Seven NH Winners at Annual Gulf of Maine Council Ceremony

Cliff Sinnott (center), executive director of the Rockingham Planning Commission, received the Susan Snow-Cotter Leadership Award. Photo: NHDES

On June 7, seven NH award winners were among 15 individuals and organizations recognized by the Gulf of Maine Council at an international ceremony for making a significant difference in protecting the health and sustainability of the Gulf of Maine watershed. 

The Council, a U.S.-Canadian partnership dedicated to protecting environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine, annually recognizes extraordinary work in its five jurisdictions, which include the states of NH, Maine and Massachusetts as well as the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This year, NH awardees received seven Gulfwide awards, which are given to acknowledge the far-reaching impact of contributions on the health of the Gulf of Maine. 

“I’m proud of NH’s coastal citizens and organizations for their dedication to the Gulf of Maine’s clean water, healthy habitats and communities that are more resilient to flooding and other natural hazards," says Steven Couture, administrator of the NHDES' Coastal Program and working group member Council. "Their hard work helps support the region’s economy by helping preserve the environmental health of the coast for fishing, shellfishing, swimming, and other commercial and recreational uses. This recognition is well deserved,” 

NH’s recipients were as follows:

Cliff Sinnott , executive director of the Rockingham Planning Commission in Exeter, received the Susan Snow-Cotter Leadership Award for outstanding leadership as a coastal management professional within the Gulf of Maine. Sinnott has been executive director for nearly 30 years, and most recently chaired the NH Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission’s 37 bi-partisan members and leading them to reach consensus and unanimously adopt its forward-looking final report. This award is given to one individual from one of the five states and provinces.

Mike and Terry Stockdale received the Longard Award for outstanding volunteer contributions toward protecting and conserving natural resources within the Gulf of Maine, including their work as citizen scientists in the New Hampshire SeaGrant/University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension’s Coastal Research Volunteer program. This award is given to one individual or group across the five states and provinces.

The town of Exeter received the Sustainable Communities Award for exemplary work in achieving sustainable outcomes related to the environment and economy within the Gulf of Maine. Exeter has taken a leadership role in addressing the environmental problem of excessive nutrients in Great Bay, including its Healthy Lawns, Clean Water program. This award recognizes one community or group across one of the five states and provinces.

New Hampshire Community Seafood in Portsmouth was one of two awardees (the other was the Inn by the Sea, Maine) to receive a Sustainable Industry Award for outstanding innovation and leadership in achieving sustainable business practices and conserving natural resources within the Gulf of Maine. Through NH Community Seafood, fishermen and consumers work together to harvest, process and deliver locally caught seafood to nearby communities.

The Gulf of Maine Visionary Awards are given to two individuals or organizations within each state and province to recognize their innovation, creativity and commitment to marine protection. NH recipients included the following individuals:

Sally Soule, coastal watershed supervisor for NHDES, was recognized for her partnership with the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center to bring together municipalities, regional planning commissions, watershed planning groups and others to help restore Great Bay Estuary through regional pollutant tracking and accounting.

Wendy Lull, former president of the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, was recognized for her work and commitment to ocean conservation at national, regional and local levels throughout her career, including transforming a seasonal visitor center into the year-round Seacoast Science Center and leading the effort to establish a marine mammal rescue response program in NH.

Additional information about the Gulf of Maine Council 2017 awards with detailed recipient bios is available here.