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 Andy Urquhart (right) receives 2006 Conservation Award from Delaware Audubon President Mark Martell (center) and friend and mentor Dorothy Miller.
Andy Urquhart became interested in nature at an early age in the forests of Vermont. Some of his best childhood experiences were being outdoors training and raising hunting hounds. Andy was moved to action on behalf of the environment in the late 60s and early 70s. This was a time when some of our rivers were so polluted they would catch on fire. Andy remembers participating in the first Earth Day with his family. When Andy became interested in the environment in Delaware he was greatly influenced by two veterans — Dorothy Miller of Coalition for Natural Stream Valleys and Ann Rydgren of Delaware Audubon Society.
Andy is an accomplished birder. He is a primary participant in Delaware Audubon's establishment of base data at Grass Dale Center in Fort DuPont State Park at Delaware City. He is an active member of the Delmarva Ornithological Society. His environmental contributions to Delaware are also significant. Andy is the co-founder of the Friends of White Clay Creek State Park for which he has served as president for the past eight years. He is also co-chair of the Management Committee of the White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River Program. He served for several years on the Delaware Audubon Board and represented Audubon on several state task forces. He was responsible for obtaining substantial grant money to place Audubon Adventures (a classroom nature education program) in over 200 Delaware classrooms reaching into every school district with elementary schools in the state. His environmental involvement is now almost a fulltime job. Andy has cooperated with many Delaware environmental groups to preserve lands in several successful open space advocacy efforts. He was a key player in the state's acquisition of the Deerfield Golf and Country Club as an addition to White Clay Creek State Park. Andy feels that we have an imperative obligation to leave our children and grandchildren a better world than we inherited. He would hope that they will have an environmental sensitivity and concern for our natural world. Andy has a PhD. in metallurgy and worked in research and management for General Electric and for Lanxide Corporation. We are thrilled to honor Andy at the Delaware Audubon Society's 2006 Annual Meeting at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, 2006, at the Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club, 507 Thompson Station Road, Newark, Delaware.Past recipients of the Delaware Audubon Society Conservation Award are Peggy Jahn, Lynne Frink, Gwynne Smith, Rick West, Jacob Kreshtool, Til Purnell, Don Sharpe, Barbara Lundberg, Leah Roedel, Ruth Ann Minner, Joseph Biden, Winston Wayne, Russell Peterson, Grace Pierce-Beck, Dorothy Miller, Edward W. Cooch, Jr., Lynn Williams, Thomas Sharp, Ann Rydgren, Albert Matlack, Warren Lauder, and Richard and Lorraine Fleming. 
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elaware Audubon presented its 2006 Conservation Award to Andrew W. Urquhart at its annual meeting July 15. He was honored for his steadfast contribution of time and effort to conservation of Delaware's natural resources.
