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bamboo dining mat Tennessee Environment and Conservation Commmissioner Jim Fyke announced the winners of the 2008 Governor

Environmental Stewardship Awards today. The 14 winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the

state natural resources in an awards ceremony to be held in Nashville in June. Waking care of our precious natural resources

is essential to preserving Tennessee outdoor tradition, said Governor Phil Bredesen. want to express my congratulations to

each of these individuals, organizations and groups whose stewardship is helping us protect Tennessee air, land and water.

The Governor Environmental Stewardship Awards program recognizes exemplary voluntary actions that improve or protect our

environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives that are not required by law or regulations. This marks the

22nd year for the awards program. Thirty-nine professionals from various public and private organizations judged more than

100 nominations to determine the award recipients. The winner of one additional honor, the Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime

Achievement Award, will be announced at the awards ceremony in June. Our environment impacts everything from recreational

activities to the health of our communities, and I believe it is important to recognize the people and organizations that

work so hard to protect it, said Fyke. I am pleased to acknowledge and celebrate these Tennesseans who go above and beyond to

enhance the condition of our shared environment. The 2008 Governor Environmental Stewardship Award winners are: Category:

Agriculture/ForestryRobert Thompson Conservation Farm in Niota (McMinn County)Robert Thompson 589-acre, 200-head cattle farm

in McMinn County practices conservation efforts along the Oostanaula Creek and Malone Springs in East Tennessee. These

practices include extensive livestock exclusion fencing (4,685 feet), alternative water tanks (six with 6,000 feet of

pipeline) and rotational grazing. These efforts have improved the health of the cattle herd and water quality. Water quality

improvements stem from the reduction of sediment, which can occur when cattle travel over stream banks to reach water, as

well as from the decreased amount of livestock waste reaching the stream. Category: Aquatic Resource PreservationTennessee

Aquarium Research Institute - Saving the SturgeonTennessee River Watershed from Knoxville to ChattanoogaIn 2007, Saving the

Sturgeon reached several new milestones. More than 60,000 lake sturgeon were released into the Tennessee River Watershed and

monitored as far south as Alabama. New partners in the sturgeon conservation effort include Knoxville Girl Scout troops, East

Tennessee fishermen and Gap Creek Elementary classes. Educational efforts were expanded through these partnerships by

distributing wallet-size educational cards to fishermen at time of licensing, developing a coloring book for grades K-2 about

lake sturgeon conservation efforts and engaging students to help with sturgeon releases near their school. The Tennessee

Aquarium Research Institute also began monitoring released sturgeon with sonic tags and using an endoscope and anesthesia

vaporizer to determine gender of released fish to enhance reproductive success.