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Last
Stand members filled the seats of the Red Barn Theatre on St. Patrick’s Day
for the 2003 Annual Meeting. "Green Awards" were presented to local
activists in an award ceremony that was followed by an engaging "State of
the Everglades" address by World Wildlife Fund’s Everglades Director,
Shannon Estenoz.
The setting brought out the entertainers in the Last Stand Board of
Directors as they all stepped onto the stage of the old town theater to
present the awards. Mistress of Ceremonies, President Amy Lachat Lynch, was
excited to introduce each of the Directors to the Last Stand membership.
"If I’m a contractor, these folks are the tools in my tool belt," she told
the audience, "whatever job comes to Last Stand, we’ve got someone with the
commitment and the brains to get it done. The community is very lucky to
have these devoted individuals working to improve the environment and
quality of life of the Keys."
Margaret Dietz Domanski and Martha duPont rewarded the "Shipyard Salvors
Award" to Angela Dell’Amore, Captain Bill Estes and Stanley Raber for their
relentless efforts to protect their Truman Annex neighborhood from illegal
transient rentals. Joan Borel recognized City Ranger, Russ Draper, for his
work to preserve the salt ponds. Nancy Klingener thanked Jody Thomas and
Bill Kruczynski for their hard work to make sure that scientists reviewed
the carrying capacity study. George Halloran and Allen Meece honored Kathy
Wheeler and Sherry Phillips for stepping into the political fray to protect
the serenity of their Big Pine Key neighborhood. For sticking his neck out
to assure the accuracy of city codes, John Mertz of the Key West Planning
Board, received an award presented by Bill Verge and Elliot Baron. In the
most touching moment of the evening, Mick Putney praised his wife, County
Planning Commissioner, Alicia Roemmele-Putney, for her hard work and
relentless commitment to consistent, fair and sensible growth management in
the Keys. And no one present will ever forget Rosi Ware and Janet
Hartwell’s "Absolutely Fabulous" thank you to Bev and Danielle Horlick for
their donation of the Woodenhead Gallery for Last Stand’s "Keys In the
Balance" programs.
A relaxed and elegant Shannon Estenoz educated the audience about the
current state of the restoration of the Everglades. A fifth-generation Key
West Conch, Ms Estenoz was very much at home with the membership of Last
Stand. Soon to leave her position with the World Wildlife Fund to spend
more time with her family, she shared her concerns about the environment in
an intimate presentation. The State of the Everglades, she reports, is
precarious. With domestic security in the forefront of federal minds and
with less environmentally sensitive administration in the White House, it
will take the energy of all environmentalists to keep the Everglades project
on the public agenda.
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