CONTACT: Rachelle Selser
Executive Director, Green Horizon Land Trust
863-678-1237; greenhorizonlandtrust@gmail.com

CONTACT: Brian Ososky
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
863-734-1210; bososky@boktower.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2015

Green Horizon Land Trust Annual Dinner & Silent Auction
Mar. 15 at Bok Tower Gardens

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Bok Tower Gardens will host the Green Horizon Land Trust’s Annual Dinner on Saturday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m., sponsored by AMEC/Foster/Wheeler Environmental & Infrastructure, Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, Duke Energy, and Mosaic.

Dr. Harold Browning, the Chief Operations Officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, a non-profit Direct Service Organization of the University of Florida, will present "Citrus Greening."

Rachelle Coleman Selser, Executive Director of Green Horizon Land Trust said, “I am excited to be part of this wonderful organization and am looking forward to the Annual Dinner at Bok Tower Gardens as an opportunity to share our successes from the past and vision for the future.”

Another of the evening’s highlights is the presentation of The Blazing Star Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the preservation of environmentally-sensitive lands or environmental education. The 2015 recipient is Myra Zilahy.

Myra Zilahy is a native of Babson Park, Florida. She received her early education in the Babson Park and Lake Wales public school system. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Tulane University and juris doctorate degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in both New Hampshire and Florida.

Myra was one of the founders of Green Horizon Land Trust in 1991 and served as the organization’s president until 1995. Prior to her involvement with the land trust, she served two terms as president of the Defenders of Crooked Lake. She counts among her conservation mentors some of the previous recipients of The Blazing Star Award.

Myra currently lives in Vero Beach, where for the past 11 years she has been a board member of the Indian River Land Trust and is the senior staff attorney with the 19th Judicial Circuit Court specializing in civil litigation.

Past recipients of The Blazing Star Award include: Yvonne Babb (2001); M.C. Davis (2002); John Perry (2003); Ken and Helen Morrison (2004); Frances and Richard Coleman (2005); Nancy Bissett (2006); Sen. Paula Dockery (2007); Martha Sehi (2008); Marian Ryan (2009); Virginia McKinley (2010); Gaye Sharpe (2011); Charles “Chuck” Geanangel (2012); Buck and Linda Cooper (2013); and Rick Dantzler (2014).

Several items will be available for bid as part of a silent auction fundraiser at the event, including: two original framed acrylic Highwaymen paintings by artist Al Black; a numbered, signed, matted and framed Peace River CHNEP print by artist Diane Pierce; Diane Pierce “Scrub Jay” numbered and signed print; Brook Pottery porcelain bread tray; porcelain mugs, porcelain plate, plants from The Natives and Bok’s gift shop, and several books: Highwaymen Painters, Rufino Osorio’s A Gardener’s Guide to Florida Native Plants, Minno’s Florida Butterfly Gardening, and much more.

Entertainment for the evening features light jazz, sounds of saxophone and guitar from local artists, David Prince and Cory Harmon, who call themselves “Changes.”

A donation of $30 per person includes a guided hike at 4 p.m., beer and wine reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner (catered by Terri Lobb Catering) and program at 6:30 p.m. It also includes free admission to Bok Tower Gardens for anyone wishing to come early for the 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. carillon concert.

Green Horizon Land Trust was created in 1991 to preserve environmentally valuable or sensitive lands and open space areas in and around the Central Florida Ridge for the benefit of the general public, and to educate the public as to the importance of such lands and their preservation.

For more information or to RSVP for the event, visit the web at www.greenhorizon.org, call 863-678-1237 or email greenhorizonlandtrust@gmail.com no later than Monday, March 9.

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