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Bass Pro Shops and Johnny Morris Receive 2003 Track-Maker Award |
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WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Sep. 10 -/E-Wire/-- Bass Pro Shops and founder Johnny Morris have been named the recipient of the 2003 Track-Maker Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of native fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. They were selected in recognition of their significant achievements in helping conserve critical wildlife habitats, and for their contributions to sport fishing and conservation organizations across the country. The Track Maker Award is given to an individual or organization whose contribution to the Foundation has made an indelible imprint on conserving the world's wildlife and wild places.
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Since 1991, more than $2.5 million has been dedicated to conservation through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's partnership with Bass Pro Shops and The Johnny Morris Foundation. Recently, Bass Pro Shops created the Chesapeake Conservation Challenge, a program to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. Customers are able to contribute to the conservation of critical wetlands and wildlife habitat of the nation's largest estuary.
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The first year of program funds will support a large-scale conservation initiative focused on areas of critical wildlife habitat. A 47-acre wetland in the headwaters of Barren Creek, a tributary of Maryland's Nanticoke River, will be restored using native tree species. In addition, the funds will benefit the lower Rappahannock River in Virginia, where 5 acres of wetlands will be restored and 200 acres of riparian buffer and native warm season grasses will be planted. The remaining program funds will go toward a comprehensive conservation assessment and land protection strategy for lands owned by electric utilities along the lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.
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As a member of the National Wildlife Refuge Centennial Commission, Johnny Morris is playing a vital role in rallying public support for the Refuge System as well as carrying on the 100-year legacy of President Roosevelt. In partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Refuge System's centenary, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation relies on Mr. Morris and the Commission to reach out to outdoor enthusiasts from across America to maintain a steady course of sound conservation stewardship.
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"Bass Pro Shops has a long history of supporting outdoors and conservation programs and they are a vital partner in conserving irreplaceable species and habitats" said John Berry, executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "Johnny Morris' leadership and generosity in raising funds for conservation sets a standard unparalleled in the conservation community."
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"It is a great honor to be recognized with the 2003 Track-Maker Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation," said Johnny Morris. "One of the most effective ways to conserve our natural resources is to build partnerships and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is our nation's premier conservation organization in creating those partnerships to conserve America's fish and wildlife."
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Steven A. Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, presented the national award on September 10th at the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin. The award is a bronze casting made from the track of the last known Javan Tiger, which is now recognized as an extinct species. The spoor for this cast was made in 1976 by John Seidensticker of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The tiger footprint reminds us all of the challenge that wildlife conservationists face.
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On presenting the casting to the Foundation, Dr. Seidensticker observed, "the future of wild tigers lies in recognizing that tigers and people are inseparable, and both are bound by their relationship with each other and their environment." Creating this awareness of our inseparable relationship with all wildlife is the challenge we face as we pursue the conservation of our world and its species.
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