On February 6, 2010 SouthWings' pilots Dan Luke and Bob Kuehlthau were honored by the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and the Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper (LMRK) for their extraordinairy contribution to help protect the cypress wetlands of Louisiana. Pictured above is Dan Luke receiving his award from the LMRK, Paul Orr. The Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Dean Wilson, explained that the pilots received the awards "for their heroic actions that saved the most important and productive wetlands in North America from destruction. I'm talking about Louisiana's coastal wetland forests. In the year 2005 the future of our swamps was very black and they were being destroyed at a rate of 20,000 acres per year, mostly illegally. The situation was desperate until Bob and then Dan volunteered to do the flights that found what the mulch plants were doing and the violations on the ground. They are true angels and our heroes. Very few people alive today have done as much good during their life times as Dan and Bob, especially at a time where so much of the natural world of the planet is forever being destroyed."

In addition to the SouthWings pilots receiving awards, the Executive Director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, Marylee Orr, was also honored for her contribution. She was awarded the Atchafalaya Angel for having the vision to help create the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and supporting "efforts to stop the logging and preserve the Atchafalaya Basin." Dean Wilson shared, "she gave us the office space, equipment and finances necessary to do the work."




Pictured above left to right are Paul Orr (Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper), pilot Dan Luke, Cara Leverette, Dean Wilson and the newest wetlands champion, Aramis, of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper.





Above are the inscriptions on the awards given to the SouthWings pilots. Please join us in thanking all those who are working hard to conserve and protect our natural resources and create a better, healthier environment for the future generations.