On the evening May 8, one hundred Eastern Sierra friends, community members, advocates, and partners gathered, perched cozily in Parallax Restaurant on the side of Mammoth Mountain, to celebrate passionate engagement with community and the land, and this year’s Andrea Lawrence Award honoree, Martha Guzman.
Martha was chosen for the award for her work as a public servant, and specifically, for her role as Region 9 Administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency in engaging key players on the issue of air quality violations at Mono Lake.
Last fall, Martha scheduled a visit to Mono Lake she was on a mission make progress on the air quality violation issue. She figured out how to make her visit have real impact—by gathering representatives from ten regional, state, and federal agencies, along with the Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a Tribe, DWP, and the Mono Lake Committee for presentations on the condition of the lake, a roundtable discussion about how water exports are perpetuating air quality violations, and a group field trip to the lake.
Martha’s leadership sparked dialogue, and efforts at collective problem solving—things she knew would make an impact in elevating the issue before the State Water Board.
The effort to protect Mono Lake has been shaped by people coming together to achieve big things that no one could accomplish alone. It requires each of us to use our skills, expertise, and opportunities to advance part of the effort. Martha embodies this spirit that Andrea Lawrence personified and so fiercely advocated.
Andrea Lawrence was a visionary environmental leader, and Olympic double gold medalist, and mother of five, who tirelessly pursued a principled vision of how ecological integrity, economy, and community can thrive in a way that preserves the vitality of each and enhances the whole.
The 14th Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner was made possible by the generous support of the Lawrence family and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Proceeds support the Mono Lake Committee’s Andrea Lawrence Fund which is used to encourage collaboration and to inspire young people to become environmental leaders, specifically through the Mono Lake Committee’s Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center and Experience Ambientalia programs.
Top photo by Arya Degenhardt.