By VICKI URBANIK

Noted environmentalist Charlotte Read of Westchester Township has been named to the Izaak Walton League of America’s Conservation Hall of Fame, a coveted national honor for outstanding environmental work.

Read, assistant director of the Save the Dunes Council, received the award at the IWLA’s national conference July 12. She joins 115 other conservationists who have been named to the Hall of Fame in the award’s 42-year history.

One of the past recipients is her husband, Herb, who received the honor in 1984.

In letters in support of Read’s nomination, elected officials and environmental groups praise Read for more than 40 years of working to protect the environment, most notably the Indiana Dunes.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky called Read “one of the leading citizens” of the 1st congressional district, noting that she was integral in the establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, co-founded the Hoosier Environmental Council, and played a major role in defeating the Bailly nuclear plant.

“Her involvement with numerous committees illustrates her well-rounded interests in Indiana’s environmental heritage and her commitment to preserve the quality of the air, water and wildlife for all the citizens of Northwest Indiana and the nation,” he wrote.

More warm praise came from Indiana’s two U.S. senators.

Sen. Richard Lugar said he has worked with Read on three dunes expansion bills and on other special environmental projects since he joined the Senate in 1977.

“For over two decades, Charlotte Read has (been) an invaluable source of information to me regarding the Indiana Dunes and a tireless advocate for environmental protection in Indiana,” Lugar wrote.

Read is “one of the most respected and accomplished members of the conservation community,” said Sen. Evan Bayh.

State representatives Ralph Ayres and Duane Cheney also wrote letters in support of her nomination.

“I can think of no one more deserving of this award,” Ayres wrote, calling Read “a true standout in all conservation efforts.”

Cheney noted that in addition to Read’s work protecting the Indiana Dunes, she helped establish the Hoosier Prairie in Griffith and the Bieker Woods in Munster.

“Charlotte Read continues the model of a strong, ambitious, driven environmentalist that was set by Dorothy Buell, who established the Save the Dunes Council,” Cheney wrote.

Herb Read, president of the Porter County chapter of the league, said the Hall of Fame honor is one of two top awards given by the IWLA.

“Generally speaking, the Hall of Fame is considered the prize for most people,” he said.

Each year, up to five people nationwide can win the honor, and this year, two Hoosiers were among the three recipients. In addition to Read, Jane Dustin, known for her work in Indiana water quality issues, won the award.

Read, who served 18 years as executive director of the Save the Dunes Council, is past president of the Porter County IWLA chapter, past president of the Porter County Parks Foundation, and past member of the Porter County Park Board.

She is on the Project Advisory Committee for the Indiana Heritage Trust Fund, which purchases public lands, and the Clean Materials Technology Board, which oversees the state’s Clean Manufacturing and Safe Materials Institute at Purdue University.

She is also on the Ozone Steering Committee for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and on its technical advisory committee for Lake Michigan water quality standards. She is also on the Bethlehem Steel’s Citizen Advisory Committee and on a steering committee for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Iron and Steel Sector of the Common Sense Initiative. She was also the first executive director of the Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund, which has acquired more than 700 acres for preservation.

Read said she’s pleased that both she and her husband are now in the IWLA’s Hall of Fame. She noted that she and Herb have both won state recognition before.

“To get national recognition is very gratifying,” she said.

Read also said it was nice to attend the national convention in Kentucky to receive the award in person. “It was very heart warming.”

Posted 7/23/2001

Posted 7/23/2001

Posted 7/23/2001