Contact: Anne Smrcina, 781-545-8026 x204
Anne-Marie Runfola, 781-545-8026 x240
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
honors Volunteer of the Year
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| John Galluzzo, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's 2013 Volunteer of the Year, holds his award. (Photo: Anne Smrcina, SBNMS) |
Today, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council recognized John J. Galluzzo a Massachusetts South Shore resident and author, who was named the 2013 Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's Volunteer of the Year.
Mr. Galluzzo's continued efforts to raise the visibility of and build support for the sanctuary reached more than 100,000 people. His dedicated efforts and award were recognized at the sanctuary's advisory council meeting in Plymouth.
Mr. Galluzzo's partnership with the sanctuary began in 2000, when, as director of the Scituate Historical Society, he volunteered to help develop a photographic archive of the Coast Guard Station in Scituate where the sanctuary's offices had relocated. History continued to draw him to the sanctuary and through the years he included several sanctuary-related articles, written by him or sanctuary staff, in Wreck and Rescue, the journal of the U. S. Life Saving Service Heritage Association, which he edits. More recently, during his tenure with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, he helped pioneer the sanctuary's new citizen science program, Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Stewards.
In 2012, as part of the sanctuary's 20th anniversary celebration, Mr. Galluzzo dramatically ramped up his volunteer efforts to raise the site's public profile. His efforts included developing a seminar course for older citizens that focused on Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, writing articles for South Shore magazines and newspapers, and discussing the sanctuary during lectures at yacht clubs and conferences, as well as on the radio.
"The breadth and depth of service John donated in the past year alone is amazing and inspirational," said Craig MacDonald, sanctuary superintendent. "His contributions to the sanctuary have instilled a higher level of local stewardship and conservation to this special place. John is indispensable to us and to the entire National Marine Sanctuary System."
Mr. Galluzzo's work is representative of and often spotlights the expanded volunteer programs at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, with opportunities ranging from student ambassadors to seabird stewards. Learn more information about sanctuary volunteer programs.
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation organizes the volunteer of the year program and made the announcement announced earlier this year. The foundation is a private, non-profit organization that assists national marine sanctuaries with education and outreach programs designed to preserve, protect and promote meaningful opportunities for public interaction with these special places in the ocean and Great Lakes. Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 842 square miles of ocean, stretching between Cape Ann and Cape Cod offshore of Massachusetts. Renowned for its biological diversity and remarkable productivity, the sanctuary is famous as a whale watching destination and supports a rich assortment of marine life, including marine mammals, seabirds, fishes and marine invertebrates. The sanctuary's position astride the historic shipping routes and fishing grounds for Massachusetts' oldest ports also makes it a repository for shipwrecks representing several hundred years of maritime transportation.
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