Erik Lindbergh will be the Master of Ceremonies

On this Saturday evening, May 21, at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, the Lindbergh Foundation will present its annual honorary Lindbergh Awards to aviation pioneer Dr. Bertrand Piccard, the first person to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon, and environmental leader Yolanda Kakabadse, executive president of the Foundation for the Future of Latin America.

The Lindbergh Award event will begin with a reception in the Great Hall overlooking the State Capitol. Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies during the program.

Yolanda Kakabadse will be recognized for her lengthy record of coordinating the efforts of international environmental agencies, and for resolving conflicts between industry and environmental concerns throughout Latin America and the world. "We also applaud her focus on clarifying the role of ethics in globalization and on working to emphasize 'being rather than having,'" said Lindbergh Foundation Vice Chairman Kristina Lindbergh.

Dr. Bertrand Piccard will be recognized not only for his historic 'round-the-world flight in a balloon, and his spirit of adventure (which so closely mirrors that of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh), but for the new perspective on the environment that evolved from that experience. The Lindbergh Foundation is particularly impressed by his recent Solar Impulse project, which aims to promote sustainable development through an entirely solar powered aircraft.

Kakabadse and Piccard are both dynamic speakers and each will give a presentation. The evening includes an elegant sit-down dinner in the Great Hall and concludes with a dessert buffet reception in the rotunda. The Minnesota Historical Society has created a special Lindbergh display exclusively for this event.

Since 1978, the Lindbergh Foundation has presented the honorary Lindbergh Award to individuals whose work has made significant contributions toward improving the quality of life through balancing technological advancements and preservation of our environment. "One of the Lindbergh Foundation's core values is to honor individual achievement. In doing so, we also honor the Lindberghs who were each outstanding individual contributors to society - through aviation, writing, and the environment," said Foundation President Marlene White.

Unquestionably, Charles Lindbergh is best known for his historic New York-to-Paris flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. It is much less known that the Lindberghs held a unique perspective on the Earth stemming from Charles' boyhood growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River outside Little Falls, Minn., his barnstorming days in the early 1920s, and the survey flights he and Anne pioneered in the 1930s. Pioneer aviators flew much closer to the ground than we do today, keeping them more in touch with the land. Over the years, the Lindberghs witnessed enormous changes in the land, sky and water in the name of progress.

In addition to the honorary Lindbergh Award, the Foundation administers the Lindbergh Grants program, which is designed to put the Lindberghs' concept of balance into action.

The Foundation is pleased that several 2005 Lindbergh Grant recipients will be in attendance:

• Franco Basile, from the University of Wyoming, whose project is entitled, "Rapidly Detecting Bacterial Pathogens in Drinking and Waste Water to Prevent Contaminated Water from Being Released for Human Consumption" This project in health and water quality is sponsored by Maureen Lloyd.
• Laura E. Farrell M.Sc., from Bear Mountain Natural History Center in Vermont, whose project is entitled, "Determining the Bobcat and Lynx Diet and Distribution in the Northern Forest of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont using DNA analysis and Scat Detecting Dogs" This project in Conservation of Animal Resources is sponsored by Reeve Lindbergh.
• Dr. Rebecca V. Ferrell, from the Metropolitan State College of Denver, whose project is entitled, "Protecting the Earth's Oceans by Improving Vacation Resort Sewage Systems with a Quick Start Nitrification System in the Existing Wetlands of Quintana Roo, Mexico" This project in Waste Minimization and Management is sponsored by Knox Bridges.
• Sarah B. Lovern, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, whose project is entitled, "Analyzing the Impact of the Production of Nanoparticles on the Physical and Behavioral Responses of the Small Crustacean, Daphnia, a Major Source of Food for Fish"
• Dr. David Sands, from Montana State University, whose project is entitled, "Producing Biolubricants from Common Vegetable Oils in Order to Reduce Costly and Toxic Petroleum Motor Oil Use"

This Lindbergh Grants program provides grants in amounts up to $10,580 (the actual cost of building the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927) to individuals who are dedicated to finding appropriate solutions to our global environmental problems. These people have the talent, skill, energy and foresight to implement strategies that will work in the communities they plan to serve. The Foundation is particularly proud of its grants program, which enjoys an excellent reputation among the scientific community and the public sector for supporting exceptional, high-quality projects and dedicated researchers. Applicants undergo a rigorous, five-step selection process, including two independent volunteer review panels. To date, more than 250 individuals from around the world have received in excess of $2.4 million to support their work. Individual tickets for the event are $95 per person ($50 is tax-deductible).

FMI: www.lindberghfoundation.org