A Tribute to Two
Very Special Women

Remarks by Gary Kreamer
at the Delaware Audubon Ceremony
Adopting the Grass Dale Wetland on April 10, 1999

Right about this time ten years ago, a special woman from Sussex County was struggling with a problem. She was trying to reconcile her career as a chemist, her life's work as a farmer, and her growing concern about the state of the environment around her. More specifically, she was wondering what she could do in her little piece of Delaware to make her farm a more environmentally friendly place.

Being a can-do person, she set her analytical mind to some research, and as she dug deeper, she kept finding a common thread weaving its way through the information she gathered. That thread had to do with the wetlands and how valuable they are as natural weapons against pollution. She learned how wetlands help in controlling floods, improving water quality through filtering, absorbing and otherwise breaking down pollutants, and by providing vital habitat for many plants and animals. She also learned that wetlands were disappearing in Delaware and across the country, and were, in spite of the many benefits they provide, very little appreciated and often abused.

She resolved at that point to do something abut this and came up with the idea of people throughout the state adopting our precious wetlands piece by piece, and in the process of stewarding those wetlands, helping to ensure their conservation for future generations. She took her idea to just about anyone who would listen, including several people from DNREC. They did listen and thanks to Dot White's singular determination, the seeds of Delaware's Adopt-A-Wetland program were planted and took root.

[Dot White was vice-president of Delaware Audubon 1990-91 and Delaware Audubon conducted her memorial service.]

Going back a little further in time, 20 years or so from today, and another special woman. This woman came to northern Delaware by way of Texas, and she brought with her a deep-seated commitment to the environment, including years of dedicated participation in the Texas Audubon Society. She wasn't here very long before she realized that Delaware lacked its own Audubon chapter, and she resolved to do something about it.

Not being from around here and not having many contacts to draw on, she could have left it for others to do, but Lynn Frink was not that kind of person. Like Dot White, Lynn set to work seeking out the people and support she needed, and after years of hard work, she turned that dream into a reality.

As many of you here know, Lynn didn't stop there, going on to found and lead another important Delaware-based conservation organization, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, to international prominence. It seems interesting to me that the environmental spirit and vision of these two exceptional women have converged in the event we celebrate today.

From the seeds that Dot White sowed, the Adopt-A-Wetland program has grown to include 50 groups, involving over 3000 participants, volunteering thousands of hours each year in care and conservation of wetland areas statewide. These groups, which run the gamut from businesses, school groups, civic organizations, youth groups, hospitals, malls, and individual families, visit their wetlands for a combined 1000+ visits every year, doing everything from site clean-ups and water quality monitoring to installation of nesting boxes and in a few cases, even undertaking extensive wetland restoration work. Each year, more and more Delawareans learn to appreciate and care for wetlands through involvement in this grassroots program.

From its humble beginnings and Lynn Frink's shepherding, Delaware's Chapter of the National Audubon Society has likewise grown into an impressive organization. Many people are aware, or should be aware, of the tireless efforts of Delaware Audubonians like Grace Pierce-Beck in lobbying legislatively and otherwise on behalf of the habitats and creatures of the First State. Fewer people know of Audubon's Audubon Adventures guides to all elementary schools, providing outreach to programs to schools, and even bringing out students to their adopted site for lessons in wetland values.

Fewer still are aware of the incredible progress they have already made in a short time – pioneering new ground for wetland adopters – in inventorying the flora and fauna of the various habitats here at Grass Dale. Since adopting these marshlands, meadows and woodlands last year, Ann Rydgren, Peggy Jahn and others have visited this site religiously each week, trampling through brambles and muck with field guides, binoculars, cameras and notebooks attempting to catalog every green, leafy species and feathery, furry, scaly, slimy, creepy-crawly creature they come across in the habitats here. In the process they've already ID'd over 300 species!

But their efforts don't stop there. Two weeks ago I popped into our center on a Saturday afternoon to find the Audubon folk still going strong after an all-morning business meeting, including planning all the work that needed to be done for putting on an event like this. I found two of the education committee people in the conference room, diligently reviewing a pile of fifth grade essays for selecting the winning "Why Wetlands are Valuable Ecosystems" entries you will hear later. A few miles down the road, the rest of the team, worked through the cold, early spring wind and rain, filling up dozens of large trash bags with Route 9 roadside refuse, as part of their ongoing commitment to the Adopt-A-Highway program. Somehow in these times, where so many people are too busy to make time, these Delaware Audubon people find a way.

Dot White and Lynn Frink have since gone on to a higher calling, but the seeds of environmental awareness and stewardship they planted many years ago have blossomed and borne rich fruit. It would be nice to think that Dot and Lynn are able to look down on this event today. If they could, I'd have to think they'd feel immeasurable pride in what their collective dreams, deeds and determination have inspired.

Please join me on behalf of the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control in welcoming Delaware Audubon's initiation as the 40th group in the state's Adopt-A-Wetland Program and in celebrating all the fine work they do in striving to protect and preserve Delaware's natural heritage.