Contact: Jack Rudloe, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab (
850) 445-6786
PANACEA, FL -
The Environmental Law Institute today announced Jack and the late, Anne Rudloe, Ph.D. of
Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories, Inc., as recipients of the prestigious
National Wetlands Award for Education and Outreach. They will be honored at a ceremony on
May 8th at U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C. for their 50 years of service preserving north Florida wetlands and promoting the importance of estuarine ecosystems.
"My late wife, Anne would be particularly honored to receive this award, Jack Rudloe said," "She dedicated her life to preserving marine habitat for our children, grandchildren and all future generations."
From Panacea, Florida, the activist couple led the push for legislative protections throughout Florida when none existed and contributed to the preservation of more than 35,000 acres of marine habitat.
T
hrough their nationally-recognized education center and aquarium, the Rudloe's have engaged more than a quarter of a million people including thousands of school-age children on the importance of wetlands. The "touch-tank"
The Rudloe's were
nominated by
Dr. Thomas Manning of Valdosta State University.
The Rudloe's work is cited in nearly 100 scholarly articles for wetlands research. "I know of no other institute along the Gulf's shores that has done more to heighten awareness, both by
direct educational work and by facilitating the instructional efforts of others,"
Dr. Manning said.
Jack Rudloe continues today to battle moneyed interests that threaten to repeal established protecting wetlands, even as new studies show the devastating impact of disappearing wetland habitat throughout Florida and nationwide.
"Florida is a trendsetter for the rest of the nation, which is why we must remain vigilant and oppose efforts to repeal wetlands protections, Jack Rudloe said." The Florida legislature is currently reviewing
CS/HB 703, a bill
many conservationists believe willundermine local governments' efforts to enact and enforce wetlands protections.
If winning a national award wasn't enough - a new species of
Box Jellyfish was discovered and named to honor Jack Rudloe for his dedication to the study and protection of the marine environment and its habitats.
Chiropsella rudloei spawns in the wetland habitat of mangrove swamps. It was collected by Jack Rudloe during an International Indian Ocean Expedition in Madagascar in the early 1960's and only recently catalogued through the
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards program has honored exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence in wetland conservation, research, or education through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local level. The program is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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