Admiral of the Chesapeake award nominations are open to the public; submit your nominee by August 31.
Do you know an outstanding individual who has dedicated their career to the Chesapeake Bay? Consider nominating them for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Admiral of the Chesapeake Award. The public is invited to submit nominations until August 31.
Instituted by Governor J. Millard Tawes in 1959, the Admiral of the Chesapeake Award is a lifetime achievement recognition bestowed by the governor upon individuals who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Maryland DNR is looking for nominees who have dedicated their careers to organizing communities, leading restoration efforts, deepening our understanding of Bay science, or otherwise helping to improve the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
To nominate an individual for the award, fill out the public nomination form on the DNR website (below). The nominations will be reviewed by a committee of DNR staff volunteers who will make recommendations to the secretary of the department and the governor. Award winner(s) will be announced publicly when they have been chosen; typically, this happens by the end of the year.
Last year was the first year that DNR offered a public nomination process for this prestigious award. The process resulted in Professor Thomas Miller, a longtime fisheries biologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, being selected for the award during a public ceremony featuring Governor Wes Moore at the Board of Public Works.
Previous Admirals of the Chesapeake Bay—there are now more than 100—include: Captain Eldridge Meredith, a waterman and charter boat captain who worked in and around the Bay for 80 years; David M. Goshorn, DNR’s current deputy secretary and former DNR Chesapeake Bay restoration officer; and John Page Williams, a master naturalist and environmental educator who worked for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for 46 years.
For more information and to submit a nomination, visit dnr.maryland.gov and enter “Admiral of the Chesapeake” into the search bar.
