IPPL’s Shirley McGreal Receives Conservation Award

Dr. Shirley McGreal, IPPL Chairwoman, was one of six distinguished recipients of a ChevronTexaco Conservation Award for 2004. The award was presented as part of a gala celebration at the 50th Annual Conservation Awards Ceremony on September 9, 2004, in San Ramon, California. ChevronTexaco honored Shirley for her more than thirty years of accomplishments and proclaimed that "because of her tireless efforts, the world is a safer place for primates."

Rhonda Zygocki (ChevronTexaco’s Vice President of Health, Environment and Safety) was Master of Ceremonies at the event and introduced the independent panel of judges who had selected the winners. Members of the panel included representatives from organizations such as the National Audubon Society, The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, the Wildlife Habitat Council, the Conservation Fund, the Natural Resources Council of America, and the host of the radio series Environmental Directions.

The judges placed great emphasis on the ability of the nominee to find creative solutions to environmental problems by working cooperatively with diverse organizations. This ability describes Shirley’s style perfectly and is one of the reasons why IPPL has made so many gains for primates in the last 31 years. "Her moral integrity, courage, and conviction are rivaled by none," wrote Liza Gadsby, co-director of the Nigerian monkey sanctuary Pandrillus, in her letter of support for Shirley’s nomination. "For this she earns the respect of professional and lay people alike, no matter where they stand on issues."

Robert L. Herbst, of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, was the keynote speaker. Mr. Herbst has served as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and National Parks, and as Acting Secretary for the Department of the Interior. In his presentation, Mr. Herbst offered a very interesting perspective from his 50 years of working on environmental issues. As I listened to his speech, I reflected on how much his approach resembles Shirley’s highly effective methods. He noted the need to carefully define the issue that needs to be addressed and to gather all the documentation and resources available on the subject. The next step is to proceed to work with many groups and individuals to achieve a common goal. Although it may take years to reach your objective, and harassment and personal threats may be encountered along the way, this must not stop progress. Mr. Herbst emphasized that work to protect the environment and everything in it is never completed and that the torch must be passed from generation to generation. This is truly a snapshot of Shirley’s philosophy as I have seen it in action.

One of the highlights of the Award Ceremony was a video of the Conservation Awards Honorees. Trinity Media taped Shirley’s interview at IPPL Headquarters in Summerville, South Carolina, and the melodious songs of the sanctuary gibbons provided very special background music. The video explained how Shirley’s life was changed forever when she witnessed the abuse of primates while living in Thailand in the early 1970s. She transformed her concern into action when she went on to form the International Primate Protection League. The video also provided an excellent overview of IPPL’s work in general and some of the grass roots primate protection efforts that IPPL supports in the far corners of the world.

The Awards were presented by Rhonda Zygocki and Peter Robertson (a Vice Chairman of the ChevronTexaco Board) and followed by a reception and dinner. The ChevronTexaco Award Ceremony was a perfect capstone to the impressively planned program to recognize Shirley and the other conservation leaders who have spent their lives making the world a better place.