Senator Del Marsh and Representative Randy Davis were recently awarded the Legislative Conservationist of the Year Award at the 2012 Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards banquet. The Alabama Wildlife Federation held the banquet, co-sponsored by the Alabama Power Company and PowerSouth Energy on Friday, August 3, 2012 at The Marriott Legends at Capitol Hill in Prattville. Other sponsors included Consolidated Pipe & Supply, Inc., First South Farm Credit, Mr. Josh & Mrs. Mary Virginia Mandell, Mr. Lee Thuston, McGiffert & Associates, LLC and Talladega Superspeedway.
The AWF Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards (GCAA) are the most prestigious conservation honor in the state of Alabama. Over the past 30 years, the AWF has presented these awards to individuals and organizations that make great contributions to the conservation of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources.
Senator Del Marsh, President Pro-Tem of the Senate, and Representative Randy Davis are both avid outdoorsmen and conservationists. As a result of their first-hand connection to and understanding of the outdoors, both have been strong allies for wildlife conservation and beneficial hunting and angling related legislation in their respective roles in the Alabama Legislature. As legislative leaders they also know full well that a healthy and prosperous Alabama is underpinned by a healthy natural resource base – resources that must be managed with policies that strike the proper balance between use, management, and protection.
In the 2012 Legislative Session both Senator Marsh and Representative Davis were strong advocates for the continued utilization of the Conservation Advisory Board to weigh decisions regarding seasons and bag limits and the utilization of wildlife professionals to weigh and recommend wildlife management policy in Alabama.
In the 2011 Legislative Session they were active as well. Both Representative Davis and Senator Marsh provided critical actions in support of efforts to reauthorize funding for Forever Wild which secures public access lands for our citizens, wildlife management areas, and at the same time preserves a small portion of the incredible ecological diversity found in Alabama.
The GCAA was created to promote leadership by example and in turn increase conservation of the natural resources in the state of Alabama including its wildlife, forests, soils, water and air. The program is designed to bring about a greater knowledge and awareness of conservation practices and projects and to give proper recognition to those persons and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the natural resource welfare of their community and state.
The Alabama Wildlife Federation, established by sportsmen in 1935, is the state’s oldest and largest citizens’ conservation organization. The mission of the AWF, a 501(c)3 non-profit group supported by membership dues and donations, is to promote conservation and wise use of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources as a basis for economic and social prosperity. To learn more about the AWF, including membership details, programs and projects, contact the AWF at 1-800-822-WILD or visit www.alabamawildlife.org.
