Joe Dunn earns FOLA’s Jim Thomas Award

The Friends of Lake Apopka organization has honored former executive director Joe Dunn with the Jim Thomas Environmental Hero Award for his diligent efforts and commitment to Lake Apopka. In his nine years with FOLA, Dunn has served as president, executive director and board member.

The award was presented to Dunn at the quarterly FOLA meeting Sept. 10. The annual Jim Thomas Environmental Award to a recipient who “exemplifies the passion and commitment of FOLA founder Jim Thomas and who contributes to the continued restoration of Lake Apopka.”

Before presenting the award, Steve Koontz, president of the FOLA board of directors, praised Dunn.

“He has been a passionate advocate for Lake Apopka and the legacy of Jim Thomas, and he is always quick to recognize those that join in to help in improving the health of this great lake and the surrounding communities,” Koontz said. “Joe has been a friend, mentor, leader and inspiration.”

“I am humbled to be honored by people that I respect and love,” Dunn said. “To me, this award is representative of all that FOLA has accomplished in the past nine years.

I have always said, ‘I can’t do much, but we can do anything.’ And we have done a lot.”

Dunn played a key role in securing $10.9 from Orange County & MetroPlan Orlando and $2 million in state funds for connecting the West Orange Trail to Magnolia Park and Green Mountain to Hancock Road, respectively. He also was integral in securing $7 million in state funds to control hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant, and bringing the lake to pre-2018 levels.

Dunn joined FOLA in 2015 after meeting Thomas and appreciating the environmental advocate’s passion for the lake.

He said he is proud of two accomplishments with FOLA: controlling the hydrilla in the lake and creating the FOLA 40 in 2017.

“Helping (St. Johns River Water Management District) save Lake Apopka from the existential threat of hydrilla has to be near the top,” Dunn said. “At one point, almost half of the 31,000-acre lake was choked with the invasive aquatic weed. It took four years of fighting, but with support from our local state legislators, hydrilla is now under control and being kept at minimum levels. Native aquatic vegetation is flourishing again.

The FOLA 40 bike ride is an annual signature event that takes participants around Lake Apopka. It was started to raise awareness about the continuing restoration of Florida’s fourth-largest lake, the network of trails surrounding the lake and the need to connect those trails into a 42-mile safe cycling path.

“In 2026, we will have accomplished the third goal, and the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, which sits directly on Florida’s Coast-to-Coast Connector, will attract cyclists from all over the country,” Dunn said.

In addition, Dunn was actively involved in various local environmental initiatives, including the Johns Lake discharge canal improvements, the Newton Park dredging engineering study and the creation of a uniform sign system for the Lake Apopka Loop Trail.

CONTINUING THE LEGACY

Dunn has stepped down from his position as FOLA executive director, but he plans to remain active on the FOLA board.

“His legacy of environmental stewardship continues to inspire those who work to protect Florida’s natural resources,” Koontz said.

FOLA now is on the hunt for a new executive director.

“We have a strong board of directors, but almost all of them have full-time jobs,” Dunn said. “As a retiree, I could devote many hours to running FOLA’s day-to-day activities. I can’t do that anymore, so FOLA is actively looking for a volunteer to be the new executive director. We also have leadership opportunities for events coordinator, outreach coordinator and membership coordinator. We are looking for a few new faces with the passion and energy to be effective environmental advocates.”