Winthrop’s Mathias Deming, Katahdin Area Council Boys Scouts of America winners of first Teddy Roosevelt award

UNITY — Maine Woods Forever has announced the first-ever recipients of the Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award, a youth-oriented award created to recognize young people and youth groups whose efforts are in the spirit of Roosevelt’s conservation ethic and achievements. This award recognizes what Maine’s youth are doing to conserve forest heritage. It also encourages them to become future conservation leaders, according to a news release from Maine Woods Forever.

Mathias Deming, 17, of Winthrop, was presented an award for a youth who has shown outstanding dedication, leadership and strong and steady growth in exhibiting Maine’s conservation ethic. One of his notable projects is an East/West Highway Documentary Video.

“Mathias wants to know the names and characteristics of Maine’s flora and fauna but he also sees the bigger picture,” said Jill Ippoliti, who nominated Mathias on behalf of the Friends of Baxter State Park, according to the release. “He has an appreciation for Maine’s natural resource based economy and an interest in related policy issues.”

“Through hard work, commitment and his skills as an advocate, he’s communicated his conservation ethic in ways that change the minds of key decision makers,” said Jeffrey Reardon, of Trout Unlimited, according to the release.

The Katahdin Area Council Boy Scouts of America was presented an award for outstanding achievement by a youth organization to recognize its creation of the Demonstration Forest and Trail Guide, which is used at the Katahdin Scout Reservation, Camp Roosevelt, in East Eddington, to educate hundreds of Scouts in forest ecology, forestry practices and conservation. Jim Robbins of Robbins Lumber made the nomination. Camp Roosevelt Scout staff Mike Aspinall and Scott Harvey, Scout executive for the Katahdin Area Council, accepted the award at the roundtable on behalf of the council.

The awards were announced March 6 at Maine Woods Forever’s 30th Roundtable event at Unity College’s Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information, visit www.mainewoodsforever.org and www.thoreauwabanakitrail.org.