by Ethan Gilardi, Assistant Biologist

On November 12, 2020, Conserve Wildlife Foundation proudly celebrated the 44 Women & Wildlife honorees who have taken a valuable role in protecting wildlife in New Jersey and now serve as role models and mentors for countless young wildlife leaders, male and female alike.

The Women & Wildlife Awards event always brings together a great group of people who care deeply about wildlife conservation in New Jersey. They join us to honor women – biologists and land stewards, policy advocates and conservation officers, rehabilitators and educators – whose exemplary work has meant irreplaceable strides in so many fields of conservation. Unwilling to let Covid-19 stand in the way of our revelry, we decided to make this year’s celebration virtual. While we missed seeing everyone in person, the shift to an online celebration allowed us to open the event to everyone free of charge and eschew our usual awards for a celebration of our past Women & Wildlife honorees and their remarkable accomplishments.

Past honoree and CWF founder Linda Tesauro narrated a film exploring Women & Wildlife and the unique role of New Jersey in setting a pioneering model for other states to follow which premiered during the event. From inaugural honorees, Dr. Joanna Burger and Hannah Bonsey Suthers, to the five honorees celebrated at last year’s event at Duke Farms, the video details the struggles faced by women early on and how their leadership and legacies continue to inspire us all. This six-minute video can be found below and on the Conserve Wildlife YouTube page.

We thank Linda Tesauro, Amy Greene, and Diane Nickerson for sharing their heartfelt reflections on receiving their awards, and current CWF biologists Larissa Smith, Allegra Mitchell, and Nicole Porter for speaking about the great women who have influenced them.

We owe a special thank you to our lead sponsor PSE&G, as well as Weeks Marine and Hudson Farm Foundation, and Amy Greene, whose sponsorship honored her late husband John Belle. These along with our other generous sponsors and auction contributors made this year’s virtual Women & Wildlife Celebration a tremendous success!