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Sarasota News Leader November 9, 2012 formative talks and recognize those who have championed conservation priorities. Among those honored at the conference's awards banquet on the evening of Friday, Oct. 26, was U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who was invited as a surprise guest to receive the "Champion of the Everglades" award for his role in the creation of the Ev- erglades Headwater National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. He also was recognized for the part he has played in the ongoing effort to place bridges along the Tamiami Trail to allow inland wa- ter flow and for his work to put measures in place to keep invasive snake species such as the Burmese python from infiltrating the Ev- erglades' ecosystem. After delivering his formal acceptance speech, Salazar, in an interview with The Saraso- ta News Leader, encouraged passionate ac- tivists to remain diligent in their mission to pressure legislators to view protection of the Everglades as a continuous priority. "Sing out as loud as you can about the impor- tance of the Everglades," he said. "It's a world heritage site and the most important ecosys- tem restoration project in the United States and the world, and everyone needs to know how important it is. If the people speak, the leaders will follow." Also honored during the ceremony were New College of Florida's assistant vice president of academic affairs, Julie Morris, who received the "Florida Women in Conservation" award, and former Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Di- rector Ed Carlson — recently retired — who received the prestigious "Guy Bradley" award, named after a legendary pioneering conserva- Page 68 tionist and Audubon game warden who died in the early 20th century while attempting to arrest plume bird poachers. As a token of gratitude for Carlson's years of service as a game warden at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Audubon Florida unveiled a large portrait of the man wearing his official uniform. Audubon Florida had commissioned the painting with plans to display it to visitors at the sanctuary. Many others were recognized during the as- sembly for their dedication to the field of conservation. However, that was a small part of the weekend's activities, which consisted mostly of educational endeavors full of pow- erful reminders that the road to sustainability is a long and arduous one. Keynote speaker and journalist Cynthia Bar- nett, who wrote the books, Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. and A Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis, drove this point home with a talk that emphasized the urgent need for leg- islation to minimize wasteful water practices in Florida. Barnett stressed not only the seri- ousness of the consequences that will result if that is not accomplished in a timely manner, but also the effects that can already be wit- nessed. "Parts of Florida are seeing lakes go dry and wells seize up," she said. Barnett expressed concern that Florida's leg- islators are not treating water conservation as the serious issue that it is. "I know 2012 has been particularly frustrating for all of you," she told the crowd, "as Florida lawmakers have cut conservation spending