Proposed by: The Garden Club of Palm Beach, Zone VIII

Carlton Ward, Jr. is an enthusiastic conservationist and award-winning National Geographic photographer and filmmaker who tells the stories of endangered species and the need for a sustainable environment. He is a proud eighth-generation Floridian descended from a pioneer ranching family, and honorary member of the GCA. 

Carlton played a pivotal role in creating the Florida Wildlife Corridor through legislative advocacy, protecting eighteen million acres of land and water. In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida Wildlife Corridor bill into law. This project connects all of Florida’s national and state parks with tracts of open land from the Panhandle to the Keys, ensuring the survival of wildlife by protecting habitat and water sources from development. Carlton’s photographs showed how farmers and ranchers are part of the solution, protecting biodiversity and wildlife corridors. Path of the Panther, another project has brought attention to America’s most endangered cat. 

Carlton’s work behind the camera on PBS and in National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Nature Conservancy magazines captures the purpose of the GCA, helping to change attitudes and spur people to conserve Florida’s ecosystem.