Visionaries of the Gulf – awards for 2009  Print

The Gulf of Maine Council presented its annual awards for innovation, creativity, and commitment to protecting the marine environment of the Gulf of Maine at an awards reception December 9.

The ceremony took place during a council meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Portsmouth, NH.

The Visionary Awards are presented annually to two individuals, businesses, or organizations within each state and province bordering the Gulf of Maine. The recipients work in scientific, educational, conservation, or policy realms and are engaged in projects that involve public awareness, grassroots action, or business and manufacturing practices.

This year, award winners include the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine; Liz Duff and Jan Smith from Massachusetts; Atlantic Reference Center and Peter Etheridge from New Brunswick; the Maritime Fishermen’s Union and Dr. Danika van Proodsdij from Nova Scotia and Pete Richardson and Jody Connor from New Hampshire.

The first Industry award was presented this year and is intended to be made annually to an individual, company, or organization within the Gulf of Maine region in the states of  Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and the provinces of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

This award recognizes innovation and leadership in efforts to improve the well-being of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that call it home. Nominations were sought from the tourism, commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy generation, and transportation sectors. The first annual Industry Award was presented to the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association.

The Susan Snow-Cotter Leadership Award is bestowed in memory of Susan Snow-Cotter, a long-time friend of the council and Working Group. The award, given to an individual from one of the five states and provinces, honors those coastal management professionals who exemplify outstanding leadership or exceptional mentoring in the Gulf of Maine watershed.

As former director of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, Snow-Cotter was recognized as a leader who exhibited unwavering passion, enthusiasm, and insight to develop pragmatic approaches to coastal management challenges.

This year, Byron James of New Brunswick, formerly of the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture, will be the second recipient of this award. Byron served as a Gulf of Maine Councilor for nearly two decades and has been an excellent mentor to his staff and colleagues in New Brunswick and throughout the Gulf.

One Longard Award is presented each year to an unpaid volunteer from one of the five states and provinces. The award recognizes individual commitment to volunteer programs dedicated to environmental protection and sustainability of natural resources within the marine, near shore, and watershed environments of the Gulf of Maine. The Longard Gulf Volunteer Award is bestowed each year in memory of Art Longard, a founding member of the Gulf of Maine Council. This year, the award goes to Stephen Gale Perrin, Bar Harbor, Maine, of Friends of Taunton Bay.