Imperial Valley News

San Diego, California - Conservationists who have given their hearts, brains, wallets and feet to save endangered species and habitats will be honored by the San Diego Zoo Thursday.

J. Michael Fay, who will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, walked more than 2,000 miles to document the most pristine rainforests of Africa. Serge Dedina, who will be honored with the Conservation in Action award, helped stop development of mega-resorts throughout the Baja California peninsula and Sea of Cortez. Ken Goddard, who will be honored with the Special Achievement award, created a lab devoted to prosecuting animal traffickers. And Intel Corporation co-founder Gordon Moore, who will be honored with the Conservation Advocate award, has given away millions to save the earth for future generations.

The dinner to honor these champions of wildlife and the environment will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 5 at the Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park. The cost is $75 per person. Call 619-557-3915 for reservation.

Nine years ago, Fay walked 2,000 miles across the heart of Africa to document the largest unspoiled area of the continent. He surveyed animals, plants and human populations with GPS, video and still photography and compiled the information into a database available to scientists and the general public. His trek gave the world an intimate look at one of the last pristine rain forests left in the world and led to the creation of 13 national parks in Gabon and the formation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. In 2007, Fay hiked 1,847 miles over 11 months through redwood forests in California and Oregon to call attention to the one-of-a-kind ecosystem.

Fay, born in 1956, spent six years in the Peace Corps as a botanist and studied western lowland gorillas in Africa to earn his doctorate. He is now a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence and lives in Washington, D.C. Fay is being honored because of his long-standing commitment to conservation and education and will be the keynote speaker at the Conservation Award Dinner.

Eight years ago Dedina founded WiLDCOAST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving the most ecologically valuable coastal and marine areas in California and Baja California. Among the efforts he spearheaded was the "Dont Eat Sea Turtle" campaign that featured Mexican celebrities and contributed to a 500 percent increase in the eastern Pacific green sea turtle population by reducing egg poaching and the sea turtle meat trade.

He is being honored for his ongoing commitment to conservation and public awareness that is improving the well-being of wildlife and humans in the United States and Mexico. Dedina, who was born in 1964, received his doctorate in geography from the University of Texas, Austin, for research he did on gray whale conservation. He received his bachelor's in politics from the University of California, San Diego. He lives in Imperial Beach, California.

Goddard led the effort to create and fund the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Ore., and is now its director. Scientists at the lab analyze forensic evidence in order to link wildlife crimes with the people who committed them. Goddard works with zoos and aquariums throughout the world, including San Diego Zoo Conservation Research, to obtain samples for use in developing forensic tests that can help convict animal traffickers.

Goddard, who graduated from Grossmont High School in El Cajon, Calif. and earned a bachelor of science in biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside, also writes crime novels including "The Chimera Execution," "The Alchemist," "Prey" and "First Evidence." He is being recognized by the Zoo for his groundbreaking efforts to use cutting-edge scientific methods to solve crimes against wildlife, especially endangered species.

Moore, 80, and his wife, Betty, generously support science and the environment at home and abroad through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The 10th largest foundation in the nation, it has a $6.4 billion endowment and has awarded 600 grants worth $1.5 billion to projects around the world. Its goal: improve the quality of life for future generations.

Established in 2000, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is science-based, results-driven philanthropy focusing on three areas: environmental conservation, science and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its grants are expected to help achieve targeted, large-scale outcomes in a specific time frame including a marine conservation initiative, construction of aviaries in Hawaii for critically endangered birds and the Betty Irene Moore Nursing School.

Gordon Moore is the retired chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation, a company he co-founded in 1968. Moore earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate in chemistry and physics from the California Institute of Technology. He lives in Kameula, Hawaii.

Moore is being recognized for his long-standing commitment to ecosystem and wildlife preservation.

The Conservation Medal is awarded annually by the San Diego Zoo's Board of Trustees to people who have significantly increased knowledge of wildlife habitats; played an active role in endangered species preservation through breeding programs, research and the establishment of wildlife preserves; or furthered the cause of conservation through financial support, influence or publicity. The Conservation Medal was first presented in 1966. Past recipients of the Conservation Medal include Jane Goodall, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir David Attenborough, and E. O. Wilson.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats. The organization focuses on conservation and research work around the globe, educates millions of individuals a year about wildlife and maintains accredited horticultural, animal, library and photo collections. The Zoo also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, which includes a 900-acre native species reserve, and the San Diego Zoo's Beckman Center for Conservation Research. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.