homepage - awards - 2003
MOUNTAINEER, PHOTOGRAPHER, ACTIVISTS RECEIVE 2003
NATIONAL AWARDS
A photographer whose pictures of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
created a national controversy, a congressman who helped protect
Californias Big Sur, and a woman who has climbed more than
4,200 peaks are among those who were honored recently with national
awards from the Sierra Club.
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Click image to see
slide show of Banerjee's photographs
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Subhankar Banerjee, a former Boeing engineer from Bellevue, Washington,
left his job to spend 14 months taking pictures in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. Banerjee was catapulted into the national spotlight
this spring when an exhibition of his work at the Smithsonian Institutions
Museum of Natural History was mysteriously moved from the rotunda
to the basement, setting off a flurry of articles in such prominent
publications as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times,
Newsweek, and others. Banerjee is the recipient of a
Special Achievement
Award for the publication of his book, Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge: Seasons of Life. His photographs currently are on display
at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and Benjamin Brumberg, former
ombudsman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
were both recognized with
Distinguished Service Awards, which
honor persons in public service for strong and consistent commitment
to conservation.
Steve Curwood of National Public Radio, received the
David Brower
Award for environmental journalism. Curwood hosts the weekly Living
on Earth program, which is heard on more than 230 National Public
Radio stations.
Rep. Sam Farr (D-California) received the
Edgar Wayburn Award,
which honors service to the environment by a person in government.
At a time when there is an all out assault on clean air, clean
water and wilderness, Representative Farr has shown extraordinary
leadership in the environmental field, both locally and nationally,
said Sierra Club President Larry Fahn. Rep. Farr sponsored the Big
Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002, which gave permanent
protection to the last unprotected federal lands in the Big Sur
backcountry.
Barbara Lilley of Simi Valley, California, was recognized for her
mountaineering accomplishments, which include reaching more than 4,200
different summits from the Sierra Nevada to Africa. Lilley was one
of the first women to climb Mount McKinley (now called Denali) in
Alaska. She received the
Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award.
The
Ansel Adams Award for conservation photography went to
Douglas Steakley of Carmel, California, for his photography of the
Big Sur.
Isaac Hall of Maui received the
William O. Douglas Award for
contributions in the field of environmental law. Over the past 25
years, Hall has litigated more cases on behalf of the environment
than any other attorney in Hawaii.
The
Environmental Alliance Award, which includes a $1,000 prize
from the Joseph Barbosa Earth Fund, was awarded to the Winyah Group
of the Sierra Clubs South Carolina Chapter. The group is being
recognized for its work with other organizations to protect the waters
of the Waccamaw River and its watershed in northeast South Carolina
and southeast North Carolina.
A new award for 2003, the
Madelyn Pyeatt Award, went to Madelyn
Pyeatt of Bellingham, Washington. This award recognizes the contributions
of Club members working with youth. Pyeatt led more than 500 outings
for underprivileged children in the San Francisco Bay Area before
recently moving to Washington.
The Sierra Clubs highest honor, the
John Muir Award,
which honors a distinguished record of achievement, was given to Vivian
Newman, a club member from Maine who has spent two decades working
to protect the integrity of our nation's coasts, waters and wetlands.
Others receiving Sierra Club awards for 2003 include the following:
The EarthCare Award (honors an individual, organization
or agency that has made a unique contribution to international environmental
protection and conservation): The International POPS Elimination
Network (IPEN).
The Electronic Communication Award: Christopher Kelley of
Hudson, New Hampshire.
Newsletter Award: The Mackinac (published by the Michigan
Chapter) and the Desert Report (published by the California/Nevada
Desert Committee).
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Carolyn Carr
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The Raymond Sherwin International Award (for international
conservation): Carolyn Carr of Auburn, Alabama.
Special Achievement Award (recognizes a single act of importance
dedicated to conservation): In addition to Subhankar Banerjee; Gina
Carola of Westville, New Jersey; and Marilyn Wall of Cincinnati,
Ohio.
The Oliver Kehrlein Award (for outstanding service to the
clubs Outings program): Rudy Scheffer of Safety Harbor, Florida.
One Club Award (recognizes people who use outings as a way
to instill an interest in conservation and protecting public lands):
Robert Keane of Miliani, Hawaii.
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Julia Bott
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Special Service Awards (for strong and consistent commitment
to conservation over an extended period of time): David Raney of
Honolulu, Hawaii; Brian Scherf of Hollywood, Florida; Susie Shields
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the late Jim Stephens of Hapeville,
Georgia.
Susan E. Miller Award (for outstanding service to Sierra
Club chapters): Julia Bott of San Mateo, California; and Ralph Salisbury
of Riverside, California.
The Walter A. Starr Award (for continuing support of the
Club by a former director): Ann Pogue of Solana Beach, California;
and Tony Ruckel of Denver, Colorado.