Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship
New York, NY: - A St. Augustine, Florida woman is the recipient of a new national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.
Amy Gilboy Meide is one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota. Fellows receive specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.
For her fellowship, Meide will focus her efforts on improving and restoring habitat on the publicly-owned St. Johns County Golf Club. With the help of volunteers from groups such as First Tee, an organization that promotes character development for kids through the game of golf, Meide will work to improve natural habitat for threatened and endangered animals, including eastern indigo snakes, wood storks, and bald eagles, on 3 acres of “no play” zones along the course. The ultimate goal is to eventually restore 25 acres and Meide’s fellowship is the first step in the right direction. Her volunteer team will improve the land using native local plants, and at the same time reduce overall fertilizer use and water consumption on the golf course. Meide hopes that her work with St. Johns County can become a demonstration model for other golf organizations interested in sustainable golf course design.
Currently, Meide is the Land Management Coordinator for St. Johns County, Florida and has spent nearly a decade on conservation projects. Since working for St. Johns County, Meide has taken important environmental actions such as implementing the first prescribed burn on County property, including giving a public presentation on why prescribed burns are necessary for Florida’s landscape. Her passion for outreach and the environment was sparked when she was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines; where she worked with community groups in and around a newly developed marine sanctuary, where residents depend on a healthy coral reef for subsistence fishing and income from tourism.
“Amy is the kind of person who can make a real difference in the health of our environment and the quality of our future,” said Audubon President John Flicker. “Each of our TogetherGreen Fellows demonstrates exceptional environmental understanding and commitment, combined with tremendous potential to inspire and lead others. Together, they represent the talented and diverse leadership the environmental community will need to tackle the huge challenges and opportunities confronting us now and in the years to come.”
“It is my hope that the annual monetary savings due to less water, gasoline, and fertilizer usage can be put towards eventually restoring 25 acres in total,” said Meide. “I will demonstrate that being “green” can actually save money in the long run.”
Meide received a Masters degree in Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors degree in Biology from Florida State University. In addition to her current position, Meide is a member of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Private Lands sub-committee of the First Coast Invasive Working Group. Her scientific papers on birds and bird habitat have been published in various reports and journals, including the peer-reviewed Ecological Informatics.
“Toyota believes in the power of grassroots efforts to develop the environmental leaders of tomorrow,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America. “These 40 TogetherGreen Fellows will receive invaluable training for the future while immediately making a difference today with on-the-ground community projects.”
A complete list of TogetherGreen fellows can be found online at www.TogetherGreen.org/fellows.
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St. Augustine Woman Singled Out for Environmental Leadership
