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NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ITS PRESTIGIOUS CALLISON AWARD
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Award Honors Significant Contributions to Conservation
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New York, NY, June 1, 2006 – The National Audubon Society announced today that it has named the recipients for its 12th Annual Charles H. Callison Awards. The 2006 Callison Award for an Audubon Volunteer goes to Benjamin Olewine IV of Connecticut, and the 2006 Callison Award for an Audubon Professional is awarded to two Audubon staff: Thomas R. Baptist, Executive Director of Audubon Connecticut and David J. Miller, Executive Director of Audubon New York
The awards, which were presented to the winners at the May 2006 Audubon Board Meeting in Vail, CO, recognize individuals who have made remarkable contributions to conservation through creativity, coalition building, creative thinking, outreach, and perseverance. Awardees are nominated by their peers in the field – both Audubon Chapter members and Audubon staff.
Few volunteers in recent memory have done as much to shape Audubon's conservation programs as Ben Olewine. His broad range of achievements at the international, national, state and local levels has helped to guide Audubon on a course of sound environmental policy for the 21st Century. Olewine, an avid opponent to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, has provided tremendous support to Audubon as a member and board leader at both the National level and also in several states, including Pennsylvania and Connecticut, Arizona and Alaska. In addition, he also sits on the board of BirdLife International, the Connecticut Ornithological Association, has been active with The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary – reaching out to build strong coalitions with and between each organization.
Tom Baptist and Dave Miller have each achieved tremendous success in their respective state programs. For nearly two decades, Audubon New York and Connecticut have been leading an advocacy effort to restore the water quality and protect the important habitats throughout Long Island Sound. Their tireless efforts to protect this Estuary of National Significance in Washington and in their respective states and municipalities have resulted in a true conservation success story. Due to their strong and respected advocacy voice, they have been able to champion initiatives to reduce the amount of nitrogen, provide increased federal funding to restore the health of, and advance new measures to protect and enhance important habitats across the Sound. Additionally, each has built a powerful state level Audubon program, with significant impact on environmental action and policy.
Under Baptist’s leadership Connecticut’s Greenwich Audubon Center has become a hub for local and regional conservation education. From deer management to land management, Important Bird Areas to Chapter relations, Baptist uses diplomacy, tact, and a deep understanding and respect for people and nature alike to achieve Audubon’s conservation mission.
"Tom Baptist has led his talented staff to develop a world-class network of Audubon Centers in Connecticut. In over nine years with Audubon, he has built the state program into a major force for advocacy in state politics and developed a comprehensive IBA program that works to conserve the areas most important to birds,” said John Flicker, President of the National Audubon Society.
For close to 18 years, Miller has been a forceful advocate for Audubon. He has built the Audubon New York program into one that is a model for conservation. With one of the first Important Bird Area programs in the country, an extensive network of Audubon Centers, and political acumen, has used citizen science, education and policy seamlessly to accomplish the state’s strategic vision.
"From Long Island Sound to the Great Lakes, Dave Miller has been instrumental in motivating and directing staff, members and chapters in his state to preserve and restore the unique habitat of New York State. For over 18 years, Dave has worked strategically through cutting edge policy, education and scientific initiatives to further the Audubon mission." said Flicker.
The Charles H. Callison award is named after a former executive vice president at Audubon, and was established in 1994 by the National Audubon Society to give special recognition to an individual or group in recognition of creativity, cooperation, persuasion, patience and perseverance in promoting the Audubon mission the local, state, or federal level.
For more information about the Callison Award and its recipients, please contact Lynn ltennefoss@audubon.org or 800-542-2748. For more information about the National Audubon Society, please visit http://www.audubon.org/.
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Now in its second century, Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.
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