WILDLIFE CENTER OF VIRGINIA TO RECEIVE 2007 NATIONAL CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Wildlife Center of Virginia, the nation's leading teaching and research hospital for native wildlife, will receive the National Wildlife Federation's 2007 National Conservation Achievement Award for exemplary leadership in conserving wildlife and connecting people with nature. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of conservation nationwide.

The Wildlife Center will receive its award on November 1 in Washington, D.C. at an awards dinner hosted by legendary television personality Jack Hanna. Among the handful of other recipients of the 2007 Achievement Award are former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Al Gore and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In honoring the Wildlife Center, the National Wildlife Federation [NWF] recognized the Center's groundbreaking work to bridge the gap between wildlife conservation, public health and safety, and veterinary medicine. "The Wildlife Center of Virginia is unique in the way it combines wildlife medicine with environmental education," NWF President Larry Schweiger said. "Not only do they teach people how to care for wildlife through the work they do at their hospital for native species, but they also teach people to care about wildlife through their education programs."

The NWF award will be accepted on November 1 by Ed Clark, President and Co-Founder of the Wildlife Center. Joining Clark at the ceremony will be several members of the Center's environmental outreach staff, as well as some of the Center's education animals.

"This is the equivalent of the Academy Award in the field of conservation. This recognition is the result of the contributions of literally thousands of individuals, including those who have generously shared their time, resources, and talents with the Wildlife Center over the years," Clark said. "Our professional staff of veterinary professionals, rehabilitators, educators and others are joined by a host of committed volunteers who believe that wild animals deserve a healthy, sustainable environment, and that injured wildlife deserve a chance to receive state-of-the-art medical care and rehabilitation. This award also recognizes the many thousands of caring individuals who have taken the time to rescue a wild animal in need and bring it to the Center for care."

The NWF award comes as the Wildlife Center marks its 25th anniversary. Founded on November 9, 1982 in a horse stable in Waynesboro, the Wildlife Center has transformed wildlife veterinary medicine. During its 25-year history, the Wildlife Center has:

• Treated almost 50, 000 wild animals;
• Presented compelling, life-changing programs to more than 1.4 million children and adults and introduced these audiences to feathered, furred, and scaled representatives of Virginia's wildlife; and
• Trained a generation of wildlife health-care professionals across the United States and around the world.

The National Conservation Achievement Awards showcase outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations to conservation and environmental protection. The conservation awards, known informally as the "Connies", have been presented annually since 1965. Nominations are received from conservationists and the general public nationwide, with winners selected by NWF's board of directors. In addition to Gore and Schwarzenegger, other 2007 Connie Award recipients include best-selling environmental writer Bill McKibben and National Public Radio's Steve Curwood, host of the award-winning program "Living on Earth". Additional information on the Connie Awards is available online at www.nwf.org/about/connieawards2007.cfm.

Additional information on the Wildlife Center of Virginia and its veterinary and educational work is available online at www.wildlifecenter.org.