Norman Brunswig of Harleyville, South Carolina has won the 2004 National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration. He will be honored at a ceremony on May 20th at the Senate Caucus Room in Washington, DC for his conservation efforts at the Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary, which contains one of the last virgin stands of cypress-tupelo swamp forest in the country.
Brunswig was the first manager of the sanctuary in Four Holes Swamp in South Carolina, where he worked to increase the sanctuary from 3,400 acres in 1969 to its present size of over 12,000 acres and growing. He currently serves as the sanctuary’s director.
"Norman Brunswig has been the driving force behind both the remarkable expansion of the Francis Beidler Forest and a range of other actions taken to protect the forest and the larger Four Holes Swamp ecosystem," said Mark Robertson, Executive Director of the South Carolina Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
Brunswig is currently a vice-president of the National Audubon Society and Executive Director of Audubon South Carolina. He has been with the National Audubon Society for over 30 years. Brunswig received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Forestry and Wildlife Biology from the University of Georgia. His thesis project evaluated the impact on Bobwhite Quail of intensive pine management in the Georgia Piedmont.
"Norman’s natural ecosystem land management ethic should serve as a model for all natural area managers," said Steve Gilbert, a senior staff biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "He has successfully worked with many diverse and challenging interests to create beneficial partnerships, fostering the continued growth and protection of Beidler Forest."
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