Eddie Bridges ’57 beat out three other national finalists to claim the 2004 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year award. The award, presented Feb. 13 in Las Vegas, nets Bridges a $50,000 grant to fund conservation efforts in his home state of North Carolina. Bridges says the money will likely be put back into one of the conservation programs he helped establish.
“I’m so excited I can hardly stand it,” he said. “I think this award will motivate our program tremendously because people see you’re doing something worthwhile.”
Bridges has been devoted to wildlife conservation since he was a young boy growing up near Morganton, N.C. He has served on the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and created the Wildlife Endowment Fund, which has generated more than $71 million for conservation efforts.