The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is once again opening its doors to public nominations for one of the state’s most distinguished environmental honors — the Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay Award.
First established by Governor J. Millard Tawes in 1959, the award is a lifetime achievement recognition presented by the governor to individuals who have shown an exceptional dedication to conserving and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.
DNR officials say they are specifically looking for candidates who have spent their careers building community support, leading restoration projects, advancing scientific knowledge of the Bay, or contributing in other meaningful ways to improving the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed.
Those wishing to nominate someone can submit a nomination form through DNR’s official website. The deadline to submit nominations is August 31. A volunteer committee of DNR staff members will review all submissions and provide recommendations to the Secretary and the Governor. Winners will be publicly announced once selected, with DNR aiming to make those announcements before the close of the year.
This marks the second year that DNR has offered a public nomination process for the award. The first time it was used, last year, it resulted in Professor Thomas Miller — a longtime fisheries biologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science — being chosen as the recipient. He received the award during a public ceremony featuring Gov. Wes Moore at the Board of Public Works.
The award has now been given to more than 100 individuals over the decades. Past recipients include Captain Eldridge Meredith, a waterman and charter boat captain who spent 80 years working in and around the Bay; David M. Goshorn, who currently serves as DNR’s Deputy Secretary and previously worked as DNR’s Chesapeake Bay restoration officer; and John Page Williams, a master naturalist and environmental educator who devoted 46 years to work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
