Graham White (pictured left), now Head of Reserves Ecology at the RSPB, has devoted his working life to wildlife conservation and natural history education. He was involved in the creation of the Herts Bird Club in the 1980s and was Chairman for a number of years. He is also a former Hertfordshire bird recorder for the London Natural History Society.
In the 1980s, with Trevor James and the Rev. Tom Gladwin he played a key role in persuading the St Albans Sand and Gravel Company to create a nature reserve at Amwell, now owned by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust? (HMWT). He devoted much of his spare time at Amwell digging ditches, ponds and working to create what has become one of Hertfordshire's premier wetland habitats.
In the 1990s, as Youth and Schools Officer with the Lee Valley Park, he pioneered initiatives that included an open top bus that brought children to learn about the birds of Walthamstow Reservoirs and a new year Bird Race to highlight the importance of the valley to many species of overwintering birds.
After joining HMWT as Conservation Manager, he helped transform the work of the Trust, writing the Biodiversity Action Plan for Hertfordshire that was published in 1998
Although now working at RSPB HQ in Bedfordshire, Graham remains actively involved in Hertfordshire and continues to provide conservation advice in many ways in a voluntary capacity.
Tim Hill (pictured right) who presented Graham's Award, said: "He is an outstanding ecologist and is always happy to give his time to those seeking advice on habitat management. He is also a wonderful teacher and many people, young and old, know more about out wildlife as a result of his enthusiasm, his talks and walks. Hertfordshire's natural landscape is a better place for his efforts."