Richard Zingula Honored as a NOAA Environmental Hero for 2008
April 22, 2008
NOAA has selected Richard “Dick” Zingula, from Houston, Texas as an Environmental Hero for his support of NOAA’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
NOAA’s Environmental Hero Awards were established in 1995 to commemorate Earth Day by honoring volunteers who help NOAA carry out its mission — to understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs. The award program also raises awareness about NOAA’s volunteer programs.
“Thousands of people across the country join forces with NOAA each year and the Environmental Hero award is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to several of those individuals that have made a significant impact,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Dick is an outstanding volunteer — he has been sharing his time, knowledge, and experience on behalf of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary for four decades.”
Zingula’s association with Flower Garden Banks started well before the site obtained sanctuary status. He was a volunteer diver on the expeditions that first explored the banks in the 1960's to determine if there really were living coral reefs present. Since 1968 he has logged 2,160 dives with over 150 of those within the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. His volunteer contributions to sanctuary education and science continue through his support of the sanctuary's “Down Under, Out Yonder” program and other professional development workshops for educators, where he shares his knowledge and experience through lectures, slide presentations, and lab exercises on land, and through casual conversation between dives.
“Dick is one of those rare people who make you feel good, just by his presence. His smile and enthusiasm are contagious,” said Sanctuary Manager George Schmahl. “A youthful octogenarian, Dick has given generously of his time, sharing his dive experiences with hundreds of divers and non-divers through words, pictures, and presentations.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Contact: Shelley DuPuy, 409-621-5151 ext. 106