Local volunteer wins prestigious award | Home & Garden

A local Huntsville volunteer has been presented with a prestigious award.

Vernon Bush, a volunteer at the Huntsville Botanical Garden, has been presented with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Conservation Award Medal and NSDAR Conservation Award Certificate for his epoch achievements in wildlife conservation.

The NSDAR Conservation Medal is awarded to an adult with a distinguished volunteer conservation record. Those who receive the award must show outstanding efforts in wildlife and nature centers, using native plantings to attract birds and wildlife while providing them with: food, water, cover and places to raise their young. Vernon was nominated for the award by the Twickenham Town Chapter DAR in Huntsville, Ala.

In addition to volunteering with the boatnical gardens, Bush works with the Jackson County Park. He works to preserve rare and endangered plants in both locations.

Bush also created the Nature Trail at Jacson Park in 1997. The Jackson County Park has been planted with many unusual native wildflowers such as various species of trillium, native orchids, jack-in-the-pulpit, ginger as well as ferns and fern allies. Bush designed and laid out the trails, built bridges, arbors and benches.

Bush has also done a great deal for the Huntsville Botanical Garden Nature Trail, including helping with the building of the bog gardens as well as helping to create the Azalea Trail.

Bush has also been awarded with Volunteer of the Year at the botanical gardens in 2005, He was the first recipient and the namesake of the Vernon Bush Distinguished Service Award at the Garden in 2011 and the Jackson County Park named the nature trail he created the Vernon Bush Trail.

The Alabama Society DAR State Regent Marguerite Poole Horton will present the award to Vernon Bush at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27 at the Huntsville Botanical Garden by the Azalea Trail.

For more information, contact Nicole Hogan at nhogan@hsvbg.org or 256-426-6435.