05/18/06

Audubon Society gives honor to local woman

PORT CHARLOTTE -- You can count on two hands the number of years Betty Talburt has lived in Charlotte County and have a few fingers left over. But some say there are few who care more about the area and its environment.

And for her efforts, the Peace River Audubon Society and the Sierra Club presented its annual Environmental Volunteer of the Year award to her Wednesday night at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County.

Unfortunately, she was't be there to accept her award.

"She is in her last few days of terminal cancer," said Paul Holmes, president of the society.

Her son, Ron Driest, accepted the award on her behalf.

"Betty has been a very important part of our chapter," Holmes said Tuesday. "She will do the most mundane job but is also a star who can do the important things as well."

Talburt, who is now in her 80s, joined the group shortly after moving to Charlotte County about six years ago, according to Holmes. She was the club's membership secretary and recently raised $3,000 at a silent auction she organized.

"It's going to take a lot to replace her," Holmes said quietly.

In addition to the Audubon award, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary program voted Tuesday to authorize a resolution recognizing Talburt for her many contributions.

Charlotte County Commissioner Adam Cummings also accepted an award Wednesday night -- Environmental Citizen of the Year -- for his work to preserve the Babcock Ranch in its entirety.

"Commissioner Cummings was the only commissioner who really tried to save the whole ranch," Holmes wrote in a press release. "That is why he stands out."

Cummings said he is honored by the award but considers it an even bigger privilege to "share the stage" with Talburt.

"She only lived here a short time and in that time she immediately leaped into the community," Cummings said Tuesday.

Cummings said Talburt formed the Republicans for Environmental Protection, a local task force for Republicans whose ideas may not conform with traditional environmental groups.

"She identified an unmet need in the community and seized the opportunity to meet that need," Cummings said.

Driest and his sister, Edie Driest, said their mother was driven by a good old-fashioned work ethic and worked hard for anything she felt something needed to be made "right."

"She felt that our environment faces many challenges that need fixing -- like protecting wildlife from peril and protecting the Peace River from ruin, to name a few," they wrote in an e-mail this week.

You can e-mail Alyssa Schnugg at schnugg@sun-herald.com.

By ALYSSA SCHNUGG

Staff Writer