Florida Environmental Advocacy

As a Biology Professor and long-time Tropical Audubon member, I owe a huge debt to the legion of dedicated ecosystem defenders. Among these, Laura Reynolds stands out in particular. I don’t know anyone who has effectively advanced a broader array of South Florida’s environmental issues than Laura has. Laura played a key role at the Tropical Audubon Society, devoting a decade to regional conservation and science activism, and placing the Miami Audubon chapter on the list of hyper-effective environmental groups. Some people wondered why a bird-centric organization would work so hard on complex energy issues, but Laura made it clear to the public that our ecosystem starts and ends with clean water and the human processes that compete for it. Laura directed a bright spotlight on how unbridled development and energy production conflict with protection Florida’s natural waters, from the Everglades to Florida Bay. Her passion and knowledge of water issues created never-ending ripples through the environmental and political worlds as her cadre of interns graduated to become change-makers in the environmental community.

Laura’s understanding of ecosystem science and policy have been a winning combination for environmental advocacy in South Florida. Her insightful perspective on how our energy choices influence water quantity and quality is vital. With her 10 years of understanding and thinking about these issues, we are fortunate to have her working on these issues for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Decoupling energy production and its large water demand is key to our future.

Laura Reynolds is a dedicated environmentalist, and her passion is based on science, knowledge and reason. For more than a decade, she has been a leader in advocating for sound public policy that puts our habitat, climate, land and water at the forefront. She understands that our human capacity to survive and thrive depends on how wisely we treat our natural resources, and she is able to communicate those messages to those who need to hear them.

As the Mayor of Pinecrest for the past eight years, issues regarding our local and state environmental and sustainable priorities were a high priority for me. It was important to be able to rely on a strong community watchdog for the many environmental issues we were concerned about in Miami Dade County. Laura Reynolds served as that watchdog for the past five years, bringing Tropical Audubon to new heights by significantly raising the community awareness and engaging them in advocacy. Laura was able to mix her love for the outdoors and adventure with her keen understanding of science, her passion is evident and contagious to others. She was highly effective in informing and persuading elected officials of the environmental impacts of proposed policies and offered well-reasoned alternative solutions.