FAIRHOPE, Ala. — James H. “Jim” Griggs of Fairhope will be honored Aug. 8 in Prattville as Conservationist of the Year during the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s (AWF) annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards (GCAA). The banquet, which is being sponsored by Alabama Power and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, will begin at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Legends at Capitol Hill.

AWF spokesperson Kimberly Moon said Griggs, who plans to retire at the end of the year from his longtime position as state lands director for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was selected based on his dedication to the state’s natural wonders.

“Our board does its best to choose the best recipients,” she said. “They’re all very deserving.”

According to AWF criteria, the group’s top award is meant, “For an individual who has excelled in an overall conservation effort, in environmental achievements, or other significant contribution to the conservation of natural resources.”

Griggs said, “I am extremely humbled by AWF’s recognition. It’s been my great pleasure to work with AWF as state lands director. We’ve worked closely together in land acquisition.”

The organization played a big part in the state’s purchase of acreage in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, he said, noting it will be preserved for future generations.

“State funds were not in place to buy the entire parcel, so AWF stepped in and purchased the property, later bequeathing it penny for penny to the state,” Griggs said. “They were instrumental in protecting the delta.”

He pointed out that The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited were two other groups that also helped place delta land in the state’s Forever Wild land trust, something he counts among his greatest accomplishments on the job.

“That was a coup to put together an agreement with the seller,” Griggs said. “I take pride in someone looking around 500 years from now and saying, ‘I’m glad some old guys set this aside for future generations.’ It’s gratifying to see a program that works so well with no hiccups whatsoever (Forever Wild was established 16 years ago). It’s a pleasure to know I can put some effort in protecting land that belongs to the people.”

Around 120,000 acres of delta lands are now either state-owned or controlled. He said, “We have an obligation to pass on the things we enjoy and take for granted, and we are obligated to pass them along in better condition.”

An example Griggs used is the effort currently under way to replace loblolly pines with the native longleaf variety where they once flourished. He noted, “It’s important to revert it back to a pristine state as much as we possibly can. We must (also) teach young land stewards to care for their land and pass it on.”

Republican Gov. Guy Hunt appointed Griggs to his first term as director of state lands in 1989. At the time, he was the attorney for the state’s oil and gas board, a panel on which he now serves as a member.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate was raised in the rural farmlands of southeast Alabama’s Wiregrass region.

He said, “I was a person who grew up close to the land. I played in the woods as a kid, and was always interested in the outdoors — the natural systems and beauty of the land.”

Like other conservationists, Griggs mourns the loss of connection between many of today’s youth and nature.

“That’s the sermon we’ve tried to preach in the lands division,” he said. “Children who aren’t exposed to the outdoors lose an important part of their development. You need to experience the tranquility of the woods. You don’t get that tranquility from an Xbox.”

Kayaking or canoeing in the delta, meandering down Bayou Jessamine and into Jug Lake illustrates what nature was like 2,000 years ago, he said, adding, “It’s almost a religious experience. It’s a life-changing experience. In four hours, your life will never be the same.”

Along the way, you will pass state record trees, including the record cypress, as well as other flora and fauna not often seen by many who live in the area.

Griggs said, “We are blessed to have a county that is so biologically diverse, and diverse in so many other ways. If we don’t protect these areas, who will?

“It’s great to have the opportunity to work with so many people who have nothing but the best conservation motives at heart.”

Other GCAA recipients this year include: Wildlife Conservationist of the Year, Dr. James B. Armstrong, Auburn; Forest Conservationist of the Year, Lamar and Felicia Dewberry, Lineville; Soil Conservationist of the Year, Dee River Ranch — Annie Dee and Mike Dee, Aliceville; Water Conservationist of the Year, Florala Utilities Board, Florala; Air Conservationist of the Year, General Electric Dothan Motor Plant, Dothan; Conservation Organization of the Year, Coosa County Forestry Planning Committee, Rockford; Conservation Communicator of the Year, Wildlife Trends, Auburn; Youth Conservationist of the Year, Anna Vines, Sylacauga; Conservation Enforcement Officer of the Year, Sergeant Eddie Stripling, Fayette; Hunter Safety Instructor of the Year, Terry R. Love, Opelika; Conservation Educator of the Year, Margaret Sedlecky, Fairhope; Judicial Conservationist of the Year, Judge Jerry Batts, Athens; Legislative Conservation of the Year, Rep. Thomas Jackson, Rep. James Fields and Sen. Ted Little.

Tickets to the banquet are $40, and are available for purchase by contacting AWF at (800) 822-9453. For more information, visit www.alabamawildlife.org.