Nominations sought for Coastal Stewardship Awards

Annual honors hosted by Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana marking 30th year

April 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is seeking nominations for its annual Coastal Stewardship Awards, which recognize the people, companies, organizations and communities who are working to restore and protect Louisiana’s coast. Nominations are open to the public. They can be submitted online. An awards night will be held Sept. 17 at SoLou restaurant in Baton Rouge.

First presented in 1996, the Coastal Stewardship Awards honor those whose leadership, innovation and commitment have helped make Louisiana a global leader in coastal restoration and protection. Awards are presented in several categories, including Lifetime Achievement, Coastal Stewardship, Emerging Steward, Volunteer of the Year and Friend of CRCL.

“These awards recognize the people who are doing the hard work of protecting Louisiana’s coast and communities every day,” said Kim Reyher, executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. “Across Louisiana, there are scientists, volunteers, business leaders, educators and advocates working to safeguard our coast and our way of life. We hope people across coastal Louisiana will help us celebrate them.”

Last year’s winners included retired journalist Mark Schleifstein, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award;

Dr. Jelagat Cheruiyot, a Tulane University professor; Brother Martin, a New Orleans high school; Sandy Nguyen, the executive director of Coastal Communities Consulting; Anne Milling, who founded Women of the Storm; Theresa Schmidt, a retired journalist at KPLC in Lake Charles; and Dominique Seibert, a Louisiana SeaGrant agent. Ezra Horwitz was named Emerging Steward; Trenton Gremillion was Volunteer of the Year; and CITGO was named Friend of CRCL. Former CRCL Board Chairman John Morello was also recognized for distinguished stewardship.

Tickets for the 2026 awards event will be available online. Sponsorships are available. Winners are selected by a committee comprised of Louisiana residents from across the coast.   

CRCL runs the state’s only large-scale Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Through its Native Plants Program, it has planted more than a million trees and plants. The organization also educates students through its Future Coastal Leaders Program and trains professionals through its Coastal Leadership Institute. It also hosts the biennial State of the Coast conference and will hold the inaugural Southwest Louisiana Coastal Summit this October.  

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The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to unite people in action to achieve a thriving, sustainable Louisiana coast for all.