Honoree Receives Audubon/Toyota TogetherGreen Fellowship
New York, NY: A Lawton man 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.
Eric Beck 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.
Beck will focus his efforts on supporting and expanding the Oklahoma Important Bird Areas program through education and volunteer activities that both create a measurable conservation difference by protecting habitat and encouraging people to enjoy and observe native wildlife, including threatened species like the Lesser Prairie Chicken and the Northern Bobwhite.
The former Field Technician for the Sutton Avian Research Center’s Lesser Prairie Chicken Project and current Coordinator for the Oklahoma Important Bird Areas program has been involved in conservation efforts for four years. A lifelong volunteer, he has organized many different bird counts, including three Christmas Bird Counts in Atoka County, Oklahoma. Beck has also dedicated over 200 volunteer hours to the Oklahoma Important Bird Areas program in the last year and half, and achieved designation for two state-level Important Bird Areas. Without Beck’s tireless dedication, the Oklahoma Important Bird program—and the habitat and wildlife it protects—would have suffered badly.
“Eric 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.”
“By sharing my knowledge and experience and working to create opportunities for others involving conservation, I can do my part to plant the seed of knowledge,” said Beck. “I truly believe the more that people think about conservation and their impacts on our shared world, the cleaner and safer our world will become.”
Beck has been affiliated with Oklahoma Audubon since 2004. Half of the TogetherGreen fellows come from within Audubon’s far-reaching national network; half channel their environmental efforts through other organizations.
Beck is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in biology from Cameron University, and served in the U.S. Army for 3 years. His experience working and volunteering for Oklahoma Audubon inspired him to publish three articles in the Bulletin of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society.
“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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Lawton Man Singled Out for Environmental Leadership
