(Category - Local Government - See below)

Congratulatory e-gram for Winners of the Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards in Coastal and Ocean Resource Management:

"Congratulations! You are all winners of the 2001 Walter B. JonesMemorial and NOAA Excellence Awards in Coastal and Ocean Resource Management. These awards are given every two years to recognize American people and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to helping the Nation maintain healthy coastal and ocean resources. Below is a list of the winners by category:"

2001 Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards Winners List

Coastal Steward of the Year

Ms. Maria Brown, Executive Director
Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association

Excellence in Coastal and Marine Graduate Study

1. Mr. Braxton Davis
University of Rhode Island
2. Mr. David Canny
Duke University
3. Dr. Umaporn Silphaduang
North Carolina State University
4. Dr. Alex Brylske, Senior Editor
Dive Training Magazine

Excellence in Local Government

1. Jefferson Parish Government
2. St. Lucie County Mosquito Control District
3. Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency
4. U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources

Volunteer of the Year

Mr. James Holland
Altamaha Riverkeeper

Non-governmental Organization of the Year

American Fisheries Society

Excellence in Promoting Diversity in Coastal or Ocean Resource Management

Mr. Mel E. Moon, Jr., Director
Quileute Natural Resources

Excellence in Business Leadership

Public Service Enterprise Group

Excellence is Coastal Zone Management

Dr. Stuart Stevens, Manager
Georgia Coastal Management Program

Excellence in Estuarine Research Reserve Management

Dr. John Taggart, Manager
North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve

Excellence in Marine Sanctuary Management

Dr. John Broadwater, Manager
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, North Carolina

Press release: The District has been focused on wetland preservation and restoration activities since 1982. Those efforts have culminated in public acquisition of more than 1,700 acres of coastal wetlands, and restoration of over 3,000 acres. The District advances in wetland management have resulted in water quality improvements, wading bird foraging success (to be featured in a small way in the BBC's Blue Ocean Series coming out on the Discovery channel at the first of the year), and year-round fishery recruitment to the coastal wetlands of Saint Lucie County, which prior to 1982 were completely isolated from the Indian River Lagoon. Restoration of the wetlands has advanced the biological integrity and biodiversity of the South Indian River Lagoon, effectively advancing the goals and objectives of the Coastal Zone Management Act at the local level.