The National Audubon Society to Honor Johnny Morris and Family and J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D. at Annual Gala

NEW YORK — Today, the National Audubon Society announced that it will be honoring Johnny Morris and family for their dedication to conservation and environmental education, as well as J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D. for his tireless advocacy to protect birds and build a new generation of conservation leaders. Honorees will be presented with Audubon’s top conservation awards at its annual gala in New York City on February 7, 2019.

Founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops and lifelong conservationist, Johnny Morris and his family will be presented with the Audubon Medal, one of the highest honors in conservation. The medal recognizes outstanding achievements in conservation and environmental protection and has only been awarded to 54 individuals in Audubon’s 113-year history. Johnny Morris and his family are being recognized for their leadership, personal commitment, and dedication to conservation efforts, and for encouraging new audiences to discover nature and the outdoors through environmental education initiatives, such as the Wonders of Wildlife National Aquarium & Museum in Springfield, Missouri – the largest, most immersive conservation attraction in the world.

The recipient of this year’s Dan W. Lufkin Prize for Environmental Leadership will be J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D., Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Master Teacher and Certified Wildlife Biologist at Clemson University. The Lufkin Prize is awarded to those who have dedicated their lives to the environment and on-the-ground conservation. In his two decades at Clemson University, Dr. Lanham has dedicated his career to understanding the impacts of forest management on birds and wildlife, as well as how humans think about nature. As an acclaimed author and award-nominated poet, he has also inspired a new and diverse generation of conservationists and environmental stewards through his powerful writings and leadership in diversifying birding and conservation.

Who: Johnny Morris and Family, J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D.

What: National Audubon Society’s Annual Gala

When: Thursday, February 7, 2019

Where: The Plaza, Fifth Avenue at Central Park South, New York, NY 10019

Ticket Information: Vanna Sin (212) 979-3057 or vsin@audubon.org.

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About the National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.

Media Contact: Chandler Lennon, clennon@audubon.org, (212) 979-3063