Apalachicola NERR Program Receives Prestigious Gulf Guardian Award

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Manager Seth Blitch, Coastal Training Program (CTP) Coordinator Rosalyn Kilcollins and CTP Assistant Alan Knothe attended the Gulf of Mexico Program‘s 20th Anniversary Celebration and Gulf Guardian Awards Ceremony in New Orleans on October 29, 2008. Seth presented the Gulf Guardian Award to Rosalyn and Alan for their outstanding Panhandle Habitat Series. The program was awarded third place in the Youth and Education category.

The Panhandle Habitat Series is comprised of five different one-day classes in relation to the region -- Barrier Islands, Seagrass Beds and Salt Marshes, Estuaries, Flatwoods and Savannahs, and Rivers and Floodplains. Numerous guest speakers coupled with motivating presentations and an afternoon field trip have contributed to the program’s success. Class participants range from environmental program and park staff, planners, consultants, eco-tour operators, elected officials and developers to volunteers and concerned citizens.

“Having been a presenter several times, I have seen the positive reactions from citizens and state and federal agency staffers to the Habitat Series,” said Lee Edmiston, Director, Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas. “Rosalyn and Alan provide participants an insight into how difficult it is to characterize some of these habitats, while at the same time giving them an understanding of their importance.”

“The program has exceeded all expectations,” said Seth Blitch. “Many of the participants have taken all of the habitat modules and others even repeat the same module making it easy to see why this popular series was recognized for a Gulf Guardian Award.”

In all, 19 awards were presented with one first, second and third place award for each of the categories: Business, Youth/Education, Government, Civic/Non-Profit, Individual, Partnership and one bi-National. To date, there have been 170 Gulf Guardian Awards presented since the awards program originated in 2000.

The Gulf of Mexico Program works to bring parties together to address issues facing the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico. State and federal agencies, local communities, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals from the five Gulf States partner to protect living and economic resources and resolve environmental issues. Partnerships have resulted in water quality and ecological recovery programs, support of 542 projects and the protection of more than 25,000 acres of coastal marine habitat. The Program assists the Gulf of Mexico Alliance in fulfilling the 2006 Governor’s Action Plan. In addition six Coastal Education Learning Centers have been designated, one in each state and in Veracruz, Mexico.

For more about the Gulf of Mexico Program and Gulf Guardian Award, visit http://www.epa.gov/gmpo.