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Prof. Joseph Drew Lanham

New York, NY, - Clemson, South Carolina wildlife professor is the recipient of a new national fellowship designed to advance the work of individuals with outstanding potential to help shape a brighter environmental future.

Joseph Drew Lanham is one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota.

Fellows receive specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation.

Each Fellow will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.

For his fellowship, Dr. Lanham will contact, educate and provide technical support for African-American rural landowners across South Carolina, learning firsthand how a significant but underserved population of potential conservationists values and manages their property. In a project called "The Color of the Land", he will provide technical assistance and record the stories of the unique relationships people of color have to the land.

Lanham will also help them to develop strategies for implementing sustainable timber and wildlife management practices.Ê His ultimate goal is to introduce African-American landowners to sustainable means of natural resources management that will help them improve soil, water and wildlife resources on their properties and ultimately those "downstream."

While his project will help maintain rural landscapes that are diverse ethnically and ecologically, he also aims to define the conservation ethic and preserve the land legacy that has helped sustain generations of rural African-American landowners.

If you are interested in contacting Dr. Lanham about his research or becoming a participant in the project he can be reached at (864) 656-7294 or by email at lanhamj@clemson.edu.Ê There is no cost to landowners for participating in the project.

A professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson University, Dr. Lanham has been involved in natural resources conservation and education for twenty years, and is a dedicated and innovative environmental educator.

In his current position, Lanham has mentored dozens of graduate students and served as the principal or co-investigator for a diverse array of wildlife research projects. T hrough his classes, where he combines ecological theory with "real world" issues like culturally-sensitive conservation ethic, Lanham has reached hundreds of students, challenging their assumptions about nature and encouraging them to pursue their own environmental careers.

"Drew is the kind of person who can make a real difference in the health of our environment and the quality of our future," said Audubon President John Flicker. "Each of our TogetherGreen Fellows demonstrates exceptional environmental understanding and commitment, combined with tremendous potential to inspire and lead others. Together, they represent the talented and diverse leadership the environmental community will need to tackle the huge challenges and opportunities confronting us now and in the years to come."