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California 'Thank You Ocean' Campaign Receives Coastal America Award


Sarah Marquis
National Marine Sanctuary Program
National Ocean Service (NOS)

The California 'Thank You Ocean' campaign received a Coastal America award at a ceremony February 11 at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. NOAA Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service Jack Dunnigan accepted the partnership award for NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program. Campaign Co-chair Matt Stout and coordinators Columbine Culberg and Sarah Marquis, all with NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program, received individual awards for their contributions to the campaign, as did partners from the State of California Resources Agency. Tim Keeney, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, presented the awards.


Group poses for photo in the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Attending the award are (from left): Virginia Tippie, Director Coastal America; Jack Dunnigan, NOAA Assistant Administrator; Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy CA Resources Agency; Amy Boone, Policy Coordinator,CA Resources Agency; Columbine Culberg, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program; Maria Brown, Superintendent, Gulf of the Farlallones National Marine Sanctuary; Tim Keeney, Deputy Assisant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere; Sarah Marquis, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program; California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman. (missing: Matt Stout, Communications Branch Chief, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program.

(Credit: NOAA)

Coastal America stated that "By bringing together federal and state agencies, an alliance of NGOs, educators, and marketing specialist, the ‘Thank You Ocean’ team took a unique approach to communicating the challenges facing our ocean and coastal environments from a visual and content framework."

The California 'Thank You Ocean' campaign, designed and implemented by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program and the California Resources Agency, is a statewide public ocean awareness campaign. The web site for the campaign is www.thankyouocean.org.