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Press Advisory - For Immediate Release (Friday, March 13,
2009)
Sierra Club Announces 2008 Lone Star Chapter Awards
Winners
Awards Luncheon Set for April 4 in Austin
Honorable
John Parker died in late January 2009.
Commissioner Parker served as a member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Commission since 2003. He was perhaps the
strongest advocate for natural resources protection on
a Commission that has been a powerful force
for expanding the involvement of the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department in the preservation of the state’s water
resources and the wise management of its lands and wildlife.
Join Us April 4 at Chez Zee in Austin to honor the 2008 Lone Star Chapter Award Winners. Click
Here for Reservations
(Austin) The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club has
announced the winners of its 2008 Chapter Awards, recognizing
Sierra Club members and others who have done outstanding
work in pursuit of environmental protection or in furthering
the goals and activities of the Sierra Club. The 2008 Lone
Star Chapter Awards recognize work done or continued in
2008.
The awards will be presented at a luncheon in The Gallery
at the Chez Zee restaurant in Austin on Saturday, April
4. Winners of this year’s Lone Star Chapter Awards
are as follows:
Special Service Award - John Parker
(Lufkin)
The Chapter’s
Special Service Award is given to the person or persons,
members or non-members, who either on one or more occasions
have performed a special service to the Sierra Club or
to environmental protection. The 2008 award goes to the
late John Parker, who died in late January 2009.
Commissioner Parker served as a member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Commission for the past several years. He was perhaps the
strongest advocate for natural resources protection on
a Commission that has as a team been a very powerful force
for expanding the involvement of the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department in the preservation of the state’s water
resources and the wise management of its lands and wildlife.
Commissioner Parker’s many accomplishments and passionate
pursuits are well chronicled in the column that TPWD Executive
Director Carter Smith wrote about him in the March 2009
issue of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.
When John Parker passed away unexpectedly in January the
state of Texas lost one of its staunchest defenders of
the natural environment, but he still inspires us all to
redouble our efforts to protect the natural heritage of
Texas. That is a great legacy of the life of John Parker.
Environmental Justice Award – ALTURA
(South Texas)
The Chapter’s Environmental Justice Award, conferred
only when merited, is given to an individual or organization
that has done outstanding work toward identifying and addressing
environmental problems that have a disproportionately adverse
effect on communities of color and/or low-income communities. The
2008 award goes to ALTURA, the Alliance of Texans for Uranium
Research and Action. ALTURA member groups have worked in
the Coastal Bend of South Texas to raise public awareness
and opposition to in-situ leech uranium mining. They have
worked together to educate landowners and other concerned
citizens about the risks to public health and the environment
associated with uranium mining and have engaged in all
arenas -- organizing public workshops and media outreach,
waging law suits and contesting permits, participating
in State rule-making and the legislative process. Mark
Walsh, with ALTURA participating group South Texas Opposes
Pollution, will accept the award for ALTURA.
Evelyn R. Edens Award for River Protection – Lee
Smith (Austin)
This award commemorates the work of this Fort Worth area
environmentalist who passed away in February 1993. She
worked in cooperation with others to create Save the Brazos
and the annual Texas Meeting on the Outdoors and served
on the executive committee of the Lone Star Chapter. The
award, conferred only when merited, honors river conservation
efforts of individuals and groups.
The 2008 winner of the Evelyn R. Edens Award is Lee Smith.
Smith is the Water Projects Producer for Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department, and he produced the last three of the four
one-hour water videos prepared by Parks & Wildlife
and shown statewide on Public Broadcasting stations. The
most recent water program, produced in 2008 and shown in
early 2009, was “Texas:
The State of Flowing Water,” which focused on the
issue of preserving instream flows in rivers and streams
and freshwater inflows to the state’s bays and estuaries.
Smith’s water video productions have been visually
stunning, highly educational and informative, well-balanced,
and timely.
His work has brought the message about the importance of
the state’s rivers (and other water resources) to
a much broader audience of Texans than has ever been reached
before.
