Silver Springs resident Guy Marwick was presented with 1000 Friends of Florida's Community Steward Award for his decades of dedicated leadership to protect the springs and springsheds of Marion County. The award was presented by 1000 Friends President Charles Pattison at the Springs Festival Legislative Media Preview and Dinner at Silver Springs Attraction on the evening of Friday, September 21, 2007.

"Guy Marwick was recognized for his decades of activism to protect the region's springs," said Charles. He was nominated for the award by Marion County residents Shirley Little and Terry Hopkins. "If every county had just one Guy Marwick we could save the entire state," they said in their nomination.

Among his accomplishments, Marwick led the efforts to raise the funds to construct the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center. When the center opened in 1991, he became its first director, a position he held until his retirement in 2004. More than 15,000 public school children a year now take field trips to the museum.

Continuing in his activism, for the last 5 years Marwick has served on the Silver Springs Basin Working Group, a public/private partnership devoted to protecting the waters flowing to Silver Springs. He played a key role in the public acquisition of the 350-acre Seldon property, across the road from Silver Springs Park. Former DEP Secretary Colleen Castille credited him as "one of the prime motivators" behind the state's purchase of the Avatar property, the third most expensive environmental land purchase in Florida history. The 4,500-acre Avatar parcel in the Silver Springs Basin was vested for as many as 12,000 homes.

As a member of the working group, he made the Water Management District aware of a 52" drainage pipe serving area parking lots which ultimately drained into the headwaters of Silver Springs. Marwick was also involved in the development of the county's springs protection ordinance, and is now turning his attention to the land development regulations. Guy is also an active member of the Smart Growth Coalition of North Central Florida, Marion Audubon and Florida Defenders of the Environment.

"Guy has played a leading role in every facet of springs protection," said 1000 Friends President Charles Pattison. "From education, to land acquisition, to monitoring, to planning, Guy has been in the forefront."

1000 Friends' Community Steward Award is presented annually to individuals, organizations, local governments, agencies, and public/private partnerships that have brought about positive and lasting change in the way their community manages growth. 1000 Friends of Florida is presenting six other awards at separate events over the course of 2007.

A statewide nonprofit organization, 1000 Friends was founded in 1986 to serve as Florida's growth management watchdog. It has been presenting awards for innovative growth management efforts since 1990.