Richmond, Va. - The Virginia Conservation Network (VCN), a coalition of state environmental groups, hosts its annual Conservation Awards Gala on Friday, Sept. 26 at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The 2008 Conservation Award winners include Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. He will be recognized for his work to raise awareness of global warming among sportsmen and residents of the Chesapeake Bay region, where rising sea levels threaten both natural habitats and human property.  Schweiger will deliver the keynote address to the Virginia Conservation Network's annual conference the following day.

The network will also honor an eleven-member group dubbed the "Green Team."  The group, which includes both professional conservationists and volunteers, will be honored for securing a hard-fought victory in defense of the state's citizen environmental boards earlier this year. 

"Many people thought it couldn't be done--that our opponents' pockets were too deep and their influence too great," explained Virginia Conservation Network Executive Director Nathan Lott. "But the 'Green Team,' brought together environmentalists with advocates of transparency and good governance to prevail in the General Assembly."

The team includes:

Robert Burnley of Richmond
Catharine Gilliam of Lexington   
Lisa Guthrie of New Kent Co.
Dan Holmes of Culpeper
Caleb Jaffe of Charlottesville
Marsha Merrell of Richmond
W. Shelton Miles of Campbell Co.
W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr. of Mt. Holly
Sallie Sebrell of Suffolk
Bill Tanger of Roanoke
Joseph Tannery of Richmond

Rounding out the awards roster is the state's Senior Senator, John Warner, who has championed the creation of new wilderness areas in Virginia's national forests and introduced a landmark bill to curb global warming pollution. 

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