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TEC Community Conservation Award
THE 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. |
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