STACYVILLE, Maine — Maine Woods Forever, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the legacy of Maine’s forests and woodlands, has presented a fourth-grader at Katahdin Elementary School its 2017 “Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award.”
The a youth-oriented award was presented to Fiona Ammerman of Benedicta for her outstanding dedication, leadership and steady growth in exhibiting Maine’s conservation ethic. The award recognizes what Maine’s youth are doing to appreciate and conserve the state’s forest heritage. It also encourages them to become future conservation leaders.
Awards were presented on April 7, at Maine Woods Forever’s 36th Roundtable event, hosted at Unity College’s Center for the Performing Arts.
“The Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award honors today’s young people and the legacy of America’s most celebrated conservationist, President Theodore Roosevelt,” stated John Rust, chair of the award committee, in a press release. “Many credit his rugged sojourns in Maine during the late 1800s with shaping his determination to conserve our natural world. This year’s award recipients have clearly lived up to this ethic.”
Ammerman’s notable efforts include a campaign to support conserving the lands east of Baxter State Park, and to increase the public’s awareness of their use and significance. In doing so, she spoke to more than 1,400 people at a public meeting with U.S. Sen. Angus King and John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. She recalled canoeing with her grandfather on the East Branch of the Penobscot River, fishing, swimming, looking for animals and birds, and simply enjoying the land and its beauty.
“I was incredibly impressed by her love for her home in Maine’s North Woods and her desire to share what she loved with the world through the creation of a National Monument,” stated Eliza Donoghue, Forests and Wildlife Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Having a conviction and putting it into clear words is very impressive, let alone standing up before a large crowd to share them.
“Fiona has a natural gift for speaking and a passion for the natural lands of northern Maine,” said Marie Robinson, principal at the Katahdin Elementary School, who nominated Ammerman for the award. “Her speech helped to educate the general public about the importance of conserving Maine’s forested areas.”
