Audubon Texas unveils new award named for Houston conservation icon Terry Hershey
Four Texas women were honored this month as the inaugural recipients of the Terry Hershey award for their contributions to conservation in the Lone Star State. The award is a key component of Audubon’s Texas Women in Conservation Program, a new effort to honor the leadership role that women play in natural resource conservation.
The inaugural group of honorees are: Carol Dinkins, Environmental Practice Group Leader, Vinson & Elkins LLP (Houston), Susan Rieff, Executive Director, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Austin), Ellen Temple, Conservationist, book publisher and education advocate (Lufkin) and Mary Anne Piacentini, Executive Director, Katy Prairie Conservancy (Houston).
The award is named for conservation icon Terry Hershey, who has devoted substantial passion, time, energy and resources to significant conservation projects in Houston, throughout Texas and nationally for more than 50 years.
About Audubon in Texas: For more than 100 years, Audubon has established itself as a leader in protecting and conserving wildlife and habitat and inspiring people to take action on behalf of the environment. Audubon’s success is based on a foundation of science, education, and policy. Established in 2001 as the state program of the National Audubon Society, Audubon Texas’s conservation work includes 70% of the Gulf Coast, 3 million acres of statewide grasslands, and 19 Important Bird Areas. Audubon Texas also engages communities in civic action, outdoor education initiatives, and citizen science at its Audubon Centers in Cedar Hill, Dallas, and San Antonio and its Audubon Sanctuary in Brownsville.
