Coalition Holds Its Annual Meeting, Presents Guardian and Volunteer Awards

For the first time ever, the Buzzards Bay Coalition held its annual meeting on the Wareham River at the new Warren’s Harborview restaurant.

More than 150 members and staff convened at the restaurant to celebrate the organization’s recent accomplishments and to acclaim the Guardian Award and Volunteer of the Year winners.“ A Buzzards Bay Guardian must have demonstrated outstanding service in the clean-up, restoration, or protection of the Bay…an unsung hero who deserves public recognition, not only for what they have achieved, but to inspire others to make a difference,” said Mark Rasmussen, president of the Coalition.

Russ Wotton of Clean Sweep won one of the awards. He is responsible for numerous clean-ups around New Bedford Harbor, including the massive five-day one last fall on Marsh Island that included the Coalition, the Center for Coastal Studies’ Beach Brigade, Fairhaven-Acushnet Land Preservation Trust, Be the Solution to Pollution, and the municipalities of New Bedford and Fairhaven.

“Russ doesn’t shy away from hard work,” said Marlissa Briggett, Coalition Vice President of Public Engagement, who presented the award to Wotton. “He organizes monthly cleanups and likes to focus on the inner New Bedford Harbor, because his father was a commercial fisherman and he thinks the country’s number one seafood port should not be littered with trash.”

Director of the Town of Plymouth Department of Energy and Environment David Gould took home another. Since 2008, Gould has led cooperative efforts with A.D. Makepeace at Red Brook and the Agawam River to discuss interest in partnering with the Town on river restoration that benefits anadromous fish runs, wetlands, and nutrient reductions in Buzzards Bay. Since 2018, he has been a welcome member of the Coalition’s Restoration Advisory Committee, providing helpful insight on many of the Coalition’s active restoration projects. He has been a crucial partner in our acquisition of 600+ acres of land along the Agawam River Corridor from the largest cranberry company in Massachusetts.

“I am sincerely grateful for his thoughtful perspective the past 8 years and am excited to work with him on the Upper Agawam River Project removing two more dams and opening up another four miles of river habitat to free-flowing water,” said Sara Quintal, senior restoration ecologist for the Coalition.

Our last Guardian Award went to Carolyn Mostello, who has devoted her career to protecting Massachusetts coastal birds and the fragile habitats they depend upon. Through her work with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, she has become widely recognized for her expertise in endangered coastal waterbirds and for her extraordinary leadership in coastal conservation.

“Throughout her career, Carolyn, with an unmistakable passion for her work, has helped communities understand that protecting coastal birds ultimately means protecting the health and resilience of the entire coastal ecosystem,” said Coalition VP of Advancement John Lanham, who presented Mostello her award. “Ask the many biologists, volunteers, beach managers, and conservation partners who have worked alongside Carolyn, and you hear the same thing: she is respected not only for her expertise, but for her leadership, mentorship, and unwavering dedication.”

Long-time Baywatcher Al Humphrey received our Volunteer of the Year Award from Tony Williams, director of monitoring programs. “Al has signed up every summer for the past 25 years to wake up early and venture to his monitoring site in Apponagansett Bay.  He has consistently tested the harbor waters, almost never missing a date,” said Williams at the meeting. “Al’s dependability is unmatched, and the data from his water monitoring site is reliable and complete from May through September.”