During its 14 Annual Meeting , SBDN’s membership had the pleasure of presenting its Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Robert Currie for championing the protection and recovery of endangered species, particularly bats and cave/karst systems, nationwide, for over 30 years. Partnerships to facilitate recovery goals have been the hallmark of Bob’s conservation work. Particularly noteworthy are partnerships forged with professional and amateur cavers in the speleological community, The Nature Conservancy and many other organizations. Bob has been especially active in efforts to recover the Indiana, gray, and Virginia big-eared bats.

In the realm of information and education, Bob has worked tirelessly to educate the public and other agencies about the importance and plight of our imperiled bats and their habitats. He has organized and given presentations at innumerable bat/cave conservation workshops throughout the country targeting teachers, school children, conservationists, and agency personnel.

In recognition of his leadership and many accomplishments in protecting bats and in education about bats, Bob received the Distinguished Service Award from Bat Conservation International in 1995 and he was honored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Recovery Champion in 2002.

Download Dave Saugey’s award presentation speech and more photos of the award ceremony. Bob Currie-SBDN_Lifetime_Achievement_Award_2009