The Buzzards Bay Coalition invites its members and the public to learn about the organization’s past year of accomplishments to improve and protect the health of Buzzards Bay during its 27^th annual meeting on Thursday, May 21 at Shining Tides at Camp Massasoit in Mattapoisett.

The meeting, which will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. At 5:30 p.m., there will be a reception with fellow members and Coalition board and staff. The formal part of the meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m., will include a brief discussion of the organization’s 2014 accomplishments, election of board members and a presentation of the 2015 Buzzards Bay Guardian Awards and Volunteers of the Year awards.

The Buzzards Bay Guardian Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Buzzards Bay Coalition. Buzzards Bay Guardians must have demonstrated outstanding service in the cleanup, restoration or protection of Buzzards Bay. Their work may be as a citizen volunteer, an organization or a public official or employee. A Buzzards Bay Guardian is an unsung hero or heroine has inspired others to make a difference.

This year, the Coalition will present four Guardian awards that recognize leadership in addressing nitrogen pollution, conserving land and protecting Buzzards Bay from oil spills. Recipients include:

• Paul Niedzwiecki, executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, for his leadership in producing the Cape Cod 208 Water Quality Plan, which charts a path for addressing the Cape’s nitrogen pollution crisis.
• Jennifer Howard, director of Land Protection at Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, whose leadership on behalf of the Commonwealth supported the completion of the Nasketucket Bay Land Conservation Project, which helped double the size of the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation.
• Assit. Attorneys Generl Seth Scofield and Pierce Cray for a decade of defense of the Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention Act.
• Joe Costa, executive director of the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, for a lifetime of service to the health of the Bay, including starting the Baywatchers water quality monitoring program.

Camp Massasoit is located at the Mattapoisett YMCA at 38 Reservation Road in Mattapoisett. For more information and directions to the annual meeting, contact the Buzzards Bay Coalition at (508) 999-6363 or visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/events.