Famous Author Carl Hiaasen to Headline Audubon Feathers and Friends Gala

Sept. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Join celebrated author, investigative reporter, columnist and environmentalist, Carl Hiaasen, as he will be the featured keynote speaker at the Feathers & Friends Gala 2012, presented by Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the Collier County Audubon Society.

As a Florida native, Hiaasen grew up on the edge of Florida’s Everglades in the city of Plantation, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He spent his childhood romping through the mangrove swamps and freshwater lagoons surrounding his home, soaking up the natural beauty around him, and developing an early fascination and appreciation of nature. However, it was the late 1950s and 60s, a period of rampant development in the environmentally sensitive state of Florida, and he witnessed large tracts of swampland disappearing as they were filled in by developers eager to build houses, strip malls and resorts.

What area developers call progress, Hiaasen calls destruction, and as a reporter, columnist and author, he has used his columns and books to air his objections in his own trademark humorous, satirical, and very powerful way.

“Seeing a place you loved cut up and parceled made me cynical at an early age,” Hiaasen has explained.

Since joining the Miami Herald in 1976, Hiassen spoke out about tough issues and he began writing novels in the 1980s with topics frequently involving dirty development deals, corruption and political scandals. Hiaasen says most of his characters and storylines are stolen from headlines or contemporary situations. His books, like many of his columns, often deal with environmental issues.

Tickets are now available to see Hiaasen at the Feathers & Friends Gala on February 9, 2012 at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. This annual winter fundraising dinner benefits Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Collier County Audubon Society.  For more information about tickets and sponsorships, please contact: Lori Beall, (239) 643-7822 or  LBeall@collieraudubon.org.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is considered the “jewel in the crown” of the National Audubon Society. For over 100 years, the area just east of Naples has been protected by Audubon wardens providing a safe haven for birds, wildlife and the largest stand of old growth cypress trees in North America. Today, 13,000 acres of native habitats are managed by Audubon staff. Over 100,000 visitors are welcomed each year to explore the 2.25-mile boardwalk trail and experience the “real Florida.”  An invaluable outdoor classroom, Corkscrew presents environmental education programs for over 4,000 students annually.

The Collier County Audubon Society is an independent chapter of National Audubon Society and Audubon of Florida with approximately 2,000 members, and is one of the most effective policy and lobbying organizations in SW Florida pursuing environmental protection and smart growth. Its mission is to promote an understanding of, and interest in, wildlife and the natural environment that supports it, and to conserve as much of the Southwest Florida environment as possible.

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Founded in 1961, the Collier County Audubon Society is the oldest conservation organization in Collier County. As one of 43 local Florida chapters dedicated to preserving the quality of life in our respective communities, one of their primary efforts is maintaining an awareness of local, regional, and state environmental and conservation issues. Accordingly, their mission, in partnership with Audubon of Florida and National Audubon Society, is to promote an understanding of and interest in wildlife and the environment that supports it, and to further the cause of conservation of all of our natural resources