The Lake Superior Binational Program Seeks Nominations for its Eighth Annual Environmental Stewardship Awards Program

Honoring Extraordinary Achievements by Ordinary People

ASHLAND, WI - Monday, February 7, 2011 - Lake Superior is one of the world's biggest and most unusual lakes and therefore deserves special attention and protection. Are you doing great work to protect the natural environment, or do you know of someone whose efforts to protect or restore the lake's natural environment are truly superior?

If so, help make others in the basin aware of these contributions by submitting a nomination for this binational stewardship award!

The nomination period for the awards is now open. Deadline for completed applications is Friday, April 15, 2011. Applications may be made by the nominee (self-nominated) or by making a nomination on someone else's behalf.

Members of the Lake Superior Binational Program review each nomination and select a winner in each of six categories from each country. Judges may also make Honorable Mention awards to suitable nominations.

The six categories for nominations include:

• Youth
• Adult Individual
• Business
• Industry
• Municipality or Tribe/First Nations
• Organization

Winners will be notified in June. Each winner will receive a commemorative award made by a regional artist and a framed certificate at an awards ceremony in July. Honorable Mention winners will receive a framed certificate and will be included in press releases.

A full nomination packet with instructions and the nominations form, and descriptions of past winners is available on the Lake Superior Binational Forum's web site.

For more information:

In the U.S: contact the U.S. Forum Coordinator at (715) 682-1489 at Northland College; awards@northland.edu.

In Canada, contact the Canadian Forum Coordinator at EcoSuperior at (807) 624-2144; mercdivertsuperior@yahoo.com

The Lake Superior Binational Program represents a partnership of federal, state, provincial, and First Nations/tribal governments working together with citizens to ensure the protection of the Lake Superior basin ecosystem. The Lake Superior Binational Forum is a citizen stakeholder group of Americans and Canadians who work together to provide input to governments about these efforts and to educate basin residents about ways to protect and restore the lake basin’s natural resources.

The Forum is funded in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency/Great Lakes National Program Office and in Canada by Environment Canada. The U.S. Coordinator is located at Northland College in Ashland, WI; the Canadian Coordinator is at EcoSuperior in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Awards are presented to winners on Lake Superior Day ♦♦ July 17, 2011 (held annually on the third Sunday in July)