2006 Conservationist of the Year Honored

A celebration to honor Wendell Berryhill, the 2006 Conservation of the Year, was given by Emmy and Al Minor at their beautiful Pine Harbor home on the Sapelo River. When he arrived on April 8, they rolled out the red carpet and over 100 well-wishers were on hand to congratulate him for his river protection work.

In a nationwide contest, sponsored by Budweiser and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Berryhill was selected as one of four finalists from hunreds of volunteers who made exceptional contributions to conservation. The sponsors publicized the information and citizens across the country cast their votes for Conservationist of the Year through an open ballot process.

When the votes were counted, Berryhill, the most active volunteer for the Altamaha Riverkeeper (ARK), won the contest. Along with the title, came a $50,000 grant for Berryhill to give to the conservation group of his choice.

"The best part is being able to give the grant to the Altamaha Riverkeeper to protect our watershed," said Berryhill.

In February, Berryhill and his family traveled to Las Vegas to the annual Budweiser Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to receive the initial award from the sponsors. " I am enjoying Al and Emmy's party on the Sapelo River a lot better than Las Vegas," he said.

At the Pine Harbor celebration, Riverkeeper James Holland told the crowd that he and Wendell had grown up together in Cochran, Georgia and spent their childhood hunting and fishing on the Ocmulgee River. When the Altamaha Riverkeeper (ARK) began in 1999, Wendell was ARK's fist volunteer and the two have been working together ever since.

Everyone enjoyed meeting Wendell, the river celebration in his honor, and the fare of crabs and shrimp fresh from the estuary the Riverkeeper works so hard to protect. Budweiser donated the beer.

On being named conservation of the year, Berryhill said " It is an quite an honor and I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I love our rivers and I will continue to protect them everyday. We must work together to maintain our natural resources for generations to come."