National Wildlife Refuge Association Presents Inaugural Lifetime Refuge Friend Award to Conservation Pioneer Florence LaRiviere
For Immediate Release September 1st, 2026
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org
PALO ALTO, CA – The National Wildlife Refuge Association presented its inaugural Lifetime Refuge Friend Award to Florence LaRiviere, honoring more than six decades of extraordinary leadership to protect the wetlands, wildlife, and open spaces of San Francisco Bay.
Desirée Sorenson-Groves with Florence LaRiviere, inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Refuge Friend Award, in LaRiviere’s home near San Francisco Bay | Refuge Association
At 102 years old, LaRiviere remains a powerful voice for conservation and a living link to the grassroots movement that helped create and expand Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, now one of the nation’s largest urban national wildlife refuges. Her lifelong advocacy helped protect thousands of acres of critical wetlands and wildlife habitat for future generations.
“Florence LaRiviere embodies what it means to be a Refuge Friend,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “She saw the value of the Bay’s wetlands when others saw empty land waiting to be developed, and then she did something about it. For more than 60 years, Florence has shown us that persistence, vision, and community action can transform the future of an entire ecosystem. We are honored to present her with the very first Lifetime Refuge Friend Award.”
LaRiviere’s conservation journey began in the 1950s, after she and her husband, Philip, began taking their children to the Baylands near their Palo Alto home. They quickly fell in love with the tidal marshes and the abundance of birds and wildlife they found there. But LaRiviere soon saw that dredging and development proposals threatened to destroy the wetlands she had come to cherish.
In 1965, after responding to a call for concerned citizens to learn more about threats facing the San Francisco Bay shoreline, LaRiviere began organizing. She brought together neighbors, conservationists, civic organizations, and elected officials to build support for permanent federal protection of the Bay’s remaining wetlands. She and her fellow advocates spoke to fraternal organizations, women’s clubs, garden clubs, and community groups, bringing people to the shoreline to show them what was at stake.
Their grassroots campaign helped lead to the establishment of San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in 1972, when legislation sponsored by Congressman Don Edwards was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. LaRiviere continued the fight after the refuge was created, recognizing that additional wetlands still needed protection.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge protects thousands of acres of San Francisco Bay wetlands and provides nearby communities with access to wildlife and open space | USFWS
In 1985, she helped form the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, a volunteer organization dedicated to expanding the refuge and preventing development on adjacent wetlands. The effort ultimately helped secure an additional 20,000 acres of protected habitat through legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. In 1995, the refuge was renamed Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in honor of the congressman who championed its creation.
LaRiviere also played a significant role in the effort to protect Bair Island in Redwood City, helping build the coalition that prevented thousands of acres of Bay wetlands from being developed and set them on a path toward restoration.
“Florence understood something fundamental long before it became conventional wisdom: protecting wildlife means protecting the places wildlife depend on, and protecting those places requires people willing to stand up and speak out,” said Sorenson-Groves. “Her legacy is not simply the acres of wetlands that were saved. It is the community of people she inspired to care, organize, and keep fighting. The Refuge System is stronger because Florence LaRiviere refused to give up.”
The significance of LaRiviere’s work has only grown with time. Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 30,000 acres and provides habitat for hundreds of species, including endangered wildlife such as the California Ridgway’s Rail and Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. The refuge also gives millions of people in the Bay Area the opportunity to experience wildlife, wetlands, and open space close to home.
LaRiviere has continued to advocate for the Bay well into her second century. In a recent interview, she expressed concern about continued development along the fragile boundary between tidal marshes and uplands, particularly as sea-level rise increases the vulnerability of coastal communities and ecosystems. She has also continued to encourage new residents and conservationists to get involved in protecting wetlands.
Her advice remains direct: “Find a wetlands protection group and get involved.”
The National Wildlife Refuge Association established the Lifetime Refuge Friend Award to recognize individuals whose extraordinary and sustained commitment has strengthened the National Wildlife Refuge System and inspired others to protect wildlife and habitat. LaRiviere is the award’s inaugural recipient.
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As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the Refuge System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.
