Fall 2025 Lady Slipper Award Goes to Amos Dawson III
Once every season, we honor an outstanding volunteer with our Lady Slipper Award. This Fall, the award goes to Amos Dawson III. Our Volunteer Coordinator Mary Miller talked with Amos about the great work he does to support Conserving Carolina. Thank you, Amos!
How long have you been a volunteer with Conserving Carolina?
13 years.
In what capacity do you typically volunteer with Conserving Carolina? How have you volunteered for Conserving Carolina in the past?
I am a past president. I currently serve on the Board, the Executive Committee, Land Protection Committee Chair, Stewardship Committee, Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy Board and Walnut Creek Preserve Board.
What brought you to Western North Carolina, and what has been your inspiration for becoming involved with Conserving Carolina?
I have always loved the mountains. I was a camper and summer camp counselor at a camp in northern Georgia. My wife Gail and I came to Saluda for our honeymoon. We fell in love with this area and came back each year for our anniversary. On our 5th anniversary, we bought a house outside of Saluda and moved to the area full time in 2012. When I learned about Conserving Carolina (CMLC) from our realtor, I knew I needed to get involved in preserving Nature in this incredibly diverse and important ecosystem.
What was your education/career background before coming to the area?
I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1969, served in the Navy and them returned to Chapel Hill for law school, graduating in 1975. I have been practicing environmental law in North and South Carolina for the past 50 years, first with the NC Attorney General’s Environmental Division and then in private practice.
How did you come to be so involved with Conserving Carolina? What motivates you to continue focusing so much of your time and energy on furthering conservation efforts?
I have always believed in the need for conservation. For the first five years of my law practice, I did environmental protection work for the State of North Carolina. I represented the NC Coastal Resources Commission, regulating development in the 20 coastal counties, and saw firsthand how important it is to protect our natural areas. I believe strongly we must dispel the notion humans are somehow separate from the rest of Nature. Our non-human brothers and sisters sustain us, and we have an obligation to protect and conserve them. Conserving Carolina is in the forefront of that effort, and that is why I am passionate about our mission.
What is your “favorite” environmental conservation issue, either facing WNC or in another community?
Addressing Climate Change and promoting Sustainability
What has been your most rewarding experience in volunteering with Conserving Carolina?
Having the opportunity to work and build relationships with our incredible staff and board members while preserving 50,000 acres.
What are your hopes and/or expectations for Conserving Carolina in the future?
My hope and expectation are that Conserving Carolina will continue to be an inspirational leader in preserving and protecting Nature; building a conservation minded community; fighting for diversity, equity and inclusion for all of God’s creatures and promoting the just and proper use of Creation.
What else do you like to do when you aren’t volunteering for Conserving Carolina? Your other interests, passions, hobbies and pursuits?
I love being outdoors, hiking and playing golf (which is about the only sport I can still engage in). I like reading about Nature and spirituality. And I love spending time with my soul mate Gail and our 4 kids and 5 grandkids.
What other interesting, cool and exciting information about you can we share with our readers? Do you have a motto or quote that you try to live by, that has informed your commitment to volunteering with Conserving Carolina?
Being a summer camp counselor was the best job I ever had. I got out of the Navy in Scotland in 1971 and spent a year hitchhiking around Europe. I got a job working on construction of what was then the largest suspension bridge in northern Europe near Bergen, Norway. I fell in love with that beautiful country and later took an undergraduate Norwegian language course while in law school. I am pretty sure I am the only graduate of UNC law school with a course credit in Norwegian. My motto: It is never wrong to do the right thing.