National Wetlands Awards Archive
Education And Outreach
Ohio landowners, brothers Steve and Jerry Panzner, have transformed their restored wetlands into a living laboratory for elementary, undergraduate, and graduate students. (Akron, Ohio)
Conservation And Restoration
For over 25 years, Thomas Ries has played an instrumental role in wetland restoration in southwest Florida. (Temple Terrace, Florida)
Wetland Community Leader
Mr. Todd Miller, founder of the North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF), has protected the state’s valuable coastal wetlands for three decades. (Newport, North Carolina)
State, Tribal, And Local Program Development
Ms. Janet Morlan, state wetlands program manager for the Oregon Department of State Lands, is a driving force behind many policy improvements and advances that make Oregon’s wetland program a national model. (Salem, Oregon)
Wetland Community Leader
Dr. Jan Vandersloot co-founded the Bolsa Chica Land Trust (BCLT) and—by organizing concerned citizens, meeting with local officials, and building coalitions—led a 17-year effort to successfully preserve 1,700-acre Bolsa Chica wetland ecosystem. (Huntington Beach, California)
State, Tribal, And Local Program Development
Mr. Michael Cain served as an attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) for over 30 years. (Madison, Wisconsin)
Science Research
Dr. Rebecca Sharitz, professor and senior research ecologist at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, is the leading expert on the ecology of southeastern floodplain forests and Carolina bays—isolated, depressional wetlands. (Aiken, South Carolina)
Landowner Stewardship
The Andrew and Anne Laszlo family has permanently protected more than half of their 14,000-acre ranch—making it the largest wetland and stream restoration project of its kind in the state of Montana. (Ennis, Montana)
Education And Outreach
Mr. William Volkert has worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) as a Wildlife Educator/Naturalist at the 32,000-acre Horicon Marsh for the past 25 years. (Horicon, Wisconsin)
Wetland Community Leader
The Senior Director of Water Resources at American Rivers in San Francisco, Melissa Samet has dedicated her career to the protection and restoration of wetlands through the use of advocacy, education, and litigation. (San Anselmo, California)