Environmental Reporting Award – Anton Caputo
(San Antonio Express-News)
The Environmental Reporting Award is given to the reporter
or reporters in any media who have produced a series or
a single report that has provided exceptional coverage
of an environmental issue. The 2008 award goes to Anton
(Tony) Caputo, environmental reporter and blogger for the
San Antonio Express-News. Tony Caputo has consistently
provided a well-researched conservation perspective in
his reporting on Central and South Texas environmental
issues and has contributed to the broader national and
international dialogue on global warming. Caputo has focused
on energy issues providing data and referencing compelling
opinions on uranium mining in South Texas, coal and nuclear
power plant developments, energy efficiency and renewables
in San Antonio. With fellow reporter Jerry Needham, he
established one of the first green blogs at the major dailies, “Earth
Matters.”
Chapter Conservation Award – Brandt Mannchen
(Houston)
Mannchen becomes the first person to receive the award
twice, which is a testament to his over 30 years of activity
as a volunteer activist with the Sierra Club. During that
period of time he has worked on an infinite number of issues,
especially forestry, endangered species, clean air, public
lands, coastal resources, and transportation issues.
Since retiring from the City of Houston Health Department,
Mannchen has become virtually a full-time Sierra Club volunteer,
spending countless hours reviewing and commenting on environmental
impact statements, forest management plans, proposed agency
rules, and other government documents.
At the same time Mannchen gets outdoors to enjoy nature,
and he eads hikes in many of the places he works hard to
protect, thus educating others about the importance of
those special places. A few of the parks and natural areas
that benefited from Mannchen’s trail work or comments
are: Sam Houston National Forest, Big Thicket National
Preserve, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, Guadalupe
Mountains National Park, Big Bend National Park, and Davy
Crocket National Forest.
The Chapter Conservation Award is given to a Sierra Club
member or members who have worked diligently during the
past year on a particular issue or who have revitalized
the conservation efforts of the Chapter or Group. The 2008
award goes to Brandt Mannchen.
Chapter Service Award – David Griggs (Dallas)
The Chapter Service Award is given to a Sierra Club member
or members who have contributed significantly to the administrative
activities of the Chapter, and/or Group, including fundraising,
membership, publications, and other activities. David Griggs,
the 2008 Award recipient, has served in many capacities
with the Lone Star Chapter and the Dallas Regional Group,
but by far his most important service has been in the realm
of enhancing the political clout of the Sierra Club in
Texas at the state and local levels.
For the past few years Griggs has served as the Chair of
the Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas, and he has
steadily increased the level of activity of the Political
Committee and its presence in Texas elections.
In 2008 in particular Griggs led the Political Committee
to its most active involvement ever in shaping the outcome
of the Texas state legislative elections, including raising
the largest amount of money ever raised by the Committee
to put into electoral efforts in the state. As a result
the Political Committee helped to bring about the election
of several new, pro-environmental state legislators who
are already working to advance the state’s efforts
to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation
reforms, and other parts of the environmental agenda for
the
2009 session.
Orrin Bonney Award – Andy Balinsky (Austin)
The Orrin Bonney Award is the Chapter's highest award,
given to the person who over a number of years has exemplified
the spirit and commitment of the Sierra Club by contributing
his or her time and effort in one or several positions
of authority for the Chapter. The winner of the Orrin Bonney
Award for 2008 is Andy Balinsky. Balinsky is in his third
term as an elected member of the Lone Star Chapter Executive
Committee, and he served as Chapter Chair for four years,
longer than any other Chair in the Chapter’s history.
Prior to that, he was Conservation Chair of the Chapter
and the Chapter delegate to the Sierra Club Council of
Leaders, after earlier serving as Chair of the Alamo Regional
Group of the Sierra Club.
Over his many years of service to the Sierra Club in Texas
he has exemplified a high level of commitment and quiet
but confident leadership.
Using his professional skills Andy advanced the work of
the Chapter office by networking the office computers and
other equipment. Andy also established a special website
for the Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas, on which
he has served as a member for a number of years.
The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club congratulates
all of the winners of the 2008 Chapter Awards. There were
many great individuals and groups nominated for these awards,
and the award winners are representative of many other
people and organizations around the state who work hard
each day to protect the environment of Texas and/or to
promote the work of the Sierra Club in Texas.
Awards Luncheon
More information about the Lone Star Chapter Awards Luncheon
is available on the Lone Star Chapter website at www.texas.sierraclub.org or by calling the Sierra Club State Conservation Office
in Austin at 512-477-1729.
The luncheon is open to the public. Because seating is
limited, make
your reservation early.
