Society of Wetlands Scientists honors Professor Royal Gardner
Royal Gardner, professor and director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, received a 40th Anniversary Award from the Society of Wetlands Scientists (SWS) during a virtual ceremony Dec. 1, 2020.
The awards are presented to those who maintain high level and sustained contributions to wetland research, practice, education, communication, and support to the SWS.
“He is one of the ‘unsung heros’ of our Society, whose work has strengthened wetland protection and better positioned SWS to advocate for wetlands both in the US and globally,” wrote Siobhan Fennessy, professor of Environmental Studies and Biology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in her nominating letter.
Max Finlayson, an adjunct professor with the Institute for Land, Water & Society at Charles Sturt University in Albury, Australia, also nominated Gardner for the award, citing his extensive contributions, in particular the development of legal briefings on behalf of or that were endorsed by SWS.
“This listing speaks for itself,” Finlayson wrote.
The works include:
- Brief for Aquatic Scientists and Scientific Societies as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondents, County of Maui v. Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, No. 18-260 (U.S. July 19, 2019) (cited in majority opinion, 140 S. Ct. 1462, 1470 (2020)).
- Brief of American Fisheries Society et al. as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction or Stay, California v. Wheeler, No. 3:20-cv-03005 (N.D. Cal. May 26, 2020).
- Brief of the Society of Wetland Scientists as Amicus Curiae in Opposition to Plaintiff States’ Motion for Summary Judgment and in Support of Upholding the Clean Water Rule, North Dakota v. U.S. Envtl. Prot. Agency, No. 3:15-cv-59-DLH-ARS (D.N.D. July 24, 2018).
- Brief of the Society of Wetland Scientists as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment, New York v. Pruitt, No. 18-cv-1030 (S.D.N.Y. May 7, 2018).
- Brief of Dr. M. Siobhan Fennessy et al. as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondents and in Support of Upholding the Clean Water Rule, Murray Energy Corp. v. U.S. Envtl. Prot. Agency, No. 15-3751 (6th Cir. Jan. 20, 2017).
“These have been important for SWS as it strengthens its position as a voice for wetland researchers and practitioners with an ability to provide reasoned cases in the complex area of legal compliance and rulings. The effort in coordinating such Briefs is enormous…” Finlayson wrote.
In addition to his legal contributions, Gardner was recognized for his active participation in SWS, including serving on the board of the SWS Ramsar Section and long-standing membership in the Ramsar Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel, which he joined in 2006 and chaired for two terms between 2013-18.
About The Society of Wetland Scientists
SWS was formed in 1980 by Richard Macomber, a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Board of Rivers and Harbors. The organization provides a forum for scientists and managers to work together on SWS’s mission, which is to promote understanding, conservation, protection, restoration, science-based management, and sustainability of wetland. Today, SWS has over 3,000 members in more than 60 countries.
Post date: Dec. 4, 2020
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580