Coalition for Buzzards Bay to Hold 20th Annual Meeting

Co-Chair of Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Group on Climate Change to Speak and Local Bay Heroes to be Honored

For Immediate Release

March 31, 2008

CONTACT:

Kristin Thoms

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay

(508) 999-6363, ext. 207

NEW BEDFORD, MA—The Coalition for Buzzards Bay will hold its 20th Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3rd at 6 p.m. at
the Brookside Club in Bourne. The public is invited to attend the event, which will highlight the Coalition’s accomplishments over the past year, including restoring critical oil spill prevention rules, protecting 780 acres of forests, wetlands and farmlands through various land trust partnerships, and securing enforceable nitrogen pollution limits for West Falmouth Harbor under the federal Clean Water Act. Each attendee will receive a copy of the new 2007 Annual Report, which details these, as well as other recent successes of the Coalition.

The Coalition is especially pleased to announce this year’s keynote speaker, James J. McCarthy, Harvard University’s Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography and Co-Chair of Working Group II of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Dr. McCarthy will provide an important update on the anticipated impacts of, and vulnerabilities to, global climate change with a focus on the need for adaptation in coastal

areas like Buzzards Bay.

The meeting will also include a special presentation of Buzzards Bay Guardian Awards to:

Michael & Margie Baldwin of Marion, for their work with the Marion Institute and for promoting environmental sustainability practices on the South Coast of Massachusetts.

Captain Larry Palmer, posthumously, in recognition of a lifetime on the Bay as a marine pilot and his exemplary assistance in improving oil spill prevention rules on the Bay.

Steve Smith, Executive Director of the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District, for his career devoted to the promotion of smart-growth in our region.

The Bay Guardian award is the highest honor granted by the Coalition. Each year, it is presented to those individuals that demonstrate outstanding service in the clean-up, restoration or protection of the Bay. This year’s award will be a hand-crafted piece by New Bedford artist, John Magnan.

For additional meeting details, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org or call the Coalition at 508-999-6363.

—###—

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The organization works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy and is supported by more than 5,000 members.