Page 18 - Southern Exposure - December '23
P. 18

Page 18, Southern Exposure



                                                              loggErhEad nEwS




                          Loggerhead Marinelife Center Announces



                                         2024 Go Blue Awards Finalists



        Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) has announced     The Eleanor Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award was   Whale Research (CIWR). This nurse-turned-whale biologist
      the finalists for its prestigious 15th Annual Go Blue   named for the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s founder who   has spent the better part of three decades studying humpback
      Awards, with presenting sponsor Tampa General Hospital   was an innovative pioneer in marine conservation. Eleanor   whales in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, aiding in the creation of a
      (TGH). The  Go  Blue Awards  recognizes  individuals,   Fletcher educated thousands of children about sea turtles   2-million-square-kilometer whale sanctuary and educational
      businesses, and nonprofits that promote, implement, or   and initiated cultural change to preserve and protect the   research center in Rarotonga.
      contribute to a “blue” lifestyle of marine conservation,   species. The recipient of this award exemplifies a lifelong,     • Todd Steiner ─ founder and executive director of Turtle
      while making significant impact improving and protecting   extraordinary commitment to marine conservation education   Island Restoration Network, an ocean advocacy and research
      our oceans, beaches, and wildlife. Tickets are on sale to   through their work or volunteer activities.  nongovernmental organization with offices in California,
      attend the awards dinner at the center on Friday, Jan. 26,     • Jim Toomey ─ Creator of the daily comic strip Sherman’s   Texas, and Hawaii. For more than 30 years, Steiner and Turtle
      2024, at 6 p.m.                                   Lagoon, which is syndicated in more than 150 newspapers   Island Restoration Network have been leading advocates for
                                                        across 20 countries and in six languages. Sherman’s Lagoon   the world’s oceans and marine wildlife.
                                                        combines two of Jim’s lifelong passions: art and marine
                                                        life. His cartoon books have sold more than 500,000 copies   Loggerhead News on page 19
                                                        worldwide. Jim has received
                                                        the prestigious Environmental
                                                        Hero  Award  twice  from
                                                        the National Oceanic and
                                                        Atmospheric Administration
                                                        (NOAA)  “for  using  art  and
                                                        humor to conserve and protect
                                                        our marine heritage.”
                                                          The  Blue Ambassador  of
                                                        the Year Award  recognizes
                                                        a  person  who  has  made
                                                        significant contributions to
                                                        ocean conservation through
                                                        volunteering and work-related
                                                        efforts. The finalists are:
                                                          • Nan Hauser ─ president
                                                        and director of the Center
                                                        for Cetacean Research and
                                                        Conservation  (CCRC),
                                                        and director and principal
                                                        investigator of Cook Islands
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