BANGOR – The New Brunswick Salmon Council Inc. has selected Richard J. Warren of Bangor as the 2005 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation. The Hon. Hermenegilde Chiasson, lieutenant governor of New Brunswick and honorary patron of the salmon council, made the announcement during a reception at Old Government House in Fredericton.

“Conservation and environmental stewardship know no boundaries. The desire to protect our natural resources does not end at our borders,” said Chiasson. “I am delighted to present the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation to Richard Warren. His efforts inspire those on both sides of the border, and help to preserve this species for all.”

Salmon council President Bill Ensor said, “Rick Warren is generous with his time and resources to conserve and restore wild Atlantic salmon throughout their North American range. He has an especially strong commitment to the Upsalquitch River in northern New Brunswick, where he owns two camps and employs 14 people during the angling season.”

Warren is editor and publisher of the Bangor Daily News and The Weekly. He has been a director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation for 15 years, serves on its executive committee, and has been instrumental in raising the profile of wild Atlantic salmon and the issues facing their survival through his chairmanship of the federation’s education and communications committee.

His newspaper’s readership and his support for the restoration of the Penobscot River are vital to the success of the campaign to remove three dams, council officials said. He is active in community affairs and serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Quebec-Labrador Foundation and Forest Society of Maine, and is a member of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Award, the New Brunswick Salmon Council’s most prestigious honor, is presented annually to an organization or individual who has made considerable contributions to conservation of the wild Atlantic salmon in the province.

The award is hand-carved from a piece of New Brunswick black cherry by local artist Bill Page, and has been on permanent display at Old Government House since it was first awarded to Joseph F. Cullman III of New York in 1999. Last year’s recipient was Bud Bird of Fredericton.

On learning of his award, Warren said, “I first fished for Atlantic salmon about 30 years ago when I returned to Maine to live. My appreciation for the salmon and their environment and the people and traditions of the sport grew quickly. I endeavor to promote live-release angling as one way for anglers to contribute to future runs. The practice is here to stay.”

Warren will receive the award from the lieutenant governor at a dinner in Saint John, sponsored by the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the New Brunswick Salmon Council, and the Miramichi Salmon Association, to be held at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre on Wednesday, Oct. 19.