Malley also expanded the Maryland Conservation Jobs Corps in State Parks to engage disadvantaged youth in service to the environment, while preparing them for future employment success.
Katie O’Malley partnered with University of Maryland Extension to promote the “Grow It Eat It” campaign and planted one of the first backyard food gardens to be housed in a U.S. Governor’s home. In June 2011, Maryland’s First Lady hosted a group of local children on the lawn at Government House as part of The Great American Backyard Campout. Katie O’Malley is an active supporter in the NWF Community Wildlife Habitat campaign, which is currently underway in the State’s capital of Annapolis.
Legislative - Senator Richard Shelby
In his 5th term as United States Senator for Alabama, Senator Richard Shelby has built a strong alliance with National Wildlife Federation on two critical legislative initiatives: reforming the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and restoring the Gulf of Mexico. As the ranking Republican of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and its chairman from 2003-2006, Senator Shelby has been a leading proponent for an overhaul of the NFIP, which has long created perverse incentives for development and re-development in wildlife-rich and environmentally sensitive coastal areas and floodplains. For the past several congresses Senator Shelby has strongly advocated for significant NFIP reforms. Senator Shelby was also the lead Republican in helping craft the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act (S.1400), which helps support Gulf coast states and communities affected by the spill. From his willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion, he ensured that 9 out of 10 Gulf senators signed onto the bill as original cosponsors. Thanks in large part to Senator Shelby's efforts, the RESTORE act passed the Senate by a vote of 76-22. He continues work tirelessly as an advocate for helping repair the Gulf.
International - Timberland Company
Timberland Company was one of the first footwear brands to adopt a “zero deforestation” policy, publicly requiring its leather suppliers not to source hides from newly cleared areas of the Amazon Biome. Timberland’s clear expectations and pressure on slaughterhouses in the Amazon Biome has provided important support to NWF’s work to combat these slaughterhouses. Timberland is dedicated to planting trees in ecologically degraded areas around the world, and to date, have planted more than 1.1 million trees. Timberland leads within the Forest Footprint Disclosure Project, identifying how their supply chain contributes to deforestation and ways to mitigate these impacts. Also committed to global stewardship, Timberland offers the “Path of Service” program, which grants 40 hours of paid community service to its employees. From 2006 to 2010, the company’s employees contributed over 400,000 combined community service hours. As a corporate leader, Timberland was a founding member of Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) and has helped launch several multi-brand collaborations related to sustainability. Furthermore, Timberland Company demonstrates that cutting greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t hinder business but promotes it. Between 2006 and 2010 Timberland reduced its greenhouse emissions by 38%, saving more than one million dollars.
Philanthropy - Alicia Celorio
Alicia Celorio has been an ongoing advocate and financial supporter of NWF for over 20 years. Both a member of Ding Darling Circle and Leaders Club, Ms. Celorio serves as an ambassador to NWF in the Miami Cuban community. After fleeing Castro at the age of 20, Alicia Celorio came to the United States with very little. Despite this, she began generously donating to NWF in 1968. Her late husband Justino “Tino” Celorio was also from Cuba and arrived in America very poor and in search of opportunity prior to Castro’s takeover. Tino received tremendous support and success, and together the pair wanted to be as generous as possible and give back to people, who once like them, needed a break. Prior to Tino’s death, the couple established a small foundation called “Do Unto Others Trust.” As frequent wildlife travelers, the Celorio’s visited Yellowstone several times after reading about our bison work. Ms. Celorio loved the entire idea of relocating bison to tribal lands. In 2010, Ms. Celorio made a $100,000 commitment to the Bison Relocation Program; a gift which reminds her of Tino and their many wildlife adventures.
Science - Nimansha Jain
Through extensive biomedical research, Nimansha Jain has linked common Nebraskan fertilizer use to detrimental effects on wildlife. Specifically, she connected fertilizer run-off to gender change, premature death, and affected reproductive potential of Fathead Minnows. Her research promotes a sense of urgency to fix improper farming techniques, which can indirectly violate environmental protection laws. Ms. Jain’s work has drawn the attention of the scientific community and holds the potential to be used in the future to promote new regulation. She has also led the production of a documentary depicting from start to finish the effects fertilizers have had on Fathead Minnows. Ms. Jain is passionate, curious, result orientated, and extremely intelligent; she has been able to complete graduate level research at the age of 15. She received a research grant from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, to accomplish this project. She also works directly with the Mayor of Omaha in policy advisement on a Youth Leadership Commission. A truly inspiring individual, Nimansha works in advisement to the Omaha Red Cross Chapter, tutors elementary school children, and has received the presidential award (gold level) for her over 500 hours of volunteering.
Special Achievement - Jack Spadaro
In the coalfields, Jack Spadaro has been called an "Appalachian Patriot." For over 40 years Jack has dedicated his professional and private life in the service of protecting the land, water, communities and mine workers from the ravages of irresponsible coal mining. He began his career investigating the Buffalo Creek coal waste dam failure that took the lives of 125 people and destroyed seventeen communities in February 1972. A mining engineer by trade, he worked for 38 years in state and federal agencies charged with regulating the coal industry. In all these positions, coalfield citizens, and National Wildlife Federation, always knew they could "call on Jack" to stand up and do what was right and required of mine operators under the law. In 2000 he did exactly that-- refusing to sign a watered down account for a mountaintop removal mine that had dumped over 300 million tons of toxic sludge into neighboring streams. Since then, he has opened a private consulting business on mine safety and mining environmental matters. Jack continues to advocate alongside NWF against mountaintop removal and was recently apart of The Last Mountain, a documentary bringing to light the destructiveness of coal mining in West Virginia. Jack also lectures on college campuses, where he believes the next generation will finally help turn the tide on what coal has done to the mountains. Jack is encouraged by the energy and commitment of the young people and coalfield residents he is now working with. He sees that there is the possibility that through continued litigation and advocacy that the mine safety and environmental laws he believes in may finally be upheld. He calls upon all of us who can help to do so.