Steve Parren (right), former coordinator of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources' Wildlife Diversity Program, was honored Oct 1 as 2022 winner of the Sally Laughlin Award for the Conservation of Endangered and Threatened Species.
The award is presented annually by the natural resources department secretary to a person who has shown leadership in advancing knowledge, understanding and conservation of endangered and threatened species and their habitats in Vermont.
“Steve has been a leader in endangered species work in Vermont for three decades,” said Deputy Secretary Maggie Gendron.
Parren's efforts were crucial to the recovery of Vermont’s populations of common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon. He also helped spearhead the installation of critical amphibian road-crossings in the Champlain Valley to protect seasonally migratory frogs and salamanders, and volunteered hundreds of hours of his own time to help turtles and amphibians.