Page 13 - Southern Exposure - March '24

Southern Exposure, Page 13

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Loggerhead Marinelife Center Celebrates Strides

In Marine Conservation At 15th Annual Go Blue Awards

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) honored local
and national achievements in marine conservation during
its prestigious 15th Annual Go Blue Awards presented
by Tampa General Hospital. This year, four individuals,
businesses, and nonprofits were recognized with
exemplifying a “blue” lifestyle of marine conservation.
Each award recipient has significantly impacted,
improved, and protected our oceans, beaches, and wildlife.
The 2024 Go Blue Awards and their recipients are:
Eleanor Fletcher Award (Lifetime Achievement):
Jim Toomey, Alexandria, Va. ─ Toomey is the creator
of the daily comic strip “Sherman’s Lagoon,” which
is syndicated in more than 150 newspapers across 20
countries and in six languages.
Blue Ambassador of the Year Award: Nan Hauser,
Brunswick, Maine – Hauser is president and director
Rebecca Mott with Inwater Research
Jim Toomey Asa Miller Group

of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation
(CCRC), and director and principal investigator of Cook
Islands Whale Research (CIWR).
Blue Hatchling Youth Award: Asa Miller, Hartsdale,
N.Y. ─ A 16-year-old high school junior, Asa is a coral reef
restoration specialist, diver, and filmmaker, particularly
known for his work and research in his homeland of Cuba.
Blue Business of the Year Award/Nonprofit of the Year
Award: Inwater Research Group, Jensen Beach, Fla. ─
The small, nonprofit organization is dedicated to rescuing
and researching numerous marine species, including sea
turtles, elasmobranchs, and bony fishes.
For more information on this year’s winners, please
Andy Dehart, president and CEO of Loggerhead visit marinelife.org/goblue.
Marinelife Center Photos by Tracey Benson Photography