About Chester Smith
 The
Chester Smith Outstanding Conservationist Award
By Anne Murdock
Texas Audubon Society has created the "Chester Smith Outstanding
Conservationist" Award to honor the dedication of individuals,
like Smith, who have committed their lives and spirit to conservation
so that future generations can enjoy the natural beauty and bounty
of the earth. Chester Smith provided the inspiration for this
annual award.
Smith serves as our Audubon warden for Sundown Island. The
number of extra hours of personal time he dedicates to coastal rehab,
community relations and monitoring of the islands surpasses the
endurance of "mere mortals".
Chester and Ilet Smith are pictured right, at the Bass Performance
Hall in Austin, Texas. Click on
the photo to see a larger image.
Smith grew up in Port O'Connor, the second of a four-generation
family tradition of life on the coast. His "young at
heart" spirit and "diesel engine" constitution belie
his eighty-plus years.
Smith retired from Exxon in 1973 and joined Audubon in l986.
He admitted, when he first started, that he didn't know much about
birds. What he did know was how to motivate people.
He hosts regular volunteer workdays (people are on a waiting list!)
at Sundown Island for tree planting, fire ant control, and beach
cleanup. He is constantly requesting the aid of larger boats,
to help ferry equipment and supplies, to Sundown.
Not only do retirees and young teens fall under Smith's "spell"
-- he has tremendous success in solidifying relationships with industry
around Matagorda Bay as well. Formosa Plastics donated $130,000
worth of equipment to help stop beach erosion and the Corps of Engineers
donated 65-foot towers on the island to be used for nesting platforms.
Smith is quoted as saying about Sundown Island, "When we first
started, there weren't any of these clumsy old Pelicans here,...this
year we raised1, 250 nests." Why is Chester Smith so
devoted to Sunday Island? " I have grandchildren.
I want to preserve the birds for future generations."
Contact Texas Audubon (512) 306-0225 to make a contribution
to this award.
Photo Credits: This photo of Chester Smith with
the binoculars was printed in the "The Exxon Annuitant,"
Volume 16, Number 1, Spring 1998, published for Exxon Annuitants
and their families.
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