GLIN==> Sea Grant Honors Outstanding Projects and Staff

*Sea Grant Honors Outstanding Projects and Staff*

For immediate release
July 7, 2011
Contact: Jesse Schomberg, Program Leader, Minnesota Sea Grant, 
jschombe at umn.edu <mailto:jschombe at umn.edu>
(218) 726-6182

The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, part of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's National Sea Grant Program, recently 
honored Minnesota and Ohio Sea Grant staff.

The Network's "*Outstanding Project Award*" went to Minnesota Sea 
Grant's Dale Bergeron and Sharon Moen for their work in support of the 
Great Lakes Ballast Water Collaborative over the last two years. 
Bergeron, a maritime extension educator, helped organize and facilitate 
four Collaborative meetings, while Moen, a science writer, prepared 
reports documenting three of those meetings

"The Minnesota Sea Grant Program is richly deserving of this award for 
its significant leadership role in conceiving, organizing, and carrying 
out the vital work of the Great Lakes Ballast Water Collaborative," said 
Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator for Saint Lawrence Seaway 
Development Corp., a federal agency within the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. "The Collaborative has produced tangible results in 
helping to harmonize state ballast water rules around the Great Lakes 
and beyond the region."

The Network's "*Mid-Career Award*" also went home with Minnesota Sea 
Grant staff. Doug Jensen, aquatic invasive species program coordinator, 
earned the award for a stunningly impressive record of regional and 
national collaborations that have raisedpublic awareness and money to 
combat the spread of species like purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, 
Eurasian watermilfoil, and spiny waterfleas across the nation, and 
particularly across Minnesota.

The Network's "*Early-Career Award**"* went to Ohio Sea Grant's Melinda 
Huntley. As an extension tourism program director, Huntley has helped 
increase the economic impact of tourism within the Lake Erie region 
while also promoting the preservation of the places and stories that 
make Lake Erie unique. Huntley coordinates the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio 
Trail National Scenic Byway and recently helped to organize Ashtabula 
County's first Tourism Summit.

Mark Winchell, executive director of the Ashtabula County Convention and 
Visitors Bureau, called Huntley "a true champion for everything Lake 
Erie," citing her range of expertise from tourism principles to 
environmental and legislative issues that shape the Great Lakes region.

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Minnesota Sea Grant facilitates interaction among the public and 
scientists to enhance the environment and economies along Lake Superior 
and Minnesota's inland waters by identifying information needs, 
fostering research, and communicating results. Minnesota Sea Grant is 
funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and 
the University of Minnesota. It is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a nationwide 
network of 32 similar science-based programs.

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