Nominations open for James A. Waight conservation award

Published by BBN Staff at January 7, 2020

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Posted: Tuesday, January 7, 2020. 11:32 am CST.

By BBN Staff: The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) has opened nominations for deserving Belizeans (individual or organization) for the James A. Waight Environmental Conservation Award.

The James A. Waight Award is an annual conservation award given to deserving individuals or organizations in recognition of positive work in the protection and enhancement of Belize ‘s environment.

The award is named after BAS first President, James A. Waight (1907 – 1999).

Waight served in this role from the Society’s inauguration in 1969, until 1986.

He was born in Belize City and worked as Surveyor General of Belize. The award is presented on his birthday – February 16.

“He was a land surveyor in a time when there were no Land Rovers or fancy vehicles. He had to ride the mule train to traverse the country or take a river ferry for a week at a time to reach Cayo. He and another man spent time putting in the markers for the boundary between Guatemala and Belize, from Toledo to Garbutt Falls and it was during this time, when he was in the bush, that his love for nature and wildlife strengthened. He was a founding member of BAS and remained a dedicated member until he was no longer able to get out and participate,” Lydia Waight describes her husband.

Since its establishment in 1987, the award has been presented to many deserving people, including Julian Cho for his work as a Maya leader, Gregory Smith for his work in marine turtle conservation, and the Sibun Watershed Association for their work in protecting the Sibun River.

The award nominees must meet the following criteria:

Be a Belizean or resident of Belize;

Preferably, a member of the Belize Audubon Society but otherwise be involved in work directly related to the protection of the environment;

Involved in rainforest protection, coastal zone protection, pollution control, waste management, eco-tourism promotion and the socioeconomic environment, indigenous rights, and socio-cultural protection. The efforts of the nominees must be national in scope, have a human dimension, and be innovative or non-traditional.

Deadline closes at 5:00 p.m. on February 3rd, 2020.

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