Introduction | Nathaniel Reed's Presentation
UF/IFAS 2007 Distinguished Leader in Fish and Wildlife Conservation Award
Presented to Nathaniel P. Reed
Introductory Comments by Dr. John Hayes and Karl Havens
John Hayes:
Good afternoon. I’m John Hayes, Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first annual University of Florida Distinguished Leader in Fish and Wildlife Conservation Award presentation.
As you all know, Florida is blessed with one of the most diverse ecologies of any state in the United States. The marine ecosystems of the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico, the diverse wetlands and aquatic systems, including the Everglades and our magnificent rivers, lakes, springs, and estuaries, the upland pine forests and hardwood hammocks, and a rich array of other habitats, serve as home for an incredible diversity of fish and wildlife. Nearly 500 species of birds have been recorded in Florida and the state and its coastal waters are home to roughly 100 species of mammals, 60 species of amphibians, 130 species of reptiles, and over 200 species of freshwater fish and an equal or greater number of species of coastal marine fish. A significant number of these species are restricted to Florida or the region. Florida is an incredible place to live, and the fish and wildlife of Florida truly shape the character of the state and play critical roles in the region’s ecology and economy.
As a result of destruction and degradation of habitat, changes in landuse patterns, global warming, and invasion of exotics, many of these fish and wildlife species are at risk, and some are in immediate threat of extinction. In the face of these threats, a few people stand out as true leaders in promoting the conservation of fish and wildlife species and their habitats in Florida. The University of Florida Distinguished Leader in Fish and Wildlife Conservation Award was designed by the University of Florida Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation to recognize the most significant leadership efforts in the field.
At this time, I would like to introduce Dr. Karl Havens of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences who will introduce our distinguished awardee for this award.
Karl Havens:
I first met Nathaniel Reed when I was an employee of the South Florida Water Management District and Mr. Reed was a member of that agency’s Governing Board. During that time four things struck me in regard to this unique person:
- his unmatched passion for protecting pristine ecosystems of South Florida such as interior areas of the Everglades and headwaters of the Loxahatchee River,
- his deep concern about how human actions had devastated large ecosystems such as Lake Okeechobee and,
- his tremendous breadth of experience and knowledge about these ecosystems, and
- his keen interest in getting out in the field to visit the systems first hand, to carefully listen to scientists as they explained all of the boring technical details, and then ask important and often pointed questions.
As John Hayes noted, the award we give today, from the Departments of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation and Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is to recognize individuals who have devoted their life to the conservation and protection of natural aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
I can think of no other person more deserving to be the first recipient of this award, and we are honored by his presence here today.
For those who may not have read the biographical sketch of Mr. Reed’s accomplishments let me read from that text now before introducing him for the award presentation.
Nathaniel Reed has over four decades of environmental leadership and activism and he has devoted his life to working in the field of policy and politics to protect ecological values of Florida and the USA since the early 1960s.
Nathaniel was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Jupiter Island, Florida. His childhood years were spent fishing in the Indian River and exploring the coastal pinewoods, streams, estuaries and sand lakes. During that time he developed a deep-rooted appreciation for the area’s natural ecosystems and an understanding of how they might be impacted by uncontrolled development.
Nathaniel received a BA from Trinity College in 1955 and served as an officer in the US Air Force in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, retiring with the rank of Captain. Upon returning to Florida he became Vice President and then President of Olympia Improvement Inc., a real estate holding company that owned Jupiter Island. He and his parents developed the island slowly and carefully, preserving hundreds of acres of natural areas in the process.
Nathaniel served seven governors, and is well known for his role as Chairman of the Commission on Florida’s Environmental Future. He also served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Nat is a member of the Board of Hope Rural School, a school for the children of migrant workers. He is a former member of the Board and Vice Chairman of the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy and he serves as an emeritus member of the boards of the Natural Resources Defense Council and 1000 Friends of Florida, which he helped form. He has served on the Board of the National Geographic Society since 1988 and currently is Vice Chairman of the Everglades Foundation.
Mr. Reed it is our great honor to present you with the first Distinguished Leader in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from the UF/IFAS Departments of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in recognition of your life-long contribution to protection and conservation of natural resources in Florida and the USA.