The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is pleased to announce the winners of the 31th Annual National Wetlands Awards: Mark Beardsley; John W. Day Jr.; Trinity Favazza; Ted LaGrange; Sam Lovall; and Robert Wade. The 2020 Wetlands Awardees, all of whom have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of our nation’s wetlands, will be honored virtually via a month-long digital campaign. The campaign will run throughout the month of May, which is also national wetlands month.
“The recipients of the National Wetlands Awards are on the forefront of protecting wetland resources in the face of development and climate pressures,” said ELI President Scott Fulton. “While the pandemic prevents us this year from honoring the 2020 class of awardees at an in-person ceremony, we look forward to sharing their achievements with the broader public throughout the month of May via blogs, videos, and other virtual content in hopes of further inspiring wetlands protection across the country and worldwide.”
The awardees will be recognized for their individual achievements in six categories: Scientific Research; Promoting Awareness; Local Stewardship; Wetlands Program Development; Wetlands Business Leadership; and Youth Leadership (a new category for 2020).
Mark Beardsley, the principal of EcoMetrics and founder of Riparian Reconnect in Buena Vista, Colorado, is the winner of the Business Leadership award. He has 24 years of experience as an ecologist and geomorphologist, with a specialty in small streams, beaver restoration, monitoring and evaluation, and environmental ethics. Mark is also heavily involved in Colorado’s stream management planning process and is co-author of holistic stream and wetland health assessment methods, including the Functional Assessment of Colorado Streams and the Colorado Stream Health Assessment Framework. He has also worked as a college biology and chemistry teacher, climbing guide, ski patroller, and avalanche forecaster. Mark draws from his experience in these diverse fields and scientific disciplines to bring fresh perspectives and creative approaches that draw on the power of natural processes and ecological health in planning Colorado’s water and environmental future. Mark has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology, and a master’s in ecology, all from Colorado State University, and his favorite subject is environmental philosophy.
The Scientific Research award goes to John W. Day Jr., distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of the Coast & Environment at Louisiana State University, where he has taught since 1971. In addition to educating the next generation of environmental stewards, including over 70 masters- and doctorate-level students, John has conducted extensive research on the ecology and management of coastal and wetland ecosystems, with emphasis on the Mississippi Delta. An extensive writer, with more than 400 publications to his name, John as written and edited 14 books, has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, and has been cited more than 23,800 times. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for study in France and the Estuarine Research Federation Cronin Award for excellence in teaching in coastal sciences. John received his Ph.D. in marine sciences and environmental sciences from the University of North Carolina in 1971 working with the noted ecologist Dr. H.T. Odum.
This year’s Youth Leadership award goes to Trinity Favazza. Trinity, age 13, has been an amphibian and wetland conservationist since 2016 when she became the Mayor of Amphibiville for the Detroit Zoo. Soon after, Trinity began her “Action for Amphibians” project, which takes a social, political, and hands-on approach toward amphibian and wetland conservation. Through her program, Trinity seeks to: (1) raise social awareness via social media and her “Amphibian Conservation Rocks” painted rocks campaign; (2) conduct field research, clean up local wetlands, educate and inspire her classmates, and collect valuable field data as a citizen scientist for FrogWatch USA; and (3) raise political awareness for amphibian and wetland conservation statewide and nationally. This year, Trinity was able to expand her “Amphibian Conservation Rocks” campaign using funds from the Warner Brothers Scooby-Doo Doo Good Grant. Visit her amphibian conservation Instagram hub and conservation website at
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