INDIVIDUAL DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT

 

Jamie Furgang, Sr. Everglades Policy Associate, Florida

Jamie Furgang took the lead in organizing the “Hold the Line” campaign.  This campaign, under Jamie’s leadership, brought together more than 140 organizations, with diverse missions, to protect the Everglades from urban development.  Jamie saw an opportunity to work with non-traditional partners to successfully protect some of the last remaining coastal Everglades from sprawling urban development. Jamie took on this challenge when many of her colleagues viewed it as a nearly insurmountable challenge. Jamie’s dedication is only surpassed by her passion for the protection and restoration of the Everglades.

 Thanks to Jamie and her partners in the Hold the Line campaign, a significant portion of pristine, yet unprotected Everglades was saved from development. The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners denied all but one development application to extend the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) into the Everglades. The UDB currently separates Miami-Dade County urban areas from the Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and important agricultural land buffers.  The UDB victory ensures development will not further threaten restoration of the Coastal Everglades.

 

Jamie’s youthful approach and professional commitment serve as an inspiration to her colleagues.