The awards, which were presented to the winners at the May 2007 Audubon Global Warming Retreat in Park City, Utah, recognize individuals who have made remarkable contributions to conservation through creativity, coalition building, creative thinking, outreach, and perseverance. Awardees are nominated by their peers in the field – both Audubon Chapter and state board members and Audubon staff.
Diana King is recognized with the 2007 Callison Award for her dedicated service and major contributions to the goals of Audubon through her sound leadership of the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. The site of 150 acres of botanical collections, significant historical/cultural sites, rare and endangered native plants and animals, the Center serves 500 visitors a day. Diana's unflagging dedication to staff, visitors and the local community as well as her unparalleled skill in coalition building and strategic negotiation have been key to the success of the Center.
Helen Engle's fifty plus years of environmental activism are an inspiration. She has been the Audubon matriarch of Washington state, working with Audubon staff and volunteers from throughout the region. Her contributions range from her role as founding president of the Tahoma Audubon Society, to editor of The Towhee newsletter for ten years, to positions as a member of both the Audubon Washington board of stewards and the National Audubon Society board of directors. Helen's willingness and style of bringing people together and building common consensus have brought about change that no one would have thought possible. In addition, Helen has served on the boards of numerous local, state and regional non-profit and governmental organizations, and has won many awards for her contributions.
As one of the most dedicated and hardest working volunteers in Audubon, Margery Nicolson's contributions to Audubon range far and wide. Margery is a current member of the board for Audubon Alaska and Audubon California, as well as the National Audubon Society. Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary is perhaps her greatest love. For several weeks each year, she moves to Kearney to help lead field trips and other programs during the Sandhill Crane migration. There, as lead donor for the Ian Nicolson Audubon Center and a key volunteer leader, Margery inspires one of the largest and most dedicated team of volunteers in Audubon.
"This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, and it is a fitting tribute that Audubon is recognizing three very special women as recipients of its highest award for Audubon volunteers and professionals," said John Flicker, president of the National Audubon Society. "Diana, Helen and Margery's deep commitment to the goals of Audubon and the cause of conservation are reasons for celebration and I am thrilled to be able to recognize their immense contributions."
The Charles H. Callison award is named after a former executive vice president at Audubon. The award was established in 1994 by the National Audubon Society to give special recognition to an individual or group in recognition of creativity, cooperation, persuasion, patience and perseverance in promoting the Audubon mission at the local, state, or federal level. Each award winner is presented with a certificate as well as a framed photograph donated by Bill Stripling of Vicksburg, Mississippi, whose photos were featured in the Audubon magazine feature on the Mississippi River.
For more information about the Callison Award and its recipients, please contact Lynn ltennefoss@audubon.org or 800-542-2748. For more information about the National Audubon Society, please visit http://www.audubon.org/.