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Former ODNR Director Honored

The Nature Conservancy Presents Conservation Leadership Award to Sam Speck

DUBLIN, OHIO — March 19, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy was pleased to recently honor Sam Speck, former Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), with its Great Lakes Leadership Award for his dedicated efforts in support of Great Lakes conservation.                                                       
The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water and provide drinking water for over 40 million people.  With over 350 fish species living in the Lakes, annual commercial and recreational fishing attracts millions, while tourism brings in still more to the communities dotting its shoreline. 

That’s why for over eight years, Mr. Speck has worked to restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes basin and to improve the quality of life in the region.  As past Chair of the Great Lakes Commission, Mr. Speck was responsible for oversight of this binational public agency, which is dedicated to the use, management and protection of the water, land and other natural resources of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system. 

In this capacity, Mr. Speck was critical in the development of the Great Lakes Charter Annex, or Annex 2001 for short, which was created to strengthen the protection efforts of the existing Great Lakes Charter. Implemented by the Great Lakes Compact, Annex 2001 helps to preserve the Great Lakes for future generations. 

“This agreement begins the process of developing a set of binding accords to govern water use within the Great Lakes Basin,” explained Denise Franz King, director of government relations for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio.  “It prevents harmful levels of water withdrawals and preserves the rights of current users, including wildlife."

As Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Speck was also instrumental in the department’s acquisition of Lake Erie’s North Bass Island and significant portions of Middle Bass Island, which harbor coastal marshes and wetlands – critical to migratory birds and the myriad other species that depend upon them.                 

“The people and nature of Ohio and the Great Lakes region have much to thank Sam for,” said Rich Shank, the Conservancy’s state director in Ohio.  “He’s been a close friend of the Conservancy and we appreciate all he’s done to advance conservation efforts within the Great Lakes region.” 

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.