Wild South’s Roosevelt-Ashe Society Awards the 2011 ‘Green Oscars’

Glynn Wilson

Maggie Johnston of the McDowell Environmental Center in Alabama with friends

by Glynn Wilson

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The regional conservation organization Wild South presented the 2011 Roosevelt-Ashe Society Conservation Awards Friday night, otherwise known as the Green Oscars, honoring outstanding work to protect wild places and recognizing “conservation heroes” across the South.

“These awards exist for people who believe they can move a mountain” said Randy Talley, co- owner of The Green Sage Coffeehouse and Café. “The award winners are champions for all of us to believe we can change this world, we can change our destructive behaviors, we can make a difference.”

“The Roosevelt-Ashe Society Conservation Awards have always attracted high caliber nominees, and this year continues that tradition. These conservation heroes all have their own amazing stories of passion for a cause, hard work, and victory,” said Ginger Dollar, Program Officer at Community Foundation for Western North Carolina.

And the Oscars go to:

Ralph White of James River Park, Virginia, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Barry Sulkin, Tennessee Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, was named Outstanding Conservationist.

Maggie Johnston of the McDowell Environmental Center in Alabama was honored as Outstanding Educator. (That’s Maggie in the photo on the left. Notice the birdhouse centerpieces.).

Robin Hinter of Georgia Forest Watch won for Outstanding Volunteer.

Brad & Shelli Stanback of North Carolina were named Outstanding Philanthropists

Cherokee Indian Hospital, of Cherokee, North Carolina as the Outstanding Business in conservation.

Don Hendershot, a columnist with the Smoky Mountain News of North Carolina, for Outstanding Journalism.

Rachel Hopkins of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Alex Durand and Laura Rigell, of Tennessee Youth Environmental Network, as the Outstanding Youth in conservation.

Randy Tally of the Wild South board and Jay Murphy received special Awards of Distinction.

The Award winners are selected by an independent committee comprised of highly respected conservationists from across the South. On Friday night, Wild South’s Roosevelt-Ashe Society held its annual Green Tie Gala, “The 4th Annual Green Oscars,” event where the award winners were announced and honored.

“It was great to see everyone walk down the Green Carpet and have such a great time at the Green Oscars,” said Tracy Davids, Wild South’s Executive Director. “It took a village to make the event such a smash and I thank all of the businesses in the Southeast that contributed to it.”

Community Partners for The Fourth Annual Green Oscars include The Green Sage Café, Deltec Homes, Eagles Nest Outfitters, Mountain High Outfitters, Pisgah Brewing Co., Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Earth Fare, Blackbird Frame and Art, Greenlife Grocery, Sour Grapes, LLC, Celine & Co. Catering On Broadway.

Wild South is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire people to enjoy, value and protect the wild character and natural legacy of the South.

The group is a merger in 2007 of Wild Alabama, started by Lamar Marshall in the 1990s, and southern Appalachian biodiversity project.

Marshall started out in the Sipsey Wilderness back in the 1980s and ’90s, but moved to North Carolina a few year’s back.

When I ran into Marshall at the event and asked why he moved, he said the heat and humidity of the Sipsey Wilderness finally started getting to him — along with the chiggers — so he moved to the mountains of North Carolina.

Plus, he said, the local redneck conservatives “who wanted to kill me tried to burn down my store.”