Elizabeth M. Lowe

2008 Margaret Douglas Medal

Presented to Betsy Lowe, whose idea was to build a combination zoo, aquarium and science and nature center. She wanted to tell the story of science and nature and help people understand the forces that shape the Adirondacks. In 1999, the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks gained legal status and voters of Tupper Lake donated a 31 acre site along the Raquette River and in 2006, the wild Center opened.

The Margaret Douglas Medal is awarded for notable service to the cause of conservation education.

The Margaret Douglas Medal was endowed by Priscilla Sleeper Sterling (Mrs. Robert D. Sterling), Garden Club of Dublin and Monadnock Garden Club, both Zone I, to honor Margaret Bell Douglas (Mrs. Walter Douglas: 1890–1963), GCA member-at-large. The medal was designed by Art Deco sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan in 1952. A native of Canada, Margaret spent much of her adult life in the American Southwest and Mexico. She is credited with the introduction of the papaya crop to Mexico and she helped establish the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. She was the recipient of the GCA’s Achievement Medal in 1954.

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