Audubon of Florida presented Mary Barley with its 2009 Champion of the Everglades Award at the annual Audubon Assembly’s first Women in Conservation Awards banquet held Friday, October 23, 2009 in St. Petersburg.

The award, previously given to such notable Florida leaders as Governor Charlie Crist and former U.S. Senator Bob Graham, recognizes an individual whose long-term commitment to the Everglades has moved restoration forward. Mary Barley and her late husband George were shocked by the condition of Florida Bay in the 1990s and took leadership roles in the effort to push for the clean up of pollution entering the ecosystem. After George’s untimely death, Mary took up the torch and helped galvanize public support for important policies and landmark decisions to successfully restore the Everglades, including a pollution standard for water quality, the concept of polluter pays, and the purchase of the Talisman property in the Everglades Agricultural Area. She was also a leader in securing Congressional passage of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Barley helped form and currently serves as Vice Chairperson of the Everglades Foundation and President of The Everglades Trust, which have become influential in Florida politics and policy making. Barley also serves on the Boards of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, World Wildlife Fund Marine Leadership Committee, Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.), and the Sierra Club Foundation. She has received many accolades for her commitment to the environment, including being names Time magazine's "Hero for the Planet."

From her home in the Florida Keys, Mary Barley keeps a watchful eye on all facets of Everglades restoration and adds her voice and moral influence at critical moments. She belongs in the lineage of that whose heroic interventions have made a lasting difference in Everglades restoration and that is why Audubon of Florida has named her the 2009 Champion of the Everglades.