Beach Watchers Bob Buck and Jim Somers Honored As NOAA Environmental Heroes For 2008
April 22, 2008
NOAA has selected Bob Buck and Jim Somers from the Washington State University’s Beach Watcher program as Environmental Heroes for their support of NOAA, the Tulalip Tribes, and Skagit River System Cooperative’s Pocket Estuary Monitoring Program.
NOAA’s Environmental Hero Awards were established in 1995 to commemorate Earth Day by honoring volunteers who help NOAA carry out its mission — to understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs. The award program also raises awareness about NOAA’s volunteer programs.
“Thousands of people across the country join forces with NOAA each year and the Environmental Hero award is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to several of those individuals who have made a significant impact,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
The partnership of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center with Washington State University Extension Office’s Beach Watchers program began over 15 years ago. The program relies on a cadre of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers all who provide outstanding support to the coastal environment.
“Bob and Jim are always a pleasure to work with and are the first ones to lend a helping hand,” said Anna Kagley, NWFSC fisheries biologist. “These two men show up monthly, no matter how nasty the weather, to help determine if salmon are using their neighborhood little lagoons, known as pocket estuaries. Their findings will help protect these important fish habitats.”
Studies of fish use in Puget Sound pocket estuaries began in 2002 with Bob Buck and Jim Somers as charter members of this research effort. They have been instrumental in providing qualified beach watcher volunteers and gear for every sampling event, often during inclement weather and early morning hours. This year they are spearheading the research effort under the direction of federal and tribal biologists.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Contact: Brian Gorman, 206-526-6613