2010 NOAA Environmental Hero Awards
National Award Program Recognizes Individuals, Groups Protecting Environment
On Earth Day NOAA presented its 2010 Environmental Hero Award to eight individuals and two organizations, honoring a wide diversity of people and groups, from Bermuda to Guam, involved in all kinds of environmental activities, from creating documentaries on ocean acidification to restoring a Hawaiian bay.
Given to observe and celebrate Earth Day, the award honors NOAA volunteers for their "tireless efforts to preserve and protect our environment."
"I am delighted to recognize the efforts of these ten award winners, their spirit and their selfless hard work on behalf of the environment and their communities,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce of oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “They are part of an esteemed group of individuals and organizations who have worked to ensure a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment for ourselves, our families and our next generation. They set an inspiring example for others to follow.”
Established in 1995, the Environmental Hero award is presented to individuals and organizations that volunteer their time and energy to help NOAA carry out its mission.
The ten 2010 Environmental Hero award winners are:
The Crew of the M.V. Oleander, Hamilton, Bermuda
Since 1972, Bermuda Container Line Ltd. and the crew of M.V. Oleander have voluntarily outfitted the ship with oceanographic and meteorological instruments to measure carbon dioxide, ocean temperature, surface salinity, ocean currents. They have also allowed NOAA staff and volunteers to ride on the ship at company expense more than 450 times to monitor the data and evaluate it. The data collected has served as an immense resource to NOAA, and Bermuda Container Line’s generosity has saved NOAA millions. M.V. Oleander sails weekly between New York and Bermuda.
Niijii Films, Germantown, N.Y
Director Barbara Ettinger-Huseby and her husband, producer Sven Huseby, created an hour-long documentary, A Sea Change, which raised public awareness of ocean acidification, a major NOAA scientific focus and one directly related to climate change. They worked in conjunction with two NOAA scientists from the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, who provided scientific help and expertise. The film premiered to an overflow audience at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington in 2009, and through panel discussions at screenings, has raised awareness of this growing problem.
Dr. Dale Vance Holliday (posthumous), San Diego
Dr. Holliday was an international pioneer in the use of passive and active underwater acoustics for oceanography. He applied his knowledge and skill to improving survey methods for commercial fisheries and protected resources. He is being honored for his lifetime contributions to support NOAA’s climate and ecosystem goals, particularly in climate change, ecosystems, and sustainable and protected resources.
Jeff Pleadwell, Talofofo, Guam
As owner and operator of Jeff’s Pirates Cove Restaurant and Bar in Guam, he and his staff have made numerous life-saving rescues of tourists, local fishermen, sail boarders, kite surfers, and other water enthusiasts on the reefs of southeastern Guam. The area around his restaurant is not routinely patrolled, and there are no life guards along this popular beach. Jeff also provides twice-daily surf and 24-hour rainfall observations to NOAA’s Weather Forecast Office in Guam through his personal professional equipment. Jeff has lived in Guam for 48 years and is active in environmental issues such as reef rehabilitation.
Malama Maunalua, Honolulu
This Hawaiian community group has been the driving force behind the restoration of Maunalua Bay for the past four years. Working with a small staff and thousands of community volunteers, the group has laid the foundation for a comprehensive plan to identify threats against the Bay and start to restore it. All this was done in close coordination with NOAA to assure the plan tracked NOAA’s objectives. These efforts culminated in a successful plan to restore more than 23 acres of reef within Maunalua Bay by removing invasive species and planting native marine algae.
Phil Gulliford, St. Augustine, Fla.
Phil has been an outstanding volunteer at the GTM Research Reserve in Florida for the past three years, contributing more than 850 hours to the stewardship of its coast. Phil has spearheaded the reserve’s invasive species inventory and mapping program, which will help the reserve’s staff to target areas in need of restoration. Phil has also helped to restore the reserve by felling and removing some of the large slash pines that have encroached on the on reserve’s 58-acre freshwater marsh.
Tony Amos, Port Aransas, Texas
Tony began rescuing stranded sea turtles off the Texas coast in 1982, and founded the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in 1999. ARK’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured sea turtles and marine birds around Mustang, San Jose, and Padre islands, and to educate the public about the problems confronting coastal wildlife and the effects of the increasing human population on coastal resources. Tony has worked with the University of Texas for 34 years. He officially retired in 2003 but continues an active role as a research fellow and observer-volunteer.
Glen Briggs, Trenton, Mo.
A founder and past president of the North Central Missouri Amateur Radio Club, Glen has helped NOAA as a Skywarn program volunteer, reporting severe weather observations over the radio for stints as long as 15 hours straight. Glen’s quick action to report real-time information to the National Weather Service’s warning operations team resulted in saving hundreds of residents’ lives during the Kirksville, Missouri tornado of May 2009.
Jim Toomey, Annapolis, Md.
Jim’s nationally syndicated cartoon strip, Sherman’s Lagoon, has been combined his two loves—art and the sea—for the past 18 years, using his comic characters to raise environmental awareness. The strip, seen in more than 250 newspapers in America and 30 countries, is a proponent of conservation of the ocean environment, drawing attention to such issues as drift nets, shark finning, marine debris, and overfishing, as well as publicizing NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program.
Dr. Nelio Baptista Barros (posthumous), Tillamook, Ore.
Dr. Barros spent his career working to better understand the world of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals in their natural environment. He also was a hard working stranding network volunteer for NOAA. He assisted with many mass strandings of marine mammals, and used his work to provide scientific insights on how these creatures interact with their surroundings, especially harmful algal blooms and other toxins. He worked primarily at the University of Miami, Hubbs Sea World Institute and the Mote Marine Lab.