Hollings Wins Ansel Adams Award for Commitment to Preserving Nation’s Lands
April 22, 2005 (Charleston, SC) - Retired South Carolina Senator Ernest F. Hollings received the Ansel Adams Award from The Wilderness Society today—the 35th anniversary of Earth Day—for his lasting contributions to the protection of America’s natural treasures.
“Senator Hollings has an impressive commitment to conservation and has created a wonderful legacy of special places protected for future generations,” said Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows. “Over the course of his four decades in the U.S. Senate, he championed marine and coastal conservation, and he added to the public estate in ways that help ensure the future of clean water and air, open space, and special ecosystems in his beloved South Carolina.
“Senator Hollings created the first national park in South Carolina, Congaree National Park,” Meadows noted. “And he clearly understands the environmental importance of the Lowlands; he is known for protecting the critical ACE Basin, where marine protection and land conservation intersect.
“The senator’s legacy also includes additions to Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests; facilities at Waccamaw, Cape Romain, and Savannah Coastal National Wildlife Refuges; and the Hollings Marine Health Center,” Meadows said.
One of Hollings’ most recent successes involved a creative effort to protect critical coastal and inland ecosystems by securing millions of dollars in federal funds to preserve more than 22,000 acres around Bonneau Ferry, north of Charleston on the Cooper River. “Not only does this safeguard an irreplaceable area, it is an excellent example of a public-private partnership,” Meadows asserted. “The project brought together businesses, landowners, state and federal government, private land trusts, and nonprofits united by a love of this land.”
Frank Peterman, who directs The Wilderness Society’s work in the Southeast, saluted Hollings for his role in establishing the Bonneau Ferry preserve. “Up and down the Eastern Forest, we are seeing huge tracts of industrial forestland coming on the market,” he said. “In many cases, it falls to development. The senator took the long view of how that forestland could remain standing and benefit his constituents. By protecting Bonneau Ferry, Senator Hollings has not only saved important habitat and cultural resources, but the preserve will help keep the downstream seafood and tourism industries healthy as well.”
The award is named for the celebrated photographer who, until his death, was an outspoken advocate for safeguarding the nation’s natural heritage. Prior winners of the Ansel Adams Award include President Jimmy Carter, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME), Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus, former Senator John Chafee (R-RI), and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.
Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society is a nonprofit conservation organization with 275,000 members and supporters. Its goal is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, beauty, wildlife, and opportunity for spiritual renewal provided by the pristine forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains owned by all Americans.
