The Nature Conservancy in Alabama has selected Birmingham’s Joyce Lanning, an environmental educator, prolific volunteer and government watchdog, as the first-ever recipient of its Alabama Women of Conservation Award.

Lanning accepted the award Thursday at a reception in Birmingham hosted by Graham and Company Commercial Real Estate.

“I’m honored to be selected as the first recipient of this award as a proxy for all the women in Alabama who’re helping to pass on a world where people and nature can thrive,” Lanning said in a news release.

“We’re the fourth most biodiverse state in the continental U.S. but have had nearly twice as many water and land species’ extinctions compared to the third most diverse state of California. We can and must do more to protect Alabama’s remarkable heritage and the prosperity of our state.”

Lanning received her bachelor’s from The University of Alabama followed by her master’s and PhD in Administration/Health Services from UAB. She served as assistant professor in the UAB Graduate School of Public Health and as assistant director for UAB Lister Hill Center for Health Policy.

In 1998, Lanning left UAB to serve as energy program consultant for the Alabama Environmental Council. Today, she is a volunteer environmental educator, an active member of Citizens Climate Lobby/Education and since 2009 and until recently has served on the Climate Change Task Force for the League of Women Voters U.S. She and her husband, Jerry, have been Nature Conservancy donors since 1985, including a land tract donated for conservation protection in 2010.

Lanning was nominated and confirmed by a selection committee, which included renowned Alabama-based conservationist and environmental activist Cameron Vowell, as well as Judith Crittenden, founder of the Crittenden Law Firm and current trustee of TNC Alabama, and Cindy Lowry, executive director of Alabama Rivers Alliance.

“We can think of no one better to receive our first award of this kind than Dr. Lanning,” said TNC Alabama State Director Mitch Reid. “Her longstanding commitment to raising awareness of and encouraging active participation in efforts to address climate change here and far beyond our state borders is commendable. Her impact will truly be felt for generations to come.”

In addition to her work with the environmental organizations, Lanning is a fixture at nearly every meeting of the Alabama Public Service Commission, taking detailed notes and making her views known to a wide range of government officials, from county commissioners to U.S. Senators.

“Given the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, along with insufficient government funding for Alabama conservation agencies, it means that the activities of [The Nature Conservancy] and other Alabama non-profit organizations are crucial to protect our health and wealth,” Lanning said.