Ballwin-based Conservationist Up for International Honor

Editor's Note: The following announcement was written by representatives of the Indianopolis Prize:

Poachers, disease, civil wars, heat, cold, rain, drought, pollution, ignorance, indifference. Those are just some of the challenges faced by the 29 conservationists who have devoted their lives to saving the Earth’s endangered species and who have been nominated to receive the biennial Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation.

Karen Eckert is one of them. Eckert, executive director of the Caribbean-based WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network), has been widely recognized for her work during the past 30 years to mobilize citizens and dozens of governments to avert the extinction of the six species of endangered sea turtles found in the Wider Caribbean Region.

 As executive director of WIDECAST in Ballwin, Eckert works with biologists and educators committed to the recovery and sustainable management of sea turtle populations. As a result of her tireless work, more than 70 percent of Caribbean countries now fully protect sea turtles, and communities in more than 40 nations participate in conservation programs. In addition, the Caribbean Sea is today the only regional sea in the world where selected populations of all native sea turtle species are seen to be rising and virtually all of the region’s largest nesting beaches enjoy protected status.

The work of all the Indianapolis Prize nominees spans the globe, representing a range of species and locales. The Nominating Committee will review the applications and select six finalists, who will be announced in the spring of 2012. The Prize Jury will then determine the winner, who will be announced in mid-2012 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins, Sept. 29, 2012, at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.

In addition to receiving the $100,000 Prize, the recipient is also awarded the Lilly Medal, an original work of art that signifies the winner’s contributions to conserving some of the world’s most threatened animals. The 2010 Indianapolis Prize was awarded to legendary elephant advocate Iain Douglas-Hamilton. His accomplishments span decades and continents, bringing global attention to the issue of blood ivory and inspiring others to join the battle against poachers and traders.