Audubon’s 14th Annual Women in Conservation Luncheon Honors Jamie Rappaport Clark, Dr. Heidi Cullen, and Anne Thompson

NEW YORK-- The National Audubon Society celebrated the legacy of female leadership in conservation yesterday, by presenting three conservation champions with the Rachel Carson Award during its annual Women in Conservation luncheon at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The prestigious Audubon award recognizes visionary women whose dedication, talent and energy have advanced environmental and conservation positive change locally and on a global scale.

“Audubon New York is proud to honor Jamie Rappaport Clark, Dr. Heidi Cullen, and Anne Thompson as the 2017 Rachel Carson Award recipients,” says Vice President of the Atlantic Flyway, Peg Olsen.  “Their compelling vision, adventurous spirit, and fearless leadership embodies the true spirit of the Rachel Carson award by inspiring thousands of women to live a life of purpose and consequence each and every day.”

Allison Whipple Rockefeller, the founding chair of the Rachel Carson Awards Council, spoke at the ceremony with a nod to the award’s namesake and shared her passion for the projects and people the program honors. As guests dined on a locally sourced vegetarian menu for this event catered by Liz Neumark, owner of Great Performances and member of the Audubon Women in Conservation Council, emcee Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold said, “This annual luncheon provides a rare opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the critical role American women have played, and continue to play, in conservation. We celebrate women today who are taking on climate change, environmental toxins, and the disappearance of adequate green space in our communities. I invite you to follow the example of each of the women we honored today, by stepping up your commitment to a healthy environment for birds and for people.”

Guests included:  Jamie Rappaport Clark, President & CEO of Defenders of Wildlife; Dr. Heidi Cullen, Chief Scientist, Climate Central; and Anne Thompson, NBC News’ Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent Allison Rockefeller, Founding Chair of Women in Conservation Luncheon, David Yarnold, Audubon President and CEO; Jane Alexander, Laureen Barber, Dominique Browning, Katie Carpenter, Jayni Chase, Ann Colley, Barbara de Portago, Margot Ernst, Gloria Fieldcamp, Alice Gabriel, Jeanine Behr Getz, Wendy Mills Gross, Amanda Hearst, Fernanda Kellogg, Diane Lewis, Anne Manice, Nina McLemore, Josephine Merck, Liz Neumark, Laura O’Donohue, Valerie Ohrstrom, Veronique Pittman, Deb Rivel, Warrie Price, Susan Cohn Rockefeller, Connie Roosevelt, Tracy Snyder, Flo Stone, Gini Stowe, Vivienne Tam, Karen Thomas, Victoria Rose Whipple, Cordelia Dietrich Zanger.

ABOUT AUDUBON’S WOMEN IN CONSERVATION:

To recognize outstanding women leaders in today's conservation movement; to support environmental opportunities for girls and young women; and to educate women on important issues related to conservation and the environment. Since its inception, Audubon’s Rachel Carson Award has raised more than $1 million to support Audubon New York’s programs to protect birds and their habitats as well as Audubon’s Women in Conservation Program. For more information visit, http://www.womeninconservation.org

ABOUT AUDUBON:

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 and how to help at www.audubon.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @audubonsociety.

When: Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Where: The Plaza Hotel, NYC

Contact: media@audubon.org, 212-979-3100