2016 Philanthropic Champion

Mt. Cuba Center, a botanical garden in Hockessin, Delaware hosts a variety of habitats, from upland forests and meadows to lowland ponds, featuring the diverse and exquisite flora of the Appalachian Piedmont. More than a beautiful garden, Mt. Cuba Center’s mission is to achieve conservation through inspiration – that is, to engage its visitors, students, and collaborators in a shared project to enhance the ecological value of landscapes large and small. From modest home gardens to large undeveloped parcels of open space, the Center advocates that all landscapes can contribute to a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem through mindful inclusion of native plants and environmentally-friendly management practices. Working with partners in the conservation community, since 2005 Mt. Cuba Center has helped preserve over 15,000 acres of open space in the mid- Atlantic region.

Ann Copeland Rose, president of the Mt. Cuba Center, will accept the award on Mt. Cuba Center’s behalf. Rose and Mt. Cuba Center have supported the Chesapeake Conservancy’s Nanticoke River Conservation Corridor initiative, the goal of which is to create an 8,500-acre corridor of protected lands that will ultimately sustain the region’s high level of biodiversity. The initiative has become a premier example of large landscape conservation and collaboration on the east coast. The Chesapeake Conservancy has built a collaborative atmosphere amongst all land conservation organizations working in the Nanticoke to protect the unique flora and fauna of the Nanticoke River watershed for current and future generations.