Anne Mead Beals, of the Rappahannock Garden Club, is the winner of the 2019 de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation. The award was presented at Garden Club of Virginia annual meeting in Portsmouth on May 8.
Anne, shown at left with her son Thomas, has consistently promoted responsible forestry and the ideals of conservation. In 1973, Anne and her late husband, George, moved to 3,800-acre Oakley Farm in Spotsylvania County and managed it using responsible farming and forestry practices. Because of their efforts, Oakley Farm was designated as a Tree Farm in 1988, earned national recognition from the National Endowment for Soil and Water Conservation in 1990, won the Clean Water Farm Award in 1999 and was recognized as a Good Earth Conservation Farm. Since 2017, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has overseen the farm as the Oakley Forest Wildlife Management Area. It will be managed in perpetuity as working forestland. By putting 2,900 acres in perpetual managed care, the family has preserved open space, protected a fragile wildlife habitat and conserved natural resources. The remaining acreage, including two historic homes, remains in the family.
Anne worked with the local public school system to create the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience for 4th graders in Spotsylvania County, through a partnership between the Tri-County-City Soil and Water Conservation District and the Virginia Tech Extension Service. She chaired the GCV conservation and beautification committee from 2012-2014 and worked with the National Wildlife Foundation to create a presentation on climate change that she shared with GCV clubs.
Anne participated in the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute in 2004 and has served in leadership positions with many conservation organizations. In recognition of her lifelong conservation efforts, the GCV is proud to present Anne Mead Beals with the de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal.
