The Environmental Law Institute on Monday named Huntington Beach wetlands advocate Dr. Jan Vandersloot posthumously as one of six 2010 National Wetlands Awards recipients for "exceptional and innovative contributions" to conservation.
Vandersloot, who died last November, co-founded the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, organizing concerned citizens, mounting local political pressures and building coalitions--led a 17-year effort topreserve the 1,700-acre Bolsa Chica wetland ecosystem.
The late advocate was cited for wetlands community leadership.
A fixture at state Coastal Commission meetings, Vandersloot demonstrated a keen understanding of the Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act and passion for protecting both large and small wetlands resulted in significant protection for coastal wetlands across the state.
As part of the Bolsa Chica effort, the Land Trust sued the Coastal Commission over its vote allowing development in the Bolsa Chica wetlands. Their successful argument that the plan violated the Coastal Act provided important precedent for wetland protection.
Vandersloot's effort protected hundreds of acres of wetlands. A day after his sudden and unexpected passing in November, the CCC decided to raise the penalty for the destruction of wetlands and increase the stringency of restoration requirements.
The Washington,D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute aims to strengthen environmental protection through improving law and governance worldwide, by delivering analysis to opinion makers, including government officials, environmental and business leaders and journalists. ELI is a clearinghouse and a town hall, providing common ground for debate on important environmental issues.
The six award winners have restored, researched, and protected thousands of acres of wetlands nationwide, according to ELI.
The other five award recipients this year are:
Jim Wilcox, Senior Project and Program Manager at Plumas Corporation for the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management group, has designed and built more than 40 projects that have restored 48 miles of stream channels and 3,400 acres of meadow floodplains and wetlands.
William Volkert, a wildlife educator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for providing more than 3,500 educational programs to 200,000 people, conducted more than 1,700 media interviews and programs, and provided training to 66 delegations of scientists from 41 countries.
The Laszlo Family, owners of Granger Ranches at the O'Dell Creek Headwaters in Montana's largest watershed, have permanently protected more than half of their 14,000-acre ranch and restored or enhanced 510 acres of wetlands and 35,000 feet of stream channel and riparian habitats.
Rebecca Sharitz, senior research ecologist at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, is a leading expert on the ecology of southeastern floodplain forests and Carolina bays. She has been invited to serve on four National Academy of Science committees and has published more than 160 papers or chapters in the scientific literature.
Michael Cain, a recently retired attorney for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, has authored or co-authored all of Wisconsin's wetland protection laws during more than 30 years of service. His work has helped slow the state's wetland loss from 1,400 acres annually in 1991 to an average of 250 acres per year currently.
<CF12> The ELI said that the collective impact of the award recipients' work is enormous, mainly because their "expertise, experience, and examples have profoundly shaped the landscape of wetlands conservation."
</CF>"These winners truly embody the spirit of the National Wetland Awards Program as they inspire our collective endeavors to increase the quantity and improve the quality of our nation's aquatic resources," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Peter S. Silva. "Their extraordinary dedication to coastal and inland wetland conservation across the country evokes deep gratitude and merits the highest of praise."
The awards program is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Federal Highway Administration, the USDA Forest Service, and the George and Miriam Martin Foundation.
"Wetlands play a vital role in protecting our communities from flooding, improving water quality and providing vital habitat for aquatic species," said Acting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould. "The organizations and individuals being recognized are true leaders in our collective effort to protect and restore our nation's wetlands for the benefit of all Americans."
For more details about awards program, call 202.939-3829 or visit wetlandsawards@eli.org. Information is also available online at www.nationalwetlandsawards.org.
Joe Segura, a mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper, has covered Gotham City, er Long Beach, for 34 years. During his very, very long -- endless -- tenure, he's covered almost every beat, and he was the main writer for BeachWeek, which focused on life and lifestyles of the shoreline communities from downtown Long Beach to the Huntington Beach pier.
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