Dave Engelman Volunteer Award Presented to Philip W. Stein and James G. Denham

Chairman of the Board Ralph Wood, left, presents a Benchmark Award certificate to Philip W. Stein. Photo by Claire Iwanowski/Copyright Connecticut Audubon Society

Sept. 17, 2013 – Connecticut Audubon Society has awarded Philip W. Stein of Fairfield and James G. Denham of Essex the organization’s annual Dave Engelman Volunteer Benchmark Awards, in recognition of their years of service, at the CAS Annual Meeting in Southport on Thursday, Sept. 12.

The award is given annually by the Board of Directors to volunteers whose help has significantly enhanced our mission of conserving Connecticut’s birds and their habitats.

Ralph Wood, chairman of Connecticut Audubon Society’s Board of Directors, presented the awards. Each comes with a wall plaque and with a wooden bench with brass plaque to be placed at one of Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries or centers.

The Benchmark Award was established in 1993 and subsequently named in honor of Dave Engelman, a longtime board member who passed away in 2007. Thirty-five people have received the award. To learn more about the award and see a list of previous winners, click here.

EcoTravel Director Andy Griswold, left, with James G. Denham at the Annual Meeting. Photo by Claire Iwanowski/Copyright Connecticut Audubon Society

Mr. Stein has been a member of Connecticut Audubon’s Regional Board of Governors in Fairfield since the 1970s. An accomplished bird carver, he has been a regular volunteer in many capacities at the organization’s Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, in Fairfield.

Mr. Denham has been associated with Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel for nearly 10 years, first as a traveler and then a volunteer.

In his volunteer role with EcoTravel, he leads day trips and has developed a system to measure the success of EcoTravel tours and track its annual budget.

With his assistance, EcoTravel has been able to minimize the sometimes volatile swings inherent in the travel industry and helped achieve a small but welcome surplus each year.