Gulf of Maine Visionary Awards Ceremony at the Blaine House

For Immediate Release

(excerpts taken from The Gulf Of Maine Times Volume 6, No. 1, article by Andi Rearden)

Contact: Theresa Torrent-Ellis, Maine Coastal Program, (207) 287-2351.

June 21, 2002, Augusta, Maine -- This Tuesday, June 25 from 10:00am -12:00pm, at the Blaine House in Augusta, a ceremony will be held to present the Gulf Of Maine Visionary Awards. The Gulf of Maine Visionary Awards recognize the contributions of people working to improve the health and future well being of the Gulf of Maine. Innovative and highly committed, these "visionaries" have spent years making the Gulf a better place. Each year, the Gulf of Maine Council gives two visionary awards to individuals or organizations in each state and province bordering the Gulf.

This year's recipients are Sonja Sundaram and Ben Walter, and Peter Salmonsohn. Sonja Sundaram and Ben Walter are the owners and operators of the Oceanside Meadows Inn and Nature Preserve, and the Oceanside Meadows Institute for the Arts and Sciences, all located on a 200-acre parcel at the head of Sand Cove on the Schoodic Peninsula. The parcel includes a white sand beach and dune system, fields, forests, ponds, salt marsh, rocky shore and tidal pools. They have combined their values, knowledge, and expertise of habitat protection. Through their business enterprise they have created a beautiful atmosphere for visitors, complete with interpretive walking trails and an educational center.

Peter Salmonsohn, of the National Audubon Society (NAS), began his career with NAS in 1979 and has worked for 22 years at Audubon's Hog Island Camp. He spent the first decade raising awareness of the coastal ecology of the Gulf of Maine, and the next decade as Education Coordinator for "Project Puffin". He was able to combine classroom visits and boat tours to educate children, adults and entire families. Just a few of his many other accomplishments include co-authoring Project Puffin: How We Brought Puffins Back to Egg Rock, and the 1998 Environmental Educator of the Year award from the Maine Environmental Education Association.

The Gulf Of Maine Council on the Marine Environment fosters cooperative actions within the Gulf Of Maine watershed to preserve our common heritage and encourage sustainable resource use for present and future generations. The Council's goals include restoring shellfish habitat, promoting restoration of fisheries resources, addressing the ecosystem and public health effects of toxics in the food chain, protecting and restoring coastal habitat, monitoring marine debris and whale entanglement. For more information on the Council, see gulfofmaine.org. For more information regarding the Visionary Awards, please contact Theresa Torrent-Ellis, Senior Planner, Outreach/Education/Communication at the Maine Coastal Program, 287-2351.