Issue #11           

Fall 2005           

 

The Basin Bulletin   
Newsletter for Stakeholders of the Raritan Basin Watershed    

 

 

New Jersey Audubon Society President Receives Environmental Legacy Award

 

NJ Audubon Society President

Thomas J. Gilmore

New Jersey Audubon Society president, Thomas J. Gilmore, was presented with the New Jersey Environmental Lobby’s (NJEL) first Environmental Legacy Award for his leadership efforts to protect and preserve the Highlands.  The NJ EL established this award to recognize individuals whose dedication has created a legacy for New Jersey.  “The selection criteria are stringent,” states Anne O. Poole, NJEL President.  “This award recognizes leadership, generosity and vision.  We are grateful to Tom Gilmore and encourage similar leadership and behavior in the public and private sectors,” she added. 

Tom’s commitment to Highlands preservation has been longstanding.  He helped found the Highlands Coalition, a multi-state partnership of groups that recognize the critical value of the region and advocate for its protection, and served as its chair for two terms.  He also served on all three-governor-appointed Highlands task forces.  Last year, the coalition and New Jersey’s entire conservation community marked a milestone in their efforts when the Highlands Watershed Protection and Planning Act was signed into law.  This landmark legislation, which was nearly two decades in the making, guides the preservation of more than 800,000 acres of forest, farmland, scenic, and recreational lands in the northern part of the state, and protects the drinking water supply for more than half of New Jersey’s residents.  

Tom’s dedication to the preservation of this “landscape of national significance” was also noted by The Auditor section of The Star Ledger newspaper, which last year named him Winner of the Year for saving the New Jersey Highlands.  The paper deemed it “…the most significant political achievement of the year.”

Some of Tom’s other major accomplishments include his efforts leading to the passage of the Garden State Preservation Trust Act, in 1999, which provided for a stable source of funding to preserve one million acres in 10 years, and the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1987.  Thanks to Tom’s outstanding conservation leadership and vision, New Jersey residents can all consider themselves winners.

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