Awards

The Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award

Bayou Preservation Association established the prestigious Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award in 2010 in honor of its founder, Terry Hershey. She, along with then-Congressman George H.W. Bush and developer George Mitchell, halted a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to channelize and concrete Buffalo Bayou in the 1960's. Thanks to these forward-thinking individuals, much of Buffalo Bayou has remained in an a mostly natural state, providing plant and animal habitats, green spaces, and recreational opportunities for countless local residents and visitors. This award recognizes those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to aiding in the conservation, preservation, restoration or advocacy of Houston’s waterways.

Each year, the prestigious Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award recognizes individuals in the community who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to aiding in the conservation, preservation, restoration and/or advocacy of Houston's waterways. 

**Due to COVID-19 postponement in 2020, Bayou Preservation Association will be honoring 2020's awardees in 2021.**

Below is a brief summary of each awardee. See their full stories here.

                                                  
 

2020/2021 Awards

 

Jill Boullion, Professional Community and Economic Developer, is the Executive Director of the Bayou Land Conservancy and was formerly the Executive Director of the Greens Bayou Coalition. Jill has significantly expanded the impact of both organizations in protecting habitat, improving water quality and reducing flooding.

Terri Thomas has been an engaged and determined environmental activist for the past 25 years. She has contributed her time, treasure and talent to a host of local green groups, including Bayou Preservation Association, Memorial Park Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Air Alliance Houston, and has been a strong advocate for the health of Buffalo Bayou.



This year, two Special Recognition awards will be presented. The Houston Parks Board’s Bayou Greenways 2020 Project will be recognized for being one of the single most transformative projects for encouraging the public to appreciate our region’s bayous.



Bag-Free Bayous, a grass roots, student-led initiative, will be acknowledged for working to make our bayous free of plastic waste.

We have decided to go virtual this year to ensure everyone's safety. We encourage our sponsors and friends to gather safely in small groups to enjoy the celebration together.

 

 

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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Download sponsorship PDF to mail in here.
Online sponsorship purchase and details here.

Nomination Criteria

• Name(s) of Nominator and their contact information
• Name of Nominee
• Category of Nominee:  Nonprofit, Public Sector, or Private Sector
• Description of Reason for Nomination: In your description of the reason for the nomination of this individual, please consider the following:
  • What have been their primary activities to celebrate, protect, and/or restore our region’s bayous, streams and watersheds? Please provide the name of a specific waterway or waterways where the nominee has made an impact.
  • How have they advanced or influenced local efforts to improve bayou appreciation (i.e. Getting people out into nature through activities such as paddling, hiking, exploring), bayou citizen science (i.e. improving our knowledge about stream water quality), stream corridor restoration (i.e. Promoting natural channel restoration, removing nonnative exotic plants, or planting native plants), and/or trash free bayous (e.g. Promoting trash cleanups, educating people about how to prevent trash in our local waterways, etc.)?
  • How have they been engaged with Bayou Preservation Association or other bayou organizations?

H-GAC Presents Award to
Bayou Preservation Association

Houston-Galveston Area Council’s (H-GAC) Parks and Natural Areas Subcommittee gave a Special Recognition Award to Bayou Preservation Association for habitat restoration efforts in Harris County Precinct 4’s Collins Park. Full article here.

 

2020/2021 Awards

2020/2021 Awards