Paul Labus Receives 2015 Paul H. Douglas Award

Paul Labus Receives 2015 Paul H. Douglas Award

On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at its Annual Meeting, Save the Dunes proudly announced the recipient of the 2015 Paul H. Douglas Award – the organization’s highest honor. The Douglas Award is named for the inestimable Senator Paul Douglas without whom there would be no Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The organization bestows this honor on individuals who demonstrate outstanding service to the cause of preserving and protecting the Indiana Dunes. The organization is thrilled to announce that Paul Labus, the Northwest Indiana Region Director of The Nature Conservancy's Indiana Chapter, is the recipient of this year’s award.

For the past 20 plus years, Paul Labus has worked with government agencies, industry, nonprofits and other stakeholders to develop a conservation vision and restoration plan for the Grand Calumet River and adjacent natural areas. The Grand Calumet River, located at the southern end of Lake Michigan, was once one of the most polluted rivers in the Great Lakes basin, having received effluent from major industries and municipal waste water treatment plants for more than 100 years. Most people thought of it as a "dead" river. However, fragments of the native landscape, which support surprisingly diverse natural communities - some of which are nearly gone from the planet - continue to persist in close proximity to heavy urban and industrial development. It is incredibly rare to have such biodiversity amidst such a highly altered area.

Paul has been a leader in identifying the best opportunities to protect, restore and manage fragments of the native lakeplain ecosystem, setting conservation goals for the restoration of highly degraded habitats, developing a regional invasive species management plan, and planning for long-term ecological management of restored habitats. In part through Paul's leadership and ability to work in lockstep with staff at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other organizations, the Grand Calumet River is in the final stages of cleanup and restoration. Communities are now exploring how they can take advantage of their connection to the river rather than turn away from it. It is truly an incredible regional success story.

Paul is also known throughout the greater Chicago Wilderness area for his incredibly focused efforts to preserve and restore the very last dune and swale properties in Indiana. A dune and swale complex is a series of roughly parallel, sandy ridges and low, wet swales formed in irregular cycles of high and low water levels. They formed when ancient glacial Lake Chicago receded thousands of years ago. Rapid industrial and residential development of the lakeshore destroyed all but tiny fragments of this incomparable landscape. This globally rare natural community only occurs along the Great Lakes shoreline. Paul helped The Nature Conservancy prioritize these precious landscapes and secure funding and leverage partnerships to restore them despite challenges ranging from contamination to invasive species to lack of resources. In fact, Paul's dune and swale restoration projects are touted as some of the most exceptional, most effective, and most resilient in the region.

Thanks to Paul's tireless efforts, knowledge, and advocacy, restoration of our last dune and swale properties and the entire Grand Calumet River and adjoining natural areas will be seamlessly managed for years to come. This is a feat rarely accomplished in many conservation areas.

“Save the Dunes is indebted to Paul for protecting some of the last remaining dune and swale and for helping bring back the Grand Calumet River,” said Nicole Barker, Executive Director. “He is a passionate, humble leader who actively mentors the next generation of conservation leaders and cares deeply about the future of nature in Northwest Indiana – we are so fortunate to have him here,” she added.

Paul Labus is a native of Northwest Indiana and currently resides in Whiting.

For more information about our annual Douglas Award, go to http://savedunes.org/about/paul-h-douglas-award/.