| RAE Receives 2011 Coastal America Award |
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(January 13)--Restore America's Estuaries has received the 2011 Coastal America Special Recognition Award for its outstanding efforts to restore and protect the coastal environment. Coastal America, a collaborative partnership of 16 federal agencies dedicated to better management of coastal resources, recognized Restore America’s Estuaries for its work on behalf of the “vital habitats of our nation’s estuaries,” and for “uniting community, corporate, government, and non-governmental agencies at the national, state, and local levels” that “built partnerships and secured resources to restore and preserve estuarine habitats.”
“We are honored to receive this award, particularly because Coastal America embodies the same collaborative ideals and vision that motivate Restore America’s Estuaries,” said Jeff Benoit, RAE President and CEO.
Since its founding in 1995, the Restore America’s Estuaries National Alliance of 11 member organizations has raised and leveraged more than $40 million used to fund over 900 coastal restoration and mitigation projects throughout the United States—projects made possible only with the participation and contributions of more than 250,000 volunteers, and hundreds of federal, state, and local partners devoting time, expertise, labor, and funds on behalf of RAE restoration and mitigation projects, notes Benoit.
Coastal America grants awards in four categories: the Partnership Award for collaborative multi-agency and -stakeholder efforts; Spirit Award, recognizing the “spirit” of teamwork in group efforts; the John H. Chafee Coastal Stewardship Award dedicated to outstanding individuals and their career accomplishments on behalf of the environment, and the Special Recognition Award.
Restore America’s Estuaries is the sole recipient of the 2011 Special Recognition Award which goes to “extraordinary non-governmental organizations for their demonstrated leadership in protecting and restoring coastal resources and/or increasing public awareness and understanding of coastal and marine issues.”
“Restore America's Estuaries is an important partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program. We work with RAE member organizations on-the-ground to restore and protect coastal habitat and with RAE headquarters to promote awareness of the critical issues facing our coastal resources. Congratulations to RAE for receiving the recognition it richly deserves," said Dallas Miner, a program specialist with the USFWS Division of Habitat and Resource Conservation. [Virginia quote] Restore America’s Estuaries is a national alliance of 11 regional, coastal conservation organizations with more than 250,000 volunteer-members dedicated to preserving our nation’s estuaries. RAE members include: American Littoral Society, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Conservation Law Foundation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Galveston Bay Foundation, North Carolina Coastal Federation, People For Puget Sound, Save The Bay-Narragansett Bay, Save The Bay-San Francisco, Save the Sound, a program of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and Tampa Bay Watch. For more information on Restore America’s Estuaries and its programs and initiatives, go to www.estuaries.org. To learn more about Coastal America and its Coastal Awards Program: www.coastalamerica.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1052&Itemid=141 |
6th National Conference
Our 6th National Conference
and Expo will be held in Tampa, FL
October 20-24, 2012
