Louis Bacon thanked by Mayor of New York

Louis Bacon and his colleague Ann Colley have been personally thanked by the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

Congratulating Bacon as a notable conservationist, Mayor Bloomberg spoke at the Jamaica Bay Science and Resilience Institute launch on 13 August 2013 about the work of the private sector to help protect the local environment.

Mayor Bloomberg said: “We would like to thank the private sector and philanthropic partners whose generosity is helping make those efforts possible, and that includes Louis Bacon and Ann Colley of Moore Charitable [Foundation].”

Jamaica Bay is an area that was completely ruined by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and the vast bay has had to come under protection to preserve its wetlands and natural woodland. The Science and Resilience Institute has been designed to research how to better protect the area, with a combination of research institutions and not-for-profit organisations teaming up to take part.

Prestigious groups involved include the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Park Service, the Secunda Family Foundation, National Grid and environment philanthropist Louis Bacon. The City University of New York will be at the head of the new institute, with significant involvement from Cornell, Columbia and Rutgers universities.

Louis Bacon has had much involvement in the  New York area with regard to conservation, having purchased Robins Island (part of Long Island) through an easement with the aim of restoring its natural habitats and waterways. He also purchased Cow Neck Farm in Long Island and donated the easement to the Peconic Land Trust, halting any development plans that may have damaged the land.

The acknowledgement by the Mayor of New York came only a few scant days after another pillar of the New York preservation community, the Peconic Land Trust, recognised Louis Bacon for his work towards conserving Long Island’s endangered working farms and natural land.

2013 has been a year of recognition for Louis Bacon and his various charitable foundations. In January 2013, he had the honour of being added to the recipients of the Audubon Medal, as an acknowledgement of his life-long achievements in conservation. A few months later, Forbes listed him as one of the greenest billionaires in the world.