Peg Bostwick from Lansing, Michigan has won the 2004 National Wetlands Award for State, Tribal, and Local Program Development. She will be honored at a ceremony on May 20th at the Senate Caucus Room in Washington, DC for her work at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
For more than 15 years, Bostwick has helped shape Michigan’s wetland policy and programs. She encourages the integration of wetland science into policies, statutes, and rules affecting wetlands. Bostwick has worked with scientists to support the development of indices of biotic integrity for the state’s wetlands and to facilitate the development of a geographic information system to support wetland protection.
"I am extremely pleased and very proud that Peg has won this award," said Steve Chester, Director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. "Peg’s passion for our wetlands resources is unsurpassed. She has had — and continues to have — a significant role in the development of Michigan’s wetlands protection program and in shaping wetlands policy. Her knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm put her at the head of the class, not only in Michigan but nationally as well."
Bostwick, who helped to launch Michigan’s wetland mitigation banking program, oversees grants to integrate wetland protection into watershed plans and local protection efforts. She has participated in numerous interagency efforts, including Michigan’s Wetland Restoration Work Group and the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium. Bostwick also played an active role in the development of Michigan’s State Wetland Conservation Plan. She is also Vice Chair of the Association of State Wetland Managers.
"Peg recognizes the need for a balanced wetland program, which includes planning and outreach as well as regulation, and has successfully worked to maintain a well rounded program," said Jo Lynn Traub, Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region V Water Division. "Peg Bostwick demonstrates that the persistent work of one person can make a difference in wetlands protection."
Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards program has honored exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence in wetland conservation, research, or education through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local level. The program is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"We are grateful for the exceptional efforts of these awardees," said Major General Carl A. Strock, Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Their efforts to protect and preserve our nation’s wetlands help sustain healthy aquatic habitats for diverse species of plants, fish, and wildlife. The well-being of natural communities is essential to the quality of our lives."
For more information please contact Erica Pencak at the Environmental Law Institute at (202) 939-3822 or