Mickey Novak Receives Hitchcock Center’s 2014 Heroes for a Healthy Planet Award

March 31, 2014
For Immediate Release
Contact: Julie Johnson, Executive Director

Amherst, MA –The Hitchcock Center for the Environment was pleased to honor Mickey Novak with the 2014 Heroes for a Healthy Planet award at a brunch on Sunday, March 30.

The Hitchcock Center’s Heroes for a Healthy Planet award acknowledges a person, family, organization or institution in our community that has made a significant contribution toward increased knowledge, understanding, and stewardship of our local economy.

Novak received the award for his decades of tireless dedication to environmental education and conservation of aquatic life, said Julie Johnson, executive director of the Hitchcock Center. “As project leader of the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station, Mickey has facilitated engaging and fun educational field experiences with the Hitchcock Center for more than 15 years,” she noted. “His hands-‐on experiential education with thousands of local children has inspired many students to go into the field of environmental conservation. The Hitchcock Center commends him for being an unparalleled resource for the entire Pioneer Valley through his commitment to getting children outside and connecting with the living systems that sustain us all.”

Read additional articles about Micky’s work here and here.

Past recipients of the Heroes for a Healthy Planet award are:

2007—Birding expert Scott Surner for his lifelong passion for and dedication to the birding world, resulting in a growing body of highly knowledgeable and active citizens who are committed to protecting and preserving important bird habitats throughout New England.

2011—Principal Margaret Riddle and the Faculty of the Robert K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School for their exceptional passion for and dedication to creating a strong ethic of nature exploration and environmental care in the teachers, students, and parents of their school.

2012—The Camera/McKenna Family for their multi-‐generational passion for and dedication to protecting the environment through nature exploration, education and civic engagement, making lifelong learning and environmental literacy a core family value.

2013—Former Representative John Olver (MA-‐1), Legacy Award, for his leadership as a champion for the protection of our waterways, our land and our air, his dedication to energy conservation and public transportation, and his equally stalwart defense against those who would roll back our existing environmental laws & John Green, Jr., Naturalist, Photographer, and Educator for his significant and lasting contributions to the field of environmental education through natural history interpretation and photography, his deep sense of responsibility to environmental stewardship, and his generous spirit and inclusive approach to teaching and mentoring a wide range students.

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