Celebrate WACF’s 25th Anniversary At Annual Meeting
SYRACUSE — The annual meeting of the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation will be a very special meeting this year. The meeting will be a celebration of WACF’s 25 years of protecting the wetlands.
The meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 30, in the Ruddell Pavilion located on the WACF Levinson-LaBrosse Lakes & Wetlands Education Center, on SR 13, one mile south of Syracuse.
A brunch buffet will be available for guests before a brief meeting is held.
WACF was formed in 1991 to anticipate, seek out and resolve threats to the water quality in the Wawasee area watershed. The foundation is dedicated to promoting education, encouraging best management practices to reduce erosion and acquiring wetlands and endangered shoreline areas. Now in its 25th year, the efforts have resulted in the acquisition and protection of more than 10 miles of shoreline and 47 wetland areas totaling more than 829 acres.
The meeting will include brief updates on WACF activities during the past year, land acquisitions, projects and the newest events for kids: Wetland Adventures and rafting between the lakes. There will be updates on the farmer’s breakfast and an invitation to the farm tour at 9 a.m. Aug. 4, canoe trips Friday mornings and being a member of the Eli Lilly Lifetime Founders Society.
But it would not be a celebration of 25 years without a quick review of the highlights of those years. Additionally there will information about recent grant awards and introduction of founding members and celebration of accomplishments. Guests will also have the opportunity to see the new watershed video.
A highlight of the meeting will be the presentation of the annual Cattail Award to an individual or individuals for their efforts with or for WACF.
Past cattail winners have included:
2015 — Laurie Hardie and the Levinson-LaBrosse family
2014 — Roger Symensma
2013 — Bob Fanning
2012 — John Holdeman, Nick Stanger and the late Howard S. “Howdy” Wilcox
2011 — Nancy Brown, Ian Rolland, Jeff Herdrich
2010 — Deborah Flanagan Tobias, Kay Young and Dick Ruddell
2009 — Doug and Barb Grant, George Hardie, Peter and Ginny Nicholas
2008 — Dan and Marilyn Berkey, Dave Brandes
2007 — Mike Kiley, Dave Tyler, and Ted Rogers
2006 — Vance Lopp and Jane Wilson
2005 — Heather Harwood, Dick and Sandy Green
2004 — Mary Lou Brewer, Jane Love, Tom Yoder
2003 — Al Campbell, Harriett Inskeep, Bill McNagny
2002 — Helen Alfrey and Betty Knapp
2001 — Dave Culp, Cindy Brumbaugh, Bob Myers
The trails will be open to walk and guests are encouraged to take a lap.