Don Philpott
Don Philpott is the recipient of the 2022 Gold Medal Award for 30,000 hours of Volunteer Service.
Don is the current president of the Wekiva Wilderness Trust that supports Wekiwa Springs State Park, Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park and Rock Springs Run State Reserve. He also served recently as a board member and past president of the Florida State Parks Foundation and the National Association of State Park Foundations.
Don is a renowned author, journalist, broadcaster and public relations champion. He’s a master naturalist, a certified interpretive guide and a photographer.
For the last 27 years, he has developed a magical ability to inspire others and build relationships that have netted millions of dollars in donations to support state park goals.
One of his latest projects is documenting the township of Ethel at Rock Springs Run Reserve. Ethel once flourished a hundred years ago. All that remains is the small fenced-off cemetery, but we now know so much about Ethel that we can locate where the school was, as well as the railway station, store and almost all of the homestead cabins. Eventually, interpretive panels will tell the full story of Ethel, and historic markers will be placed at sites of special interest. If you want to learn more about Ethel, a free e-book can be downloaded.
We are honored to recognize Don Philpott with the Gold Medal Award for 30,000 hours of volunteer service.
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