Natural Resources Council of Maine supporters gathered Sept. 25 at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment in Freeport for an awards event called Protecting What We Love: A Celebration of Action for Maine’s Environment. The evening included two workshops on environmental activism, a wagon farm tour, a bird walk and a cocktail reception catered by Revel Board + Beverage, as well as awards to conservation leaders from across the state.

“This event shines a spotlight on some of the people and organizations who bring their passion and commitment, time and talents to the cause of protecting Maine’s environment,” said Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim. “Maine would be a different, more polluted and less desirable place than it is today if not for the leaders and the networks of Maine organizers and people who are part of a broad, loosely connected community of action-takers who care about protecting Maine’s environment for today and future generations.”

Three thousand NRCM members were invited to nominate a volunteer who has made an extraordinary difference for Maine’s environment. The 2024 People’s Choice Award went to Midcoast Conservancy board president Buck O’Herin for his lifetime of visionary conservation work. O’Herin’s many accomplishments include dramatically increasing land conservation in western Waldo County, working for protection of critical habitat for federally endangered Atlantic salmon in the Sheepscot River, leading the charge to create the Hills to Sea Trail, and acquiring and protecting Haystack Mountain.

York High School seniors Maxine Adelson, Chloe Whitbread and Aiden Ring – representatives of the school’s Eco Club – were recognized for their successful efforts to ban disposable plastic utensils in their hometown, making York the first Maine community to do so.

Likewise, Castine entrepreneur Kate Pilotte, who runs locally sourced meal kit company Farm and Fish, successfully advocated for legislation that would allow local businesses to offer reusable containers as a way to reduce waste.

MaryAlice Mowry, a concerned citizen from Patten, and Dan Kusnierz, water resource manager for the Penobscot Nation, were honored for their leadership and advocacy in the protection of clean water and healthy fish and wildlife in the Katahdin region.

Enock Glidden, an adaptive climber from Albany Township, was recognized for his work for Maine Trail Finder, assessing trails for accessibility throughout the state.

“I’ve traveled from Fort Kent to Kittery, and everywhere in between, assessing trails and outdoor spaces to ensure they’re improved and made more accessible for as many people as possible,” Glidden said. “With over 6,000 miles of trails in Maine, it’s a massive undertaking.”

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.