NOAA HAS SELECTED the recipients of the 2008 Walter B. Jones Awards and NOAA Awards for Excellence in Coastal and Ocean Management. These biennial awards recognize coastal stewards, graduate students, state and local government, and non-governmental organizations for their outstanding efforts in coastal and ocean management.

"From coast-to-coast, remarkable people and organizations are making a difference," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, in making the announcement. "NOAA is proud to honor the coastal and ocean shining stars who dedicate countless hours and energy to conserving coastal resources and improving coastal communities."

The awards were created to honor the late 11-term Rep. Walter B. Jones of North Carolina. As chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, the congressman was a strong supporter of the National Marine Fisheries Service and coastal zone management.

The NOAA Excellence Awards recognize exceptional work in ocean and coastal resource management, business leadership and efforts by a non-governmental organization.

The winners of the 2008 Walter B. Jones Awards and NOAA Awards for Excellence in Coastal and Ocean Management are:

• Coastal Steward: Lynne Z. Hale, The Nature Conservancy
• Local Government: Nueces County, Texas, and Carteret County, N.C., Shore Protection Office
• Coastal and Marine Graduate Study: Jill Hendon, University of Mississippi; Catherine McNally, University of Rhode Island; Anirudh Ullal, North Carolina State University, and Heather Ward, East Carolina University.

NOAA Excellence Awards:

• Susan Snow-Cotter Award for Excellence in Ocean and Coastal Resource Management: Kathleen Leyden, Maine State Planning Office; Brian Baird, California Resources Agency
• Excellence in Business Leadership: J&B Aquafood, North Carolina
• Non-Governmental Organization of the Year: Island Institute, Maine

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.