Maryland Water Monitoring Council Awards Two Scientists With The Carl S. Weber Award

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Linthicum, MD – The Maryland Water Monitoring Council (MWMC) recently awarded two scientists with the Carl. S. Weber Award for their vision and leadership in monitoring Maryland’s waters. The 2007 Weber Award recipients were Susan “Abby” Markowitz of Baltimore City and Dr. Paul Massicot of Severna Park.

“Abby consistently conveys a sense of urgency and importance of the work we do and thereby inspires those around her to do it better,” said Dr. Paul Jacobson, MWMC’s Chair of Board of Directors.

Ms. Susan “Abby” Markowitz is widely known and highly regarded in the Maryland water monitoring community, most notably for her work on the “people” side of water monitoring. Abby has played a critically important role in communicating the benefits of environmental monitoring through education and outreach, both in Maryland and nation-wide. Beginning with her tenure with Maryland Save Our Streams, Abby has had a passionate and enduring commitment to volunteer monitoring. She has facilitated collaboration among volunteer and professional water monitoring individuals and organizations and has fostered communication between the scientific community and the general public on matters related to water monitoring.

“By combining high level vision and leadership, detailed knowledge, and deep understanding of the relevant science, Paul has had a major, positive, and lasting influence on water monitoring in Maryland,” said Dr. Paul Jacobson.

Dr. Paul Massicot served as Director of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Tidewater Administration from 1987 to 1995 and as Director of Maryland DNR’s Resource Assessment Service from 1995 to 2003. During these periods, Paul oversaw the majority of the State’s water monitoring programs. He had the foresight to understand that water monitoring would increasingly require collaboration, and that a statewide organization would be a critically important vehicle for accomplishing that collaboration. Products of his leadership and vision include the ground-breaking and highly-regarded Maryland Biological Stream Survey, considered one of the nation’s best EPA-mandated state-wide Clean Water Action Plan, and Maryland’s current water monitoring strategy. Paul has played an important role in educating government decision-makers of the importance of water monitoring, and in engaging the public by promoting volunteer monitoring as an important component of the statewide monitoring strategy.

Established in 2006, the Carl S. Weber Award, named after Dr. Carl S. Weber, is presented annually to an individual who exhibits the spirit, vision and leadership exemplified by Dr. Weber. The Maryland Water Monitoring Council (MWMC) serves as a state-wide collaborative body to help achieve effective collection, interpretation, and dissemination of environmental data related to issues, policies, and resource management involving the Maryland water monitoring community. For more information visit www.marylandwatermonitoring.org.

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December 11, 20077

Contact: Olivia Campbell 410-260-8016 office I 410-507-7525 cell ocampbell@dnr.state.md.us

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov