THE DR. NANCY FOSTER
HABITAT CONSERVATION AWARD

The NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation and the American Fisheries Society’s Estuaries Section are currently soliciting nominations for the 2010 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award.  The Award, established by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation in May 1997, honors a commitment of excellence in service to habitat conservation in the marine environment.  Nominations recognizing individuals for exceptional achievements in habitat conservation are being accepted through July 9, 2010.   The 2010 nomination guidelines and form information are available at About Nominations

About the Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award

The Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award, established by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation in May 1997, honors a commitment of excellence in service to habitat conservation.

The first award was presented to Dr. Nancy Foster in 1997 for her outstanding long-term contributions and organizational efforts to protect, conserve, and restore coastal and marine habitats.  It was under Dr. Foster’s direction that the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation was created, as well as the NOAA Restoration Center, and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program, all currently under the Office of Habitat Conservation umbrella.  Dr. Foster’s award was presented at a time which also marked her departure from NOAA Fisheries to become the Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service.  In her honor, the Dr. Nancy Foster Award has continued to be celebrated.  Since 2002 the Award has been coordinated with the American Fisheries Society’s Estuaries Section and presented at their annual conference.

About Dr. Nancy Foster

Dr. Foster, a marine biologist from Electra, Texas, dedicated 23 years of outstanding service to NOAA, leaving a remarkable imprint on the agency for others to follow in her footsteps.  With a M.S. in Marine Biology from Texas Christian University, and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from George Washington University, Dr. Foster, having worked as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as assistant professor at Dunbarton College for Women in Washington, D.C., began her tenure at NOAA in 1977.   She served as Deputy Director and Director of the National Marine Sanctuaries Program and the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program.  In 1986 she joined the National Marine Fisheries Service as Director of the Office of Protected Resources.  Under her direction, NOAA created the Office of Habitat Conservation and the NOAA Restoration Center to protect, conserve, and restore the nation’s coastal and marine habitats.  Also established was the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office charged with managing NOAA programs in the nation’s largest estuary. Between 1993 and 1997 Dr. Foster served as the Acting Assistant Administrator and then the Deputy Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries.  Dr. Foster left NOAA Fisheries in 1997 to become NOAA’s Assistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service, where she worked until her death on June 27, 2000, at her home in Baltimore, Maryland, after a year-long battle with cancer.

Dr. Foster left an indelible legacy for others to follow – having carved the path as a pioneer and visionary in understanding marine ecosystems, their conservation, their habitat, and the interdependence of organisms to all life in the marine environment.  She became an exemplary role model for men and women in science, while supporting others along the way through her personal commitment to fairness, diversity, and equal treatment -- the same being exhibited in her exemplary stewardship and passion for life through science in the marine environment.

About Nominations

About All Awardees

To learn more about Dr. Nancy Foster visit:   http://fosterscholars.noaa.gov/aboutnf.html
To learn more about the NOAA Habitat Program, click on https://habitat.noaa.gov/
To learn more about the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation, click on http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/