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The Coalition for Buzzards Bay Annual Meeting Celebrates Bay Guardians
March 10, 2005 CONTACT: Michelle Frey, Communications and Outreach Coordinator The Coalition for Buzzards Bay (508) 999-6363, ext. 208 ONSET, MA—The Coalition for Buzzards Bay held its annual meeting on Friday, March 4 at the Harbor Watch Inn in Onset. Over 160 members and supporters attended the meeting to hear the year-end wrap up from executive director, Mark Rasmussen, honor Guardian and Volunteer Award recipients and listen to keynote speaker U.S. Representative Barney Frank. “The annual meeting is a time to reflect on the work The Coalition for Buzzards Bay has done over the past year and recognize outstanding stewards in the community who have gone out of their way to help protect our Bay,” said Mark Rasmussen, executive director for The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. 2004 was a landmark year for oil spill prevention and land conservation. The Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention Act became law in August, putting Massachusetts at the forefront nationally in spill prevention. The annual meeting included the presentation of Buzzards Bay Guardian Awards to Members of the Buzzards Bay Oil Spill Commission and U.S. Attorney Jonathan Mitchell. "This Commission is a perfect example of how government should work,” said Representative John Quinn. “It was a bi-partisan effort with a tremendous amount of assistance from the general public and in particular the staff from The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. This resulted in a strong piece of legislation that we hope will hold up in court." Commenting on the recent federal lawsuit against Massachusetts challenging the state’s right to implement strong oil spill prevention measures, Senator Mark C. Montigny stated, “Those of us raised on the South Coast look to Buzzard’s Bay as our life line. It has been stimulating in the wake of such tragedy to partner with the like minded to pass this urgent legislation. How sad to find that the regulators hired to protect us have fallen into the corrupt grip of the corporations ruining this pristine environment. We must be relentless in our determination to protect our coasts.” Mr. Lincoln Rounseville also received a Guardian Award for his visionary commitment to protecting land in the Mattapoisett River Valley. The Rounseville Family accepted the award on behalf the late Mr. Rounseville and his granddaughter and grandson gave a moving tribute to him. The staff at CBB also presented a volunteer appreciation award to New Bedford native, Daniel Vasconcellos. “Dan is an amazing and talented volunteer. We have been fortunate to have his artwork and characters at the center of our Celebrate Buzzards Bay event for 17 years,” commented Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director for The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. The evening wrapped up with Keynote Speaker, Congressman Barney Frank, who shared his thoughts on the status of oil spill prevention, the environmental challenges facing the Buzzards Bay region and clean water protection efforts in Washington. For more information about the work of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay or to become a member, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org. —###—
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