Alabama's own Peggie Griffin was among the award winners at the National Sierra Club awards ceremony held in September.
Special Service Award (for strong and consistent commitment to conservation over an extended period of time): Gordon Nipp of Bakersfield, Calif. Nipp previously was an Angeles Chapter outings and conservation leader. He also helped to establish the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and was one of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force members to receive the Chapter's Extraordinary Achievement Award in 1978. He is a retired math professor from Cal State L.A .and works with lawyers on polluters and developers in Kern County.
Other recipients of the Special Service Award include Martha Ainsworth of Bowie, Md.; Peggie Griffin of Gadsden, Ala.; and Gordon Nipp of Bakersfield, Calif. Ainsworth has helped pass numerous environmental initiatives in Maryland, including its recent ban on fracking. Griffin has founded two Sierra Club groups in Alabama and led many campaigns to protect environmentally sensitive areas. Nipp has been a tireless advocate for the environment and human health in Kern County, Calif., which is the nation’s top oil-producing county.