Taste of the Chesapeake

An Inspiring 2020 Virtual Taste

Our Virtual Taste of the Chesapeake was an inspiring evening that featured our exciting Keynote Speaker Dr. J. Drew Lanham, a program spotlight video, and the presentation of our 2020 Environmental Leadership Awards.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. J. Drew Lanham

Dr. J. Drew Lanham is a native of Edgefield and Aiken, South Carolina. In his twenty years as Clemson University faculty he’s worked to understand how forest management impacts wildlife and how human beings think about nature. Dr. Lanham holds an endowed chair as an Alumni Distinguished Professor and was named an Alumni Master Teacher in 2012.

In his teaching, research, and outreach roles, Drew seeks to translate conservation science to make it relevant to others in ways that are evocative and understandable. As a Black American he’s intrigued with how culture and ethnic prisms can bend perceptions of nature and its care. His ‘connecting the conservation dots’ and ‘coloring the conservation conversation’ messages have been delivered internationally.

Drew strongly believes that conservation must be a blending of head and heart; rigorous science and evocative art. He is active on a number of conservation boards including the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, South Carolina Audubon, Aldo Leopold Foundation, BirdNote and the American Birding Association. He is an inaugural Fellow of the Audubon-Toyota Together Green initiative and is a member of the advisory board for the North American Association of Environmental Education.

Drew is a Fellow of the Clemson University Institute for Parks and was most recently named a 2016 Brandwein Fellow for his work in Environmental Education. Lanham is also an author and award-nominated poet; his first solo work, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, was published in 2016. Lanham received his B.A. and M.S. in Zoology, and his Ph.D. in Forest Resources, from Clemson.

2020 Taste Silent Auction Highlights

• Vermont Vacation: Week-long Vacation in Charming Vermont Farmhouse that Sleeps Ten
• An Afternoon Fishing Trip with Shawn Kimbro on his 27′ Center Console Thunder Road for up to Three People, All Gear Provided
• Cape Charles, VA Vacation Home: Experience the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay with a 5-day/4-night spring getaway to the charming town of Cape Charles, Virginia
• Two (2) tickets on a Sunset Cruise on the Wilma Lee Skipjack in Annapolis, MD for the 2020 Sailing Season
• A carefully crafted Original Hobo bag made with genuine leather and a timeless design
• Two (2) Passes for A Watermark Tour Cruise for the Annapolis or Baltimore Harbor>
• Jay Flemming 14×20″ signed print of Honga River – Eel Grass Jimmy
• Signed copy of Doug Tallamy’s newest book, Bringing Nature Home
• Six Weeks of Yoga Classes by Simply Stronger Yoga
• Private Bird/Tree Identification Lesson with our very own Chesapeake Forests Program Manager, Ryan Davis
• Two (2) Junior Sailing Scholarships at the Eastport Yacht Club
• Pilates Voucher that can be used for 1 private session or 3 group classes, available via zoom
• Beautifully Hand-Crafted Stain Glass blue crab