South Carolina Wildlife Federation conservation awards

Clinch Heyward congratulates Jeff Dennis
with Ben Gregg and the Harry Hampton Journalism Award

Entire group of SCWF conservation award winners

Clinch Heyward takes the gavel from Johney Haralson 

Saturday January 17 marked the S.C. Wildlife Federation's 44th annual conservation awards banquet. Information about the SCWF can be found on the Internet at www.scwf.org. A welcome to all guests was issued by Johney Haralson, outgoing chair of the SCWF Board of Directors. A cocktail hour allowed time for conservationists from all across the Palmetto state to discuss pertinent issues like water quality, global warming and coal-burning power plants. After a buffet dinner, the awards ceremony at the Radisson Conference Center got under way. The conservation awards began with your literary correspondent (and blogger) being awarded the SCWF Harry Hampton Woods and Waters Conservation Memorial Journalism Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Journalism. I thanked those in the room for the award, and let Ben Gregg, Director of the SCWF, know that they have a friend here at lowcountryoutdoors.com. The journalism award does have a long name (but is suitable for long winded writers I suppose) and looks like something that SCDNR general counsel Buford Mabry might have drafted. Mr. Mabry and SCWF lobbyist Cary Chamblee were in attendance and both brought their unique insights to working with the General Assembly. Which brings us to the Legislative award that went to Kim Connolly, a law professor at USC that has written extensively on the importance of wetlands protection. The Water conservation award went to Nancy Shilling of Hilton Head who founded Friends of the Rivers in order to promote watershed/ecosystem protection. John Brubaker of Charleston won the Bootsie Manning Wildlife Habitat Award for his work with both the S.C. Native Plant Society and the S.C. Exotic Plant Council. The Land Conservation award went to The Graham Foundation of Greenville who have contributed funding to protect several picturesque tracts of land. The National Wildlife Award went to Richard Watkins who has worked since 1973 to champion what is now Congaree National Park.

The keynote speaker for the evening was National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger, and he spoke passionately about making a difference, citing the new leadership in Washington, that will benefit his grandchildren when they grow up. Schweiger visited the Lowcountry in 2008 when the NWF held a conference at The Middleton Inn. The final order of business for the night saw incoming Chair of the SCWF board, Clinch Heyward of Pawley's Island, take the gavel of the SCWF in the name of conservation. The photos depict Clinch, Jeff and Ben with the Harry Hampton Award, Mr. Haralson passing the gavel to Mr. Heyward, and the entire group of SCWF conservation award winners.