Chevron Conservation Award letter from M. Rupert Cutler, Defenders of Wildlife, honoring Dr. John H. Tanton

To Whom It May Concern:

I enthusiastically endorse Dr. John Tanton of Petoskey, Michigan for a Chevron Conservation Award for effective local grassroots conservation accomplishments.

I met John when I was on the faculty of Michigan State University in the early 1970s. We served together on the Michigan Wilderness and Natural Areas Review Board appointed by Governor William Milliken. John and I also found common ground in our interest in the management of the Pigeon River Country State Forest in northern Michigan to protect the trout streams and elk population there from the adverse impacts of oil development.

While on the MSU faculty and later as the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment I heard of many instances in which John was the essential catalyst in making good things happen for the environment through wise use of land and water in the Petoskey area. The people who live in that region today own John Tanton a lot for his effective campaigns to save the quality of their lives.

I hope you'll reward this unsung hero with a Chevron Award.

Sincerely,

M. Rupert Cutler
President