Marblehead man gets state Visionary Award

BOSTON ? A Marblehead man has been presented one of two annual Massachusetts Visionary Awards for his environmental initiatives.Jan Smith, a water quality and coastal habitat manager for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affair’s Division of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), received the award from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment.Liz Duff of Gloucester, education coordinator for Mass Audubon’s North Shore office, with the other recipient.The award recognizes innovation, creativity, and commitment to marine protection by businesses, environmental organizations, or individuals whose work improves the environment of the Gulf of Maine.The Gulf of Maine Council is a U.S.-Canadian partnership of government and non-government organizations that focuses on maintaining and enhancing environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine ? a marine resource covering 36,000 square miles of ocean and 7,500 miles of coastline.Smith re-joined the CZM staff in 2009, previously serving as director of the Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) for more than a decade. During his tenure as MBP director, Smith strengthened the region’s effort in understanding coastal wetland dynamics, storm water pollution, and invasive species emergence and distributions.Duff, who has been with MassAudubon for 12 years, leads the Salt Marsh Science program, in which she engages school children in hands-on conservation science by involving them in salt marsh protection and restoration activities. She is also an active partner in a collaborative regional initiative to control invasive species in the region’s salt marshes.