Eleven individuals and organizations have been named as winners of the 2014 Walter B. Jones Memorial Awards for Excellence in Coastal Ocean Resource Management, an award given by NOAA’sOffice for Coastal Management for exemplary leadership and a commitment to balancing the human use of coastal and ocean resources with the needs of the environment.
These national awards, given every two years, honor individuals and organizations that have dedicated countless hours to conserve, protect, and improve the U.S. coasts. They recognize the application of innovative approaches, tools, or technology to advance the field.
“This year’s award winners represent a wide range of uniquely driven people and activities in the pursuit of wise coastal resource management,” said Jeffrey L. Payne, Ph.D., acting director of NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.
The three award categories are Coastal Steward of the Year, Excellence in Local Government, and Excellence in Coastal and Marine Graduate Study.
The awards were created to honor the late 11-term North Carolina congressman Walter B. Jones. As chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, Jones was a strong supporter of NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (now called the Office for Coastal Management). He provided leadership on numerous legislative initiatives addressing coastal and ocean issues such as commercial shipping, oil spill cleanup and prevention, and flood insurance reform.