When the environment makes the news, it’s usually bad news. The media is so filled with dire predictions for the environment that it is easy to lose hope, to give up the struggle to make humanity’s impact on the planet a positive impact. Success stories concerning the environment are often overshadowed by disaster stories, which is part of the reason the San Diego Zoological Society presents the Conservation Medal to individuals in recognition of outstanding contributions to conservation.
The Conservation Medal was first established in 1966, and has since been awarded on an annual basis to such noted conservationists as Jane Goodall and E.O. Wilson. Honorees are chosen based on the significance of their work in general, and on their work with the San Diego Zoological Society. This year’s award was bestowed upon Tom J. Cade, Ph.D., the late William Burnham, Ph.D., and Paxson H. Offield at the Zoological Society’s President’s Club Holiday Dinner.
Tom Cade and William Burnham were chosen for their inspirational and legendary work with the Peregrine Fund. In the late 1960s, the populations of several species of raptors (predatory birds) were being decimated, largely as a result of the use of pesticides such as DDT. Dr. Cade and Dr. Burnham recognized the important role that peregrine falcons and other keystone predatory birds play in maintaining the precarious balance of ecological systems, and formed the Peregrine Fund to publicize the plight of raptors and initiate programs to save the birds.
Through their tremendous efforts in research and establishing captive-breeding programs, Cade and Burnham were instrumental in saving many species of predatory birds from extinction. By 1999, the population of peregrine falcons had recovered to the point that it was removed from the endangered species list.
Since its inception, the mission of the Peregrine Fund has grown to include dozens of bird species. Additionally, the Peregrine Fund works directly with the San Diego Zoological Society, assisting with the Hawaiian Bird Recovery Program and the Baja California Condor Recovery Program.
Success stories such as these are one reason the Zoological Society established the Conservation Medal, to remind people it is possible to reverse the man-made trends which threaten the environment.
The winner of the third award, Paxson H. Offield, has provided extensive financial support and leadership to a number of organizations, including the Peregrine Fund, the Catalina Island Conservancy, Bat Conservation International and the Wrigley Institute for Environment Studies, just to name a few.
Through the Offield Family Foundation, Paxson Offield provides invaluable assistance to the San Diego Zoological Society, helping the organization to reach many of its conservation goals. In particular, Offield’s generosity supports many of the Zoological Society’s “capacity building grants,” which enable post-doctoral researchers to learn new research techniques and establish new, fully developed, conservation programs. With Offield’s support, CRES, the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species program of the Zoological Society, has become the largest zoo-based conservation research program in the world.
One beneficiary of Offield’s support is Bethan Morgan, who recently completed the Zoological Society’s post-doctoral program, and is now striving to preserve mountain gorillas in the jungles of Cameroon. As head of the Zoological Society’s African Field Programs, Dr. Morgan is on the frontlines of the effort to help mountain gorillas, educating government officials and members of the local population, and trying to thwart the illegal activities of poachers.
Now that the prevailing public opinion is beginning to agree that human activity is having a destabilizing effect on the environment, it is up to individuals to reverse this destabilization. Thanks to the actions of individuals such as Tom Cade, William Burnham and Paxson Offield, we know it is possible to reverse these effects – which is why the San Diego Zoological Society chose to recognize their actions with the society’s highest honor, the Conservation Medal.