Contact:  Greg Hernandez                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          Matt Stout                     4/26/97

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today presented its Local Environmental Hero awards in Hawaii as part of Earth Day 1997 celebrations across the United States.

For the second year in a row, NOAA recognized local citizens who have volunteered their efforts to "protect and preserve" the nation's environment. This year's awards focused on the marine environment in keeping with the International Year of the Coral Reef, which NOAA is spearheading along with other domestic and foreign organizations.

Vice President Al Gore congratulated these environmental heroes in a letter, saying, "Through citizen service, we recognize that we are responsible for one another. It is a very American idea that we meet our challenges as a member of a community, all working together. Thank you for the service you perform to protect and preserve our environment."

In Honolulu, Hawaii, the environmental heroes being honored are:

Robert Lyn Nelson, undoubtedly one of the world's most popular and critically acclaimed artists, has worked with NOAA many times - designing and donating his beautiful artwork. This year he created the spectacular poster Rainforests of the Sea in commemoration of the International Year of the Reef.

Gloria Adlawan has been a volunteer at NOAA's Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary since its inception. She's a retired nurse, born and raised on Maui. She lectures to visiting school groups on various environmental topics.

John and Joan terHorst, a husband and wife team, have been among the members of the sanctuary founding team. They recently built a humpback whale migration maze display being shown at the Lahaina Cinema Center. This maze is a life-size walk-through exhibit visited by more than 6,000 school children when it was last up on the island of Kauai.

Gordon Moore and Jim Hylkema, both retired, are also original members of the Hawaii Sanctuary volunteers. They have been instrumental in the drive to renovate the sanctuary's building and have spearheaded the effort for community involvement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the primary federal agency within the United States charged with the stewardship of our domestic coral reefs. In keeping with the call to action in the International Coral Reef Initiative, NOAA has developed an action plan to build on existing activities and help fill the gaps in the overall U.S. effort to protect and wisely use coral reefs. NOAA's contributions address three priority areas of the U.S. Coral Reef Initiative: Science for improved management, solutions for conservation and sustainable development, and improved information and outreach.

This year-long campaign for reef awareness is entitled Coral Reefs: the Rainforests of the Sea. Joining with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Earth Communications Office, Jean-Michel Cousteau, the Professional Association of Dive Instructors, and the world-famous artist Robert Lyn Nelson, NOAA is launching this national effort to bring the reality of coral reef decline to the public.

There are actions people can take. NOAA has published a brochure entitled 25 Things You Can Do To Save Coral Reefs. It can be found on the Internet at: