Two Brevard Leaders Receive Audubon of Florida Awards

By Sarah Linney

At the Audubon Assembly in October 2006, four of Florida's top conservationists were recognized with prestigious awards from Audubon of Florida. Two of our own community leaders, Jim Swann and Laurilee Thompson, were among the recipients.

For leadership on behalf of land and water conservation, Jim Swann received the Teddy Roosevelt Award. Henry Dean presented the award but this author was unable to obtain his speech. As quoted from the Audubon Advocate, "relentless advocate Jim Swann has used his influence with state political leaders to influence important decisions leading to Preservation 2000, Florida Forever and other crucial conservation programs."

Laurilee Thompson is a dynamo for conservation and ecotourism. For this unending effort, Laurilee received the Guy Bradley Award. Named for the first Audubon Warden, the Guy Bradley Award epitomizes the warden's "courage on behalf of wildlife and his extensive knowledge of and love for Florida's landscape."

As presented by David Anderson: "This year's recipient, Space Coast Audubon's Laurilee Thompson is a one-woman conservation movement, single-minded in her goals and exceedingly generous with her time and money. Guy Bradley started his career as a plume hunter; Laurilee Thompson began her career as an offshore commercial fisherperson, and her experience with the resource motivated efforts which finally resulted in the National Marine Fisheries Service banning destructive bottom trawling in the unique Oculina Reef off the coast of Brevard County. Bitten by the conservation bug, this fifth generation Floridian has consistently invested her personal and professional time and capital in projects to benefit the ecology and economy of Florida since then, building popular support for conservation while protecting land and species. Living in the shadow of Florida's theme parks, her relentless vision and enthusiasm have moved mountains in Florida's tourism community, reasserting the value of natural resources to our state's economy and reminding the state's economic engine that natural resource conservation makes good business sense. In addition to being the proprietor of Titusville's Dixie Crossroads seafood restaurant, Ms. Thompson is the founder of the state's oldest and largest birding festival (the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival). She also sits as an appointed member on numerous boards of directors and advisory councils, sharing her vision for a sustainable nexus between the state's natural resource conservation, tourist development and growth management efforts. Please join me in congratulating this year's Guy Bradley Award recipient, Laurilee Thompson-- a tireless conservationist, embodying the true spirit of home-grown, locally based conservation activism."

Additionally, the Special Places Award and Champion of the Everglades were given to Eva Armstrong and Dennis Duke, respectively. Ms. Armstrong, as Director of the Division of State Lands under Governor Jeb Bush, has protected more than one million acres of Florida's special places, including the 74,000-acre purchase of Babcock Ranch. Mr. Duke was recognized for his tireless work as chief of the Restoration District for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in moving forward the project components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.