By Sharon Bruce
Senior Manager, Communications
Published November 05, 2024
This article is from 约炮视频 New York
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The 约炮视频鈥檚 Connecticut and New York office celebrated the ability of individual voices to inspire millions of people to action at the 2024 Keesee Awards Luncheon.
The prestigious Thomas W. Keesee, Jr., Conservation Award recognizes those who show remarkable leadership and commitment to protecting birds and the places they need. At this year鈥檚 event, we honored Douglas Tallamy with the Keesee Award for his life鈥檚 work.
An ecologist, educator, and author of books such as Nature鈥檚 Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks, Doug inspired a national movement to protect birds and insects by sharing research and findings from his own backyard. As a co-founder of , he has inspired over 38,000 biodiversity heroes to regenerate 100,000 acres in three years.
Rather than give a traditional acceptance speech, Doug shared photos of the native plants and trees he and his wife have added to their 10-acre property, a former hayfield that is now home to 1,335 species of moth, and 62 bird species.
To the delight of the crowd, Doug recalled the funniest moths (in name) he has identified, including The Neighbor, The Explicit Arches, and The Forgotten Frigid Owlet.
鈥淔ailure is not an option! Property owners are the hope and future of conservation,鈥 repeated Doug. 鈥淲e have to practice conservation on our private properties and balconies, not just in parks and preserves. In the past, conservationists worked exclusively where there weren鈥檛 a lot of people. Now, we need to find ways to thrive in human-dominated landscapes.鈥
Nick Bayard, Executive Director of , similarly took up the torch after accepting the 约炮视频 New York Award for Environmental Media.
Through compelling, sound-rich storytelling, Nick explained, BirdNote immerses people in nature and inspires a love of birds that leads to action.
Nick shared BirdNote鈥檚 鈥淢agic Recipe鈥 for reaching a growing audience of over 8 million listeners, including: 鈥淢ore bird sounds, less talking,鈥 鈥淯se visually descriptive language,鈥 and 鈥淲rite to one person.鈥 BirdNote鈥檚 podcasters tell inclusive stories in both Spanish and English, building bridges across communities, identities, and nationalities.
Held on Halloween, the luncheon was a joyful celebration of birds and the people who protect them. Thank you to all who showed up in bird and insect-themed costumes!
The 2024 Keesee Awards Luncheon was co-hosted by Eunice and Rob Burnett, Deane and John Gilliam, Darcy and John Hadjipateras, Laurie and David Hodgson, Angela and Thomas W. Keesee III, Allen P.K. Keesee, Anne Keesee Niemann and Thomas M. Niemann, Victoria Shaw, Virginia Stowe, and Karen Thomas, and held at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan on October 31.