Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy to Recognize Leaders in Conservation

OSPREY AWARDS FOR CONSERVATION EXCELLENCE -- February 22, 2013

January 17, 2013
By: O. J. Cunningham

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy (SBLC) is pleased to present the Osprey Awards! The Ospreys are designed to recognize key people, organizations, and businesses in our community who have taken exemplary steps in keeping with the Conservancy's own mission: "To conserve land and water resources to promote sustainable communities and a higher quality of life in the Saginaw Bay Watershed."

The location of our reception on February 22 will be the Jennison Boathouse in Downtown Bay City. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. at the Jennison Boathouse, and the program will take place from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available for $35, and include two drinks, hors d'oeuvres, a chance to win door prizes, raffles, and an entertaining program of music, a featured speaker, and the award presentations themselves. Tickets will not be sold at the door, and must be pre-purchased. Visit www.sblc-mi.org/ospreys to purchase tickets or call 989-891-9986.

The "Ospreys" are a collection of awards the Conservancy will award annually to a number of entities and individuals in a variety of categories. The Ospreys were made possible by a generous gift from the Morley Foundation. The categories and this year's recipients are as follows:

Outstanding Conservation Volunteer: Judy Valley, for outstanding stewardship at SBLC nature preserves

Outstanding Conservation Company or Organization: Cass River Greenway, for an outstanding portfolio of projects in 2012

Outstanding Conservation Project: Friends of the Shiawassee River for the Shiawassee River Access Project, which opened the Shiawassee to recreational users in a new and meaningful way

Outstanding Conservation Professional: Stan Lilley, Executive Director of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, for outstanding service in 2012 to his organization and the watershed as a whole

Lifetime Achievement in Conservation: Charles Curtiss, for his exemplary leadership in water quality and habitat conservation issues

The Osprey Awards reception will take place on February 22, 2013. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and the program will take place from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available for $35, and include two drinks, hors d'oeuvres, a chance to win door prizes, raffles, and an entertaining program of music, a featured speaker, and the award presentations themselves.

Visit www.sblc-mi.org/ospreys to purchase tickets or call 989-891-9986. Continued next pageThe featured speaker for the evening is Jonathan Lutz, Executive Director of Michigan Audubon, the oldest conservation organization in Michigan. Sample raffle prizes include gift baskets from watershed businesses, a night's stay and concert tickets at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, and others. Music will be provided by Patrick Trahan and friends.

With the Ospreys, the SBLC hopes to broaden general awareness of the Conservancy throughout the Watershed. Further, the SBLC hopes that by recognizing both organizational and individual contributions to conservation, it will help popularize and legitimize grassroots conservation efforts.

The SBLC looks forward to a positive night of honoring conservation leaders and spreading a positive story about nature in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. The Saginaw Bay Watershed is the largest watershed in the state of Michigan filtering 15% of Michigan's inland waters.

It contributes cleaner water to the Huron Bay, the Great Lakes, and is the largest contiguous freshwater coastal wetlands system in the United States. Featuring more than 175 inland lakes and nearly 7,000 square miles of rivers and streams, this unique watershed is home to a variety of waterfowl, birds, snakes, turtles, amphibians, and more than 138 endangered or threatened species.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy helps maintain the quality of life in the Saginaw Bay Watershed through the preservation of important wetlands, waterways and land of all types. The Conservancy is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization working in the Saginaw Basin.

To date, the Conservancy has permanently preserved more than 6,000 acres in the watershed. Anyone with questions should contact the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy at (989) 891-9986.