Graeme Lockaby, Professor and Acting Associate Dean at Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Science, has won the 2003 National Wetlands Award for Science Research. He will be honored at a ceremony on May 20th at the Senate Caucus Room in Washington, DC.
For the past 20 years, Lockaby has conducted a highly productive personal research program to investigate nutrient cycling in floodplains, the effects of changing uses of rural land, ownership fragmentation, and urban development on forested landscapes, and the biogeochemical functions of floodplain forests. He also provides leadership for Auburn University’s "Peaks of Excellence Program" in Forest Sustainability, an interdisciplinary approach to examine the interplay among ecological, sociological and economic factors as these affect and are affected by landscape change."His ability to organize and motivate cross-disciplinary research teams and to interpret findings to professional and lay audiences alike has resulted in significant modifications of ‘best management practices,’ whereby wetland and riparian systems are more effectively managed, protected, and conserved," said George W. Bengtson, Professor and Associate Dean, Emeritus, Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Science.
Lockaby also plays an active role in the work of his graduate students, acting as mentor, collaborator and editor for his student’s dissertations. "As an educator, Graeme has ... guided some of our top graduate students in wetlands ecology," said Jack Feminella, Associate Professor of Invertebrate Ecology, Auburn University Department of Biological Sciences. "However, he guides not just from his office and laboratory but also, in large part, from the field. Despite the impressive number of students and field projects, Graeme is perhaps the most hands-on research faculty member with whom I have ever been associated."
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, and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
"Wetlands are complex and extraordinary ecosystems that perform vital environmental functions," said Dale N. Bosworth, Chief of the USDA Forest Service. "They improve water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping sediment, provide wildlife habitat, and absorb rainfall to reduce flooding. The work of these award recipients to protect and restore our critical wetland resources is truly commendable."
For more information on the National Wetlands Awards winners, or the ceremony, contact Erica Pencak at wetlandsawards@eli.org, http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org/index.htm or 202-939-3822.