Fifth Annual Grassroots Leadership Award
Presented to Fred V. Grau, Jr.
“In Recognition of His Dedication to Defending Private Property Rights & Constitutional Representative Government”

When Fred V. Grau, Jr., president of Grasslyn, Inc., of State College, Pennsylvania, found his family seed production business threatened by the specter of government policies to counter so-called “invasive species,” he did not take the usual approach, such as cutting deals, doing whatever a person can to keep operating, and not worrying about the national implications. Instead, he took a pioneering lead to expose the implications of the insidious new paradigm to diminish private property rights. Applying his knowledge of agriculture in the context of his principled stance on behalf of constitutionally protected private property rights, he became one of the nation’s foremost advocates for sanity in the face of this major environmentalist assault on freedom. He has made countless trips to Washington, D.C., testified before Congress, written authoritative articles, and served as a resource for reliable technical information on invasive species issues. He has thereby held the forefront in fighting invasive species laws and regulations in the United States. In addition, in the face of radical environmentalist inroads into private property rights, Fred Grau has been leading a grassroots effort in the State of Pennsylvania to help people facing a multitude of issues.

Ninth Annual New York State Private Property Rights Defender Award
Presented to Lawrence & Amy Lloyd
“In recognition of Their Defense of Constitutionally Guaranteed Private Property Rights in The State of New York”

Amy and Lawrence Lloyd of East Durham, New York, work unceasingly to defend private property rights on the local level. “They never sit back, they never lose track of their principles, they never lose track of what is really happening when it is coming under other guises, and they just monitor their town. They take all the rude and harsh treatment that they receive, and they just keep on and on,” said
Carol LaGrasse (Left) at the awards presentation at the Tenth Annual Conference. As a result, their town has defeated zoning by landslides. One instance where the Lloyds should take honors is when a professional planner came through their town and found fault with the old stone walls at the Lloyds’ property. After researching and finding that these walls were built in the tradition of walls made in Ireland, the Lloyds effectively rebutted the superficial planner.
The Lloyds convey a sense of joy about our heritage of private property rights. One year, they held a grand Fourth of July picnic celebration, where private property rights were a hallmark of the day. They exemplify the citizenship of grassroots devotion to private property rights.

Tenth Annual Private Property Rights Advocate Award
Presented to Peyton Knight
“In Recognition of His Dedication to the Preservation of Human Rights
Guaranteed in the United States Constitution”

Among the property rights and other public interest causes that Peyton Knight tackles with the National Center for Public Policy Research in Washington, D.C., is a difficult battle against federal greenways, which go by the names of National Heritage Areas, American Heritage Rivers, and similar titles. Peyton Knight is bringing a sterling effort to the Washington scene in this particular property rights arena. He has brought a level of sophistication and maturity in its presentation in the halls of Congress of an issue that has also been paramount to the Property Rights Foundation of America for many years. “He is level headed, he is communicative, he doesn’t budge, he does everything that has to be done. He does the writing, he does the testifying, he has it all straight,” said Carol LaGrasse (Left) at the 2006 awards presentation. Speaking with humor, irony, principle, and with full command of the facts, Peyton Knight shows the underlying meaning of national heritage areas as a tool to make the landscape inhospitable to ordinary people.