Chicago Wilderness Honors Local Individuals, Projects with Excellence in Conservation Awards

CHICAGO (November 16, 2006) - The Chicago Wilderness consortium has honored eight individuals and projects with its Excellence in Conservation Award. Award recipients were chosen for their exceptional contributions to protecting local biodiversity?the array of native plants, animals and habitats?in the Chicago Wilderness region.

The awards committee received many nominations that reaffirmed there is a vibrant movement afoot in our region?a movement to nurture, rediscover, and preserve local nature,? says Melinda Pruett-Jones, Executive Director of Chicago Wilderness.  ?The Chicago Wilderness award program allows a glimpse of the remarkable people making a difference throughout our region,' she says.

The Chicago Wilderness Excellence in Conservation Award honors volunteers, professionals and programs that advance the goals of the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan to restore and protect native habitats, from southeastern Wisconsin, through northeastern Illinois and in northwestern Indiana. The awards were presented at the biennial Chicago Wilderness Congress, held November 15 at Northwestern University.

The 2006 recipients are [among others]:

The Landscape Master Plan for the Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish came about because the parish wanted to better understand its role on the living land.  In the process the parish, the community and the Village of Homer Glen, became remarkable stewards of the earth. The restoration of a woodland, the implementation of storm water management practices, and educating and involving the community, have created a vibrant and living landscape plan.