An article in today’s (Nov. 12, 2014) Gainesville Sun reveals that the Gainesville Rotary Club will award its first-ever “Water Stewardship Awards” to several local springs advocates, both people and publications.
“The awards recognize ‘outstanding leadership and service in preserving the integrity of waters entrusted to our care throughout our community and the State of Florida,’ the club said in a news release.”
Some of the award recipients, such as Dr. Robert Knight, Dr. Lesley Gamble and John Moran, are members of the local groups OSFR and the Ichetucknee Alliance. The Gainesville Sun is also a recipient for its important and consistent environmental advocacy.
OSFR is very happy to see these important leaders honored for their crucial work, and congratulates both them and the Rotary Club for recognizing them.
The original article can be seen at this link, or continue reading for a reproduction:
Rotary to honor local environmental advocates
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 10:55 a.m.
The Downtown Gainesville Rotary Club will honor several individuals and publications next week for their efforts on behalf of the environment with its first-ever Water Stewardship Awards.
The awards recognize “outstanding leadership and service in preserving the integrity of waters entrusted to our care throughout our community and the State of Florida,” the club said in a news release.
Here are the recipients of the awards:
* “Springs Eternal- Florida’s Fragile Fountains of Youth,” a touring exhibition of the Florida Museum of Natural History, featuring photography by John Moran. The project is an “evolving series of creative partnerships” by UF’s Lesley Gamble, creator of Urban Aquifer, Moran and Rick Kilby, creator of Finding the Fountain of Youth.
* The Friends of Glen Springs (FROGS), led by Marilyn Tubb and Jeff Montgomery. The group has developed a plan to restore the spring run that flows into Hogtown Creek behind the Elk’s Lodge on Northwest 23rd Boulevard.
* Robert L. Knight, the founder of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute.
* The Gainesville Sun/Ocala Star-Banner, for the newspapers’ collaborative series “Fragile Springs,” published last year. The series chronicled the history of North Central Florida’s imperiled springs system and spelled out the challenges and opportunities that remain ahead. The series won the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors’ Community Leadership Category earlier this year, and the web version of the series won the Editor & Publisher 2014 Eppy Award in the category of Best Community Service on a Media-Affiliated Website with under 1 million unique monthly visitors.
The recipients will be honored Wednesday during the Rotary Club’s 2014 Wine to Water event, from 7-9 p.m. at the Wine and Cheese Gallery, 113 N. Main St.
Tickets are $40 and a limited number are available. For more information or tickets, contact Connie Rowe at 377-2444.
Also, OSFR is grateful to the Sun for permission to reproduce its articles in their entirety.
