Earlier this week, President Joe Biden recognized Clyde Butcher, a Southwest Florida landscape photographer, with a National Medal of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals, in a private ceremony in the Oval Office.

For decades, Clyde Butcher has been Florida’s answer to Ansel Adams, renowned for his iconic, large-format, black-and-white photography of the wild places that make Florida special. He has brought wild Florida’s value and vulnerability to the world through exhibits, award-winning documentaries, and books.

“Butcher is almost as renowned for his process as his product, photographing the shaded swamps of Florida, waist-deep in dark water, capturing the imagination of viewers and inspiring others to follow in his soggy footprints,” says Keith Laakkonen, director for Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

Butcher joins other recipients of this prestigious award including Spike Lee, Stephen Spielberg, and Ken Burns.

In 2018, Butcher was recognized by Audubon Florida with a Teddy Roosevelt Award, established to recognize individual action or leadership that shows resilience, resolve, and courage on behalf of Florida’s environment, at the annual Audubon Assembly. He has spent many hours immersed in Southwest Florida wetlands, including those at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. 

In honor of the Sanctuary’s 70th anniversary, Butcher’s photo of a new boardwalk, built in 1996 alongside the original, has been prominently displayed in exhibits and will serve as the cover for a retrospective publication due out at the end of the year.

“We have greatly appreciated Clyde’s interest in sharing the beauty of special places like Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary,” Laakkonen adds.