CNN Heroes Award
Greetings!
I hope this finds you well! We’ve completed the nomination for the CNN Heroes Award, and would be pleased if you could review the following responses to the questions posed on the online nomination form. The space for responses is very limited (noted below) and it was a real challenge to distill your life’s work and achievements (so far!) in the space provided…
Please let us know if there are omissions or errors that we can amend, and thank you very much for the opportunity to get the word out about your efforts to document and protect our water resources.
With appreciation,
Amy Menzel
Category: Defending the Planet: Innovative efforts to preserve and protect the environment
In your own words, why does your nominee deserve recognition?
Describe in detail nominees specific accomplishments and what was involved in achieving it – include dates
Captain Joel Fogel’s passion, born out of his respect and love for life, has led him on an incredible journey of exploration, research, advocacy and action over the past forty years. In 1970, Fogel paddled a kayak from New York to Miami and reported on the conditions he observed in a book “Our Polluted Waterways,” by lecturing and with testimony to Congress advocating for the Clean Water Act. Fogel established his non-profit water monitoring group, WATERWATCH International, which developed into a network of nearly 6,000 similar organizations across the country. Close to home, Fogel challenged the City of Atlantic City (1970) in a lawsuit with the NJ Shellfisherman’s Association to end the discharge of primary sewage into local waters. Victory came in an order which ended the polluting discharge and returned the health of the bays and waterways as well as the region’s economy, dependent on clean waters for tourism and commercial fishing. Fogel has led nearly a dozen major expeditions, living with the Mursi tribe while reporting on conditions on the Omo River (1973) and exploring the Rhine (1971), Colorado (1972), Amazon (1986), Yangtze (1987), and Mississippi (1992) Rivers. Fogel has supported and participated in many more extraordinary research expeditions.
How have your nominee’s efforts made a difference for the better?
Describe impact, potential impact and how they have inspired others.
Fogel’s inspirational work to protect the planet’s water resources and his advocacy to improve degraded waters has had a positive impact for people worldwide. WATERWATCH International had evolved to encompass thousands of volunteer water quality monitoring groups that continue to document conditions and protect water resources, as well as inspiring and motivating volunteers who further this work, and educating the communities in which they operate. Fogel has not only gathered the data, but successfully lobbied for changes in legislation while educating the public in his tireless work to protect and conserve our planet’s resources for future generations.
Is there a specific incident or turning point that motivated your nominee to take action?
Raised in Atlantic City, Fogel’s grandfather, a commercial fisherman, introduced him to the sea. Fogel felt the pull to break from traditional expectations for his future at an early age. Reprimanded by teachers to stop daydreaming, Fogel reflects, “My teacher was wrong, we must first dream in order to live our dreams.” As a young man following a career path with his father’s refrigeration company he developed a determination to live “an interesting life,”. Fogel was mentored by the great oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau while working aboard the CALYPSO when studying marine zoology at the University of Hawaii.
Is there anything else that makes your nominee exceptional or unique?
The breadth of his experience and dedication to protecting and conserving the planet’s water resources are extraordinary in their own right. In addition, Fogel has written several books about his discoveries and about the Nicaraguan Civil War for the New York Times syndicate while living with the Sandinistas (1979), and has appeared in 10 movies He has been nominated for many awards and has received Audubon’s Golden Osprey Award for Environmental Awareness (1993) and Explorer’s Club Explorer of the Year (2004). Fogel is a gold and silver medal winner (2005) for events in the US Lifesaving Association regional Lifeguard Championships.
How will being recognized as a CNN Hero further your nominee’s cause?
Fogel’s quest for clean water and his work to protect populations of flora and fauna and the people who depend on these waters for their survival will not end. This award could further the good work he has done and inspired by bringing attention to both Fogel and WATERWATCH International.
Watch video :
CNN HERO
Lean more about the explorations, adventures and environmental work of Captain Joel S. Fogel by visiting:
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