The Nature Conservancy in Texas announces more than $317,000 was raised at the 2018 Dallas Spring Party, held on Friday, April 13, 2018.
Held at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, over 300 guests attended the annual fundraiser, which supports conservation initiatives through the state of Texas. The evening began with a reception on the Ginsburg Plaza. Partygoers mingled as they enjoyed cocktails, including the evening’s signature cocktail, Bee’s Knees, courtesy of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and hors d’oeuvres. A highlight was a surprise visit from a duo of flamingos from the Dallas Zoo, who entertained party guests before dinner.
At the appointed time, attendees progressed into Rosine Hall for the seated dinner. Guests enjoyed a salad course of tomato-cucumber rosette with baby arugula and French tarragon vinaigrette, with Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Texas, following with a brief welcome and a thank you to all in attendance, including statewide sponsor of event, Mary Kay Inc.. She also took a moment to recognize this year’s honorary chairs, Emily and David Corrigan, before sharing updates on protection highlights throughout the state of Texas by The Nature Conservancy.
Dinner continued with an entrée of beef tenderloin with wild mushroom demi and duo of potato galette and spring asparagus followed by a dessert trio of lemon meringue, chocolate mousse with truffle Chantilly and carrot cake petit fours.
Huffman returned to introduce the featured guest speaker, Joel Sartore, a photographer, speaker, author, teacher, National GeographicFellow and regular contributor to National Geographicmagazine. Sartore enthralled attendees with his wit and visual images of some of the most endangered and rarest species on the planet as part of his work on National Geographic’s The Photo Ark: A World Worth Saving, a 25-year project to save species and habitat.
Following remarks, patrons returned to the plaza for post-dinner cocktails and hot beignets.
Dallas Spring Partyattendees included, Laura Huffman, state director, The Nature Conservancy in Texas; honorary chairs Emily and David Corrigan; Lyda Hill; Suzanne and David Holl; Jane and Pat Bolin; Terry and Steve Casey; Mary and Bo Howard; Ruth Mutch; Ann and Matt Schooler; Vera and Bob Thornton; Joyce and Les Coleman, Susan and Joel Williams; Peggy Dear; Suzanne and Enrico Bartolucci; Suzanne and Stuart Guthrie, Betty Regard; Trisha Wilson and Jeb Terry; Laura and Simon Whiting; and JoAnne and Tony Roosevelt.
For more information about The Nature Conservancy in Texas, visit www.nature.org/texas.
About Joel Sartore
Joel Sartore is a photographer, speaker, author, teacher, National GeographicFellow and regular contributor to National Geographicmagazine. Most importantly he is an avid conservationist who began the ambitious National GeographicPhoto Ark project 11 years ago in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. Since then, he has visited more than 40 countries in his quest to create this photo archive of global diversity. To date Sartore has captured over 7,500 images of wildlife, putting him over half way to reaching his goal of documenting 12,000 unique species.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. We address the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. Thanks to the support of our more than 1 million members, we’ve built a tremendous record of success since our founding in 1951, including the protection of more than 119 million acres of land and thousands of miles of rivers worldwide.
Since 1964, The Nature Conservancy in Texas has been committed to protecting our state’s sweeping landscapes, from rugged coastline to winding rivers to rich longleaf pine forests. With an expansive network of scientists, staff and partners, The Nature Conservancy is on the front lines, protecting the lands, waters and coasts that we all depend on. Our ambitions are bold, and our commitment unwavering. By 2020, we seek to have an unprecedented 1 million acres in Texas in conservation. We will protect the freshwater systems that provide drinking water to 25 million Texans. And we will restore healthy fisheries, reefs and shorelines in critical locations in the Gulf of Mexico.
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