Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Seventh Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner honors Ted Schade, features Marcie Edwards

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

On April 24th community members, friends, and family of Andrea Mead Lawrence gathered at Mammoth Mountain’s Parallax Restaurant to commemorate Andrea’s life and those who embody her spirit of community and conservationism through the presentation of the Andrea Lawrence Award.

Quentin Lawrence, Ted Schade, and Geoff McQuilkin with Ted's Andrea Lawrence Award. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
Quentin Lawrence, Ted Schade, and Geoff McQuilkin with Ted’s Andrea Lawrence Award. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.

Andrea was a visionary environmental leader, two-time Olympic gold medalist, mother of five, 16-year Mono County Supervisor, and Mono Lake Committee board member. Since her passing in 2009, the Mono Lake Committee has hosted the Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner to celebrate her influential life and those who continue to improve and protect the Eastern Sierra through their passionate engagement with community and the land.

Guests enjoyed delicious food and interesting speakers, but a spring snowstorm blocked the view of Mt. Andrea Lawrence for the second year in a row. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
Guests enjoyed delicious food and interesting speakers, but a spring snowstorm blocked the view of Mt. Andrea Lawrence for the second year in a row. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.

The 2015 award was presented to Ted Schade, recently retired from the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District for his decades of tireless work to minimize the dust pollution from Owens Lake. The whole Eastern Sierra has benefited from Ted’s decades of vigilance in seeking to control harmful particulate air pollution from the exposed beds of Mono Lake and Owens Lake. His work on the 2014 Owens Lake Agreement with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) is an achievement that protects air quality, conserves water, and assures habitat protection at Owens Lake and beyond.

Ted joins a growing list of Andrea Lawrence Award winners over the last eight years: 2014—California Department of Fish & Wildlife; 2013—Karen Ferrell-Ingram, founding Board member and former Executive Director of the Eastern Sierra Land Trust; 2012—Bodie Foundation; 2011—Eastern Sierra Audubon; 2008—Mono Lake Committee; 2007—Friends of the Inyo.

DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards spoke about LA's efforts to reduce imported water in favor of local sources in the coming years. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards spoke about LA’s efforts to reduce imported water in favor of local sources in the coming years. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
Sisters Didi and Quentin Lawrence, two of the many Lawrence family members who help tremendously with the event. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
Sisters Didi and Quentin Lawrence, two of the many Lawrence family members who help tremendously with the event. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.

The spirit of the Owens Lake Agreement was evident throughout the evening—keynote speaker, DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards, highlighted the efforts taking place in Los Angeles to establish a more self-sufficient water supply. We are fairly sure that Andrea would have loved seeing representatives from the two main parties involved in the Owens Lake Agreement sitting together at the same table enjoying a meal and celebrating their accomplishments.

The Committee is honored to help keep Andrea’s legacy alive by hosting this annual event, but it would not be possible without the generous support of the Lawrence family and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Thank you also to our guests, photographer Robb Hirsch, and award recipients like Ted Schade for their important work.