Sen. Bingaman to Receive Conservation Award

Sen. Jeff Bingaman will be awarded today by an environmental group for his role in passing a bill in March that protected 2 million acres of wilderness. Bingaman, D-N.M., will receive the Ansel Adams Award from The Wilderness Society, according to a prepared statement from the nonprofit environmental group, founded in 1935 to protect wilderness. That legislation Bingaman helped pass preserved wilderness in nine states, designated more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers and protected places such as the Wyoming Range, according to The Wilderness Society. Bingaman helped designate as wilderness more than 17,000 acres in northern New Mexico's Sabinoso area. Sen. Tom Udall wrote the Sabinoso bill when he served in the House, and Bingaman included it in his package of public land bills that became law earlier this year, according to Udall's office. This month, Bingaman defended the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from an attempt to open the refuge to oil and gas development, according to the Wilderness Society. "Throughout his career, Sen. Bingaman has played an enormously important role in protecting our natural heritage for future generations," William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society, said in the statement. The award is named for Adams, the photographer who was an outspoken advocate for wilderness and the environment until his death. "Guarding our public lands ensures that we protect our nation's natural, cultural and historical legacies," Bingaman said in the statement. "Being a Western senator, I am well aware of the importance of protecting our special places, so I am especially proud to receive this prestigious honor."...DailyTimes