The Baldwin County Commission’s Environmental Advisory Board recently awarded its 13th annual Environmental Responsibility Awards.

David Villafaña, GIS Planning Analyst for the Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Department worked with the Environmental Advisory Board to select this year’s award recipients.

According to Villafaña, the awards are given “to recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a high level of concern and consideration in environmental protection and enhancement in Baldwin County through their programs and activities.”

The recipients are chosen by the Environmental Advisory Board. According to Villafaña, all submissions are reviewed and judged based upon the merits of the submission.

To be considered for an award, the only requirement is that each submission is somehow involved with environmental enhancement or protection project or program, or takes the environment into consideration in a significant way, according to Villafaña.

During the more than 13 years that the awards have been given, more than 70 individuals and organizations have been recognized for their environmental consciousness. This year, awards were given in the categories of individual citizens, small business, large business, environmental organization, educational program, government agency, student initiative and agriculture/forestry.

The 2010 awards recognized the outstanding achievements of the following recipients:

Individual Citizen Award - Mr. Arthur C. Dyas — Montrose

Mr. Dyas was chosen for this award because he has been a leading activist in environmental affairs throughout Baldwin County for many years. Dyas was an active member of the Baldwin County Flood Hazard Management Planning Committee which was responsible for preparing the County Flood Hazard Management Plan. Dyas also placed approximately 40 percent of his land holdings along the Blackwater River in conservation easements to protect their environmental value. Dyas has served on the Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission for 12 years, most recently as its Chairman. As a member of this commission he has been instrumental in developing and enforcing planning and subdivision regulations and standards aimed at protecting wetlands and flood prone areas.

Individual Citizen Award- Mr. Jim Horner — Fairhope

Mr. Horner was chosen for this award because as Chairman of the Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board, since 2007, he has been a motivational force towards comprehensive watershed protection regulations to help maintain Baldwin County’s environmental resources. Horner has also assisted the City of Fairhope Planning and Building Department in revising stormwater language in the Subdivision Regulations, the creation of a City of Fairhope Wetland Ordinance, revising the City of Fairhope Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance and revising the City of Fairhope Red Soils Ordinance.

Small Business Award – Starr Textile Services — Foley

Starr Textile Services was awarded this because of their environmentally friendly equipment and cleaning agents in their 30,000 square-foot facility.  They are able to wash 3,000 pounds of laundry per hour using only 0.9 gallons of water per pound (most household washers use 2.5 – 4 gallons of water per pound). In addition, the dry cleaning machine is eco-friendly, the janitorial cleaning chemicals are green certified and they use a gray water and boiler exhaust heat reclaiming system, a hanger recycling program and they donate their stained and torn linen to animal shelters and zoos.

Large Business Award – Thompson Engineering and sub-consultants Hand Arendall, Vittor & Associates, Alabama Coastal Foundation and Tetra Tech

Thompson Engineering and its sub-consultant team, including Hand Arendall, Vittor & Associates, Alabama Coastal Foundation and Tetra Tech, are being recognized for preparing a Comprehensive Management Plan for the D’Olive Creek Watershed. This has long been cited as a “poster child” of environmental degradation from erosion and sedimentation caused by urban development. The work was guided by a diverse stakeholder group comprised of the Baldwin County Commission and the Cities of Daphne and Spanish Fort, federal, state and local agencies, property owners and private interests. Based on a thorough examination of the watershed conditions and identification of critical issues and areas of concern, the plan describes the various management measures and implementations that can be utilized to restore degraded areas and minimize impacts from future development. During this effort of preparing the D’Olive Creek Watershed Management Plan, the community-spirited Thompson Engineering team dedicated countless hours beyond what was budgeted in order to provide a comprehensive and meaningful “path forward” to help solve the long-standing watershed problems. Thompson Engineering and the entire team went above and beyond contract requirements and produced a document that has been referred to as one of the premier Watershed Management Plans in Alabama.

Environmental Organization Award – Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program received this award due to its profound environmental impact on Baldwin County through educational programs, funding and physical effort, among other things. They have been instrumental in coordinating stakeholders and obtaining funding to restore D’Olive Bay, Lake and watershed. They helped fund a sedimentation study of the Magnolia River and have directly participated in and/or arranged a variety of educational programs regarding oil spill effects and the Baldwin County Watershed Coalition. They also helped, along with the Weeks Bay Reserve, to restore part of Cow Pen Creek and Colony Park in Fairhope and have led the effort to create a stormwater/watershed coalition in Baldwin County.

Educational Program Award – Baldwin County Master Environmental Educators — Bay Minette

The Master Environmental Educators (MEE) program is receiving this award because during the 2009-2010 year they presented 136 environmental lessons to approximately 3,010 children at 27 schools. They also conducted nine sessions for After School Programs and three programs for civic organizations. MEE was created in 1995 as a part of the Baldwin County Extension Office and volunteers are trained each year to present environmental education programs to encourage Baldwin County residents to become good environmental stewards, educate our residents to protect our coastal environment, promote the value of our environment to our residents and provide opportunities for youth and adults to enjoy the outdoors.

Government Agency Award – City of Orange Beach

The City of Orange Beach received the award for planning, developing and managing the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, a 10-mile, paved multi-use trail that recently received National Recreation Trail designation. They also developed and constructed the Orange Beach Canoe Trail, Alabama’s first local paddling trail and “Blueway.” In addition, they provided technical assistance to various communities in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana for trail project development. The city also developed, acquired and managed more than $2.1 million in trail-related grants and awards.

Award recipients submitted by Paula Tillman, Baldwin County Commission public information coordinator