Maryland’s natural resources department is accepting nominations for its annual Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate their commitment to conserving and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Eligibility and Nomination Process

Nominees can include individuals who have organized communities, led restoration efforts, enhanced scientific knowledge about the Chesapeake Bay, or otherwise improved the health of the Bay and its watershed. People can fill out a public nomination form on the department’s website for individuals they believe to be deserving of the award. Nominations are open through August 31.

DNR staff volunteers will review the nominations and make their recommendations to the state’s natural resources secretary and the governor. The award winner(s) will be publicly announced by the end of the year.

History of the Award

In 1959, then-Maryland Gov. J. Millard Tawes instituted the award to recognize individuals who went above and beyond in their commitment to the Chesapeake Bay. This is the second year that the department is welcoming nominations from the public for the Admiral award.

Last year’s award recipient was Professor Thomas Miller, a longtime fisheries biologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. More than 100 individuals have received the award, including Captain Eldridge Meredith, a waterman and charter boat captain who worked in and around the Bay for 80 years; David M. Goshorn, the department’s current Deputy Secretary and former DNR Chesapeake Bay restoration officer; and John Page Williams, a master naturalist and environmental educator who worked for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for 46 years.

Original reporting: Baltimore Fishbowl — read the source article.