June 8, 2016
FREDERICTON, N.B. –
The Conservation Council’s Fundy Baykeeper, Matt Abbott, has been awarded Gulf of Maine Council’s 2016 Visionary Award.
The Gulf of Maine Council Visionary Award presented annually to an individual or organization within each of the five Gulf of Maine jurisdictions of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The Award recognizes innovation, creativity, and commitment to marine protection by businesses, environmental organizations, or individuals who are making a difference to the health of the Gulf of Maine.
In its letter to Abbot, the Gulf of Maine Council said it “is pleased to recognize you for your outstanding 
contributions toward protecting natural resources as Baykeeper for the Bay of Fundy. We sincerely appreciate your efforts to address marine debris as a member of the Marine Resource Committee, and lead a working group focused on Marine Protected Areas. We also appreciate your wide-ranging commitment to conducting education and outreach, and addressing challenging environmental problems such as the use of pesticides on salmon farms. Your collective work of the years has truly made a difference in the Gulf of Maine watershed.”
This is not the first time the Conservation Council’s work on the Bay of Fundy has been recognized by this prestigious organization.
In 1993, CCNB’s Marine Conservation Program Director, Janice Harvey, received the Gulf of Maine Council’s Visionary Award for her work on community-based ecological fisheries management.
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The Conservation Council’s Fundy Baykeeper, a member of the International Waterkeeper Alliance, (founded by Robert Kennedy Jr.,) is a key part of our Marine Program. We conduct on-the-water research and monitoring in the Bay of Fundy, remove large debris from the water and coastline, and work with community members and fisheries groups to promote a healthy marine environment.
The Conservation Council, established in 1969, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick has remained the province’s leading public advocate for environmental protection. A member of the UN’s Global 500 Roll of Honour, we work to find practical solutions to help families and citizens, educators, governments and businesses protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, the precious marine ecosystem and the land, including the forest, that support us.
Media Contact: Mike Girard, 1-506-999-6431, mikegirard@conservationcouncil.ca
For more information about out Fundy Baykeeper you can read about Matt and the work he does here.