Horton Hears a Hooray

Tom Horton is 2012 Groutt award honoree

If the natural world had an avatar, it’d be Tom Horton.

That’s one way biology professor and environment activist Judith Stribling describes Horton, a native Eastern Shore man and longtime advocate for environmental causes.

“He is such a product of nature, yet an articulate communicator with humans,” Stribling said. “He is intensely devoted to the mission of directing our attention both to what we are doing wrong and to what we can do that is right when it comes to the world around us.”Horton is this year’s recipient of the annual John Groutt Award for Environmental Stewardship. The Wicomico Environmental Trust will honor Horton with the award at its annual dinner meeting beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at The Fountains Conference Center in Salisbury.

While I don't know hm personally, by all accounts, Tom Horton is a great guy, and a tireless advocate for the Bay.  While I doubt I agree with him in all his goals and methods, I think a tension between doing everything to make something better, and finding a practical way to live in the world is a good thing.