October 28, 2022 (Augusta, ME) – Two sustainability leaders, a rockweed scientist, a local landfill activist group, and a coalition formed to stop an aquafarm in Frenchman Bay, plus Maine’s famed puffin scientist, were all honored recently for their significant, long-lasting contributions to protecting the nature of Maine.
The Conservation Leadership Awards program, held Wednesday October 26th at Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center in Hallowell, was presented by Maine’s leading environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM).
“Maine is blessed to have extraordinary leaders who dedicate their time and passion to protecting the environment they love. This year’s NRCM Conservation Leadership Award winners are champions for clean water, climate action, social justice, and wildlife restoration,” said NRCM Interim CEO Pete Didisheim. “They are among the guardians, activists, scientists, and educators who work every day to protect the woods, waters, and wildlife of Maine, and we are so thankful for their dedication and accomplishments.”
2022 Conservation Leadership Award recipients with Pete Didisheim and NRCM Board Chair Ed Simmons. Front row, left to right: Ted O’Meara of Frenchman Bay United; Julie Rosenbach; Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley; Dr. Steve Kress; Troy Moon. Back row left to right: Pete Didisheim; Kathleen Rybarz, James Paterson, Jackie Weaver (Frenchman Bay United); Bill Lippincott, Ed Spencer, and Cheryl Spencer of Don’t Waste ME; Ed Simmons
Those honored by NRCM with 2022 Conservation Leadership Awards are:
- Dr. Steve Kress, of Damariscotta and Ithaca, New York, Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering work restoring and managing breeding colonies of Atlantic Puffins and other seabird species, in Maine and around the world, and for raising awareness about conservation and current threats to the world’s ecosystems.
- Frenchman Bay United, Conservation Leadership Award, for leading the campaign in opposition to an industrial fish farm in Frenchman Bay that would pose a serious threat to the environment, surrounding communities, and fishing families.
- Troy Moon and Julie Rosenbach, Conservation Leadership Award, sustainability leads for the cities of Portland and South Portland respectively, for leading sustainability efforts that include development of “One Climate Future,” a comprehensive climate and sustainability plan for both cities, one of the most ambitious local climate plans in the country.
- Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley, of Pembroke, Conservation Leadership Award, for her work to ensure the protection of rockweed, a keystone species found on the Maine coast, and her leadership in the successful effort to ban industrial mining in Pembroke.
- Don’t Waste ME, People’s Choice Award, for advocating for policies that protect communities most at risk from the negative impacts of waste facilities, including their recent work to close the out-of-state waste loophole in Maine law.
A podcast featuring the award recipients sharing their stories in their own words is available at soundcloud.com/nrcmenvironment/85-october-27-2022. For more about this year’s Conservation Leadership Awards, including photos and citations, visit nrcm.org/events/conservation-leadership-awards.
For more than 30 years, NRCM’s Conservation Leadership Awards have recognized individuals and groups 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 environmental heroes who have made a difference in their communities and beyond.
