Guy Marwick Honored with 2024 Acorn Conservation Award
Horse Farms Forever is honored to present the Acorn Conservation Award to Guy Marwick, Founder of the Silver River Museum and Director of The Felburn Foundation. The Award will be presented at the Springs Forever! Conservation Summit to be held on Thursday, November 14 from 5 to 7 PM at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena.
The Acorn Conservation Award is given to an individual that has made a significant contribution to the preservation of land and horse farms in Marion County. Guy has been instrumental in protecting thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land in Marion County and across Florida.
In the early 1970s, Guy was inspired to help protect the environment after reading Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring. Since then, he has devoted much of his career to protecting the environment, either through science-based education or through boots on the ground land conservation.
His passion for science education started when he was a teacher at Osceola Middle School in Marion County. He saw the need for active learning programs in his classroom, which led to him founding and serving as the Director of the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center over thirty years ago. The museum opened in 1991 as a partnership with Marion County Public Schools and over 20,000 people visit the museum every year, with 10,000 being school children on field trips.
Guy’s dedication to land conservation was fueled by watching the wilderness that he explored as a child in Broward County be developed. Through his leadership, he has championed the preservation of Silver Springs and the Silver River. In 2013, he was instrumental in the designation of Silver Springs as a State Park, which now encompasses 4,000 acres. Guy also helped protect over 10,000 acres of the spring shed surrounding Silver Springs through the preservation of the 465-acre Silver Springs Sandhill property, the 4,900-acre Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area, as well as the 4,568-acre Indian Lake State Forest.
In addition, Guy helped spearhead Marion County’s Pennies for Parks program, which through a $20 million bond issue in 1988, created several new parks including Brick City Adventure Park, Independence Park, the Wrigley Fields sportsplex near Citra, and it also helped expand and upgrade Carney Island on Lake Weir. As Director of The Felburn Foundation, Guy finds inspiration as the Foundation has not only helped protect land in Florida, but also waterfalls in the Carolinas, caves in Georgia and springs in Kentucky. In addition, the Foundation has built libraries and educational facilities, funded environmental research, and even helped protect endangered animals as far away as Africa and Australia.
“Every year, through my work at the Felburn Foundation, we get to do about 50 really great projects,” says Guy. “This gives me hope for the future because we are accomplishing something that will help make the world a better place.”
For this year’s Conservation Summit, Horse Farms Forever is creating awareness about how important the Farmland Preservation Area is, not only for the equine community but also for springs and the Floridan Aquifer, which is the main source of our drinking water. The Farmland Preservation Area serves as part of the recharge area for two of Marion County’s First Magnitude Springs – Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs.
Photo by Mark Emery
Please join us as we celebrate the many accomplishments of Guy Marwick, a champion for Marion County’s springs and an ardent protector of our environment and natural resources.
The Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center provides unique hands-on learning opportunities for Marion County Public School students, staff and the general public. Visitors learn about the cultural and natural history of Florida, and the importance of protecting and conserving cultural and natural resources.
Their primary mission is to educate Marion County Public School students about Florida history and science, and assist them in achieving the highest scholastic standards possible. They strive to promote good stewardship of our environment with the hope of providing a better tomorrow.
Each school day, students are bused to the museum for classes. Fourth-grade students visit as part of their Florida history requirement. Students in 4th and 5th grades also visit for science instruction. Over 20,000 people visit the museum each year, 10,000 of whom are children on field trips.
The museum is located within Silver Springs State Park. It is closed during the week to the public as Marion County school children attend classes. On weekends, the museum is staffed by park service personnel and volunteers and is open to the public both Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Admission is $2 per person. Children under age six visit for free.
2024 Summit Sponsors
Title Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Marketing & Media Partners
GOLD
Paul & Ann Kaplan
Matt & Courtney Varney
Bill Kearns
SILVER
Imagine
BRONZE
MARKETING PARTNERS
