Honoring Our Eco-Heroes - Brief Article

Sierra, Jan, 2000 by Jennifer Hattam

At its 1999 national awards ceremony in September, the Sierra Club lauded young volunteers and seasoned conservationists, cyberactivists and outings leaders. The top honor bestowed at the San Francisco event, the John Muir Award, went to Judy Anderson, whose cartography and leadership skills helped make the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 a reality.

Former Arkansas Governor Dale Bumpers won the Edgar Wayburn Award for public officials, while reporter Tom Kenworthy of The Washington Post's Denver office received the David R. Brower Award for environmental journalism.

Richard Hellard of the Alaska Chapter, Laurie MacDonald of the Florida Chapter, Jono Miller of Florida's Manatee-Sarasota Group, and Lucille Vinyard of California's North Group were each honored with a Special Service Award. The next generation of activists was represented by Sierra Student Coalition member Elizabeth Hagan, a Harvard University sophomore who won the Joseph Barbosa Earth Fund Award for Club leaders under age 30.

While Josh Weisman, Will Easton, and Jeffrey Solari of San Francisco garnered the Electronic Communication Award for the Club's anti-sprawl Web site (www.sierraclub. org/sprawl), Herbert Carlton was honored with the Oliver Kehrlein Award for his work in the Cypress Group's outings program. Mary Evanson received the One Club Award for combining recreation and conservation in Maui Group outings. The Toiyabe Chapter, Georgia Chapter, and Fox Valley (Wisconsin) Group took Newsletter Awards for their publications Toiyabe Trails, Georgia Sierran, and It's Our Nature.

Former Club director Helen Burke received the Walter A. Starr Award for her San Francisco Bay Chapter work; the Mexican Federation of Private Health and Community Development Associations received the Earthcare Award for international environmental protection; Dick Simpson of California's Black Mountain Group won the Special Achievement Award for work on the Bradley Hut; and Denver lawyer and former Club secretary Tony Ruckel received the William O. Douglas Award for environmental law.