TEC Community Conservation AwardTHE INSTITUE CONGRADULATES KRIS BROWN WHO HAS WON THE 2005 TEC COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AWARD
 Few organizations today recognize young people for their dedication to enviromental causes at a time when we should be nurturing them more than ever. Kris Brown is extremely dedicated and is a prime example of what we need more of.
The comments below were made by Dean Pettit, Chairman of the Titusville Environmental Commission. The award winner for 2005 recently graduated from Brevard Community College and is now pursuing an environmental degree with an emphasis on conservation and research.
His work and research with the Gopher Tortoises of the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary is dedicated. He has mapped all of the known gopher burrows and has counted and tagged the tortoises on the property.
He is a Certified Guide at the Sanctuary and often leads hikes that seek out gopher tortoise habitat for educational purposes, using a special camera to allow the viewing of tortoises in their burrows.
He performs enormous amounts of forest preservation and is currently working on a native plant restoration project that includes the removal of invasive plants in a disturbed area.
He volunteers regularly at the Brevard Museum of History and Science as a docent, leading tours on the Johnnie Johnson Nature Preserve trails for K-12 classes and any group who would like a docent to lead them.
Upon encountering a tortoise in the forest that had lost a portion of a front leg, he took the initiative to file with the State for a possession and educational permit, which he received. He then began designing a special enclosure designed to accommodate the impaired animal, including a specially designed burrow, which the animal could not dig for itself. This gopher tortoise, since nicknamed Trudy, could have died without his intervention. Instead it is living its days in comfort and teaching us about this remarkable animal.
It is with great pride that we present the winner of the 2005 TEC Community Environmental Award, to Kris Brown. |
