ADR Successes - OGC ATTORNEY RECOGNIZED

The Regional Counsel (N00L), Pearl Harbor, HI has been instrumental in creating a new Navy partnership through her proactive approach to her environmental practice in Hawaii. Her partnering efforts in conjunction with the Waikiki Aquarium and 11 other federal agencies have helped the Aquarium to become one of 11 such aquariums across the country to be designated as a Coastal American Ecosystem Learning Center. The Center entered a partnership with the Navy and 11 other federal agencies on March 17, 2000. The partnership will support the Learning Center on an ongoing basis. "The Navy brings to the partnership a shared interest, a track record of innovation and a desire to do the right thing when it comes to the environment," declared Rear Admiral John W. Townes III, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Commander, Naval Surface Group, Middle Pacific at the dedication ceremony.

The goal of the Coastal America Ecosystem Learning Centers is to raise public awareness of the importance of protecting and restoring coastal and watershed ecosystems. The Director of the Learning Center noted his confidence in the Center ability to attain its goal through the shared resources of its federal partners and asserted that "information provided by the Coastal America Ecosystem Learning Centers and its federal partners will reach thousands of people who visit the Waikiki Aquarium annually."

The Navy is joined in this partnering effort by the Departments of Agriculture, Air Force, Army, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration and Executive Office of the President.

This is an edited excerpt from the article in the Hawaii Navy News, Vol. 25 Issue 12, March 24, 2000.