Florida Forest Service employee recognized as top environmental steward

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Tuesday gave a shout out to one of his own for being a top steward of the state’s natural resources.

Forest Service District Manager Cathy Lowenstein was named “2014 Resource Manager of the Year” at the Cabinet meeting in St. Augustine, according to a news release from Putnam’s office.

“Lowenstein has worked for the Florida Forest Service, a division within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, since 1979,” it said. “Most notably in her career, Lowenstein designed and implemented restoration plans in the wake of the devastating 1998 wildfires, which burned nearly 70-percent of Tiger Bay and Lake George.”

Putnam said: “Florida has a rich history of natural resource and environmental stewardship on its more than 12 million acres of land, and for decades Cathy has been dedicated to restoring and protecting our natural resources for generations to come.”

The Florida Forest Service manages more than 1 million acres of public forestland while protecting 26 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire, the release said.