FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2014
DACS Press Office, 850.617.7737
FWC Press Office, 850.488.4676
GOVERNOR, CABINET HONOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGERS OF THE YEAR
~Award recognizes state land managers’ commitment
to Florida’s
environment~
 David Jowers accepts the Jim Stevenson Resource Manager of
the Year award from Governor, the Florida Cabinet and staff.
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Rick Scott and the
Florida Cabinet today signed three resolutions sponsored by Commissioner of
Agriculture Adam H. Putnam, honoring the recipients of the 2013 Jim Stevenson
Resource Manager of the Year Award. Each year, natural resource managers from
the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Service’s Florida Forest Service, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission are selected for this award—one of Florida’s highest
environmental honors.
This year’s award recipients
are David Jowers, park manager of DEP’s Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Charles
“Bruce” Hill, Jacksonville district manager for the Florida Forest Service and Philip
Manor, district biologist in the FWC’s northwest region.
The Jim Stevenson Resource
Manager of the Year was established by DEP in 1992 to recognize the employee
who is judged to have made the most significant progress in the stewardship of
state lands that are actively managed by each of the three agencies. The award
recipients are selected by a committee of environmental professionals
representing the Sierra Club, Florida Audubon Society and The Nature
Conservancy.
“I’m proud to recognize David
Jowers of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park as one of Florida’s top resource
managers,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. “His outstanding service
to DEP, the Florida Park Service and the people of Florida ensure that the
remarkable natural resources in these parks will endure for future
generations.”
About Jowers: David Jowers, park manager of Paynes
Prairie Preserve State Park, has served the Florida Park Service for 34 years
and has provided service to eight different parks in four districts. His daily
duties include managing Paynes Prairie Preserve, as well as Price’s Scrub and
Gainesville- Hawthorne Trail, covering more than 23,000 acres of state land and
16 miles of trails. Additionally, David works with his team to conduct prescribed
burns to prevent devastating wildfires in the ecosystem he manages. In the past
year, his team burned more than 1,300 acres on 22 separate burns. They were the
first team to ever conduct an aerial ignition. David has been instrumental in
the $25 million wetland restoration project known as Sweetwater Branch
Sheetflow Restoration. This has taken many years of pre-planning. The project
will enhance 125 acres of wetlands and restore the sheetflow to nearly 1,300
acres of wetlands.
“Philip Manor has looked across
agency boundaries to create effective conservation programs on 16 Wildlife
Management Areas,” said FWC executive director Nick Wiley. “It’s no surprise
Phil helped found the multi-agency Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance,
dedicated to improving over 1 million acres in the Apalachicola River basin. Whether
our residents and visitors are enjoying scenic paddling trails on the
Apalachicola, Aucilla and Wacissa rivers or hunting on the Joe Budd Wildlife
Management Area, Phil’s efforts have enhanced their experiences.”
About Manor: Philip Manor, Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission district biologist in the northwest region, leads
efforts to restore and enhance wildlife habitat on FWC lead-managed and
partnership lands. His efforts have not only transformed landscapes, but also helped
create a diversity of nature-based recreation from nationally acclaimed
paddling trails to high-quality wildlife viewing opportunities. Phil was
instrumental in inspiring and organizing the Apalachicola Regional Stewardship
Alliance, a consortium dedicated to enhancing management of natural resources
on over 1 million acres in the Apalachicola River basin. He has led efforts to
reestablish wetlands and restore hydrological flow in the Apalachicola River
floodplain, the largest expanse of floodplain forest in Florida and one that
protects, feeds and nurtures Apalachicola Bay. Within the Wildlife and Habitat
Management Section of the FWC’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation,
Phil leads a team of 18 biologists and technicians assigned to 16 Wildlife
Management Areas (WMAs) encompassing 980,000 acres, including 137,000 acres
where FWC is the lead manager.
“The Florida Forest Service saves
lives, homes and property from wildfires in every corner of the state. Our
foresters manage more than 1 million acres of public forest land, offering
unique recreational opportunities to Floridians and preserving the natural wildlife,”
said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “I am proud to
recognize Jacksonville District Manager Bruce Hill Jr., who served 31 years
with the Florida Forest Service before his retirement this month. He was not
only a dedicated resource manager, he was also a gifted teacher. By developing
and implementing an interactive education program, he shared his knowledge and
passion for Florida’s great outdoors with hundreds of others, and his legacy
will live on for generations.”
About Hill: Charles
“Bruce” Hill Jr. served 31 years in the Florida Forest Service before retiring
as the Jacksonville District Manager this month. He oversaw all forestry
operations in Clay, Duval and Nassau counties. He was the incident commander of
the Florida State Interagency Gold Incident Management Team during the
hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 and the Dairy Road Fire in 2007. Hill’s leadership
led to the first cooperative deployment of a Florida Incident Management Team
and an Urban Search and Rescue Team during Hurricane Ivan, and he was involved
in developing forest management plans for four new forests – Jennings, Four
Creeks, Belmore and Ralph Simmons. Additionally, Hill passed on his knowledge
to the next generation, developing and implementing the Teachers Tour program
to provide information on forestry to 445 public school teachers each year.
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