The Gulf of Mexico
Program was initiated in 1988 by the U.S. EPA as a non-regulatory program.
Founded on the threefold principle of partnership, science-based information, and citizen involvement, the Gulf of Mexico Program applies an adaptive management approach to large coastal freshwater and marine ecosystems. The mission of the
Program is to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the Region.
The Gulf Guardian Awards were created in 2000 to recognize environmental excellence towards achieving and preserving healthy and resilient coasts in
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The Gulf Guardian Awards recognize efforts within the 31 States that comprise the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
The Awards also include Binational efforts and recognize successful cooperative projects between the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. The Awards are presented on a Biannual basis. The official categories for nomination are:
Business/Industry, Environmental Justice/Cultural Diversity, Civic and
Nonprofit Organizations, Youth Environmental Education, Individual,
Partnerships and Bi-national. First, Second and Third place winners are awarded and presented at a special ceremony.
Sponsored by the partnership of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Gulf of Mexico Program, to recognize extraordinary environmental stewardship towards protecting the
Gulf of Mexico .

2013 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Application deadline for the 2013 Gulf of Mexico Program Gulf
Guardian Award is March 8, 2013
Winners will be notified in the late spring of 2013 and awarded at a special function later in the year.
Choose the category that best describes your organization by checking the appropriate box on the first page of your application. The Gulf of Mexico Program will make the final decision on the appropriate category for your project. Applications will be scored in only one category.
Please consider the following requirements when filling out your application. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.
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Please complete one application per project using only the space provided on the application. Mail completed entry to the address listed at the end of this form or email your application to gulf.guardian@epa.gov
. Electronic submissions are preferred.
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Your application must be electronically submitted or postmarked by March 8, 2013 , to qualify for a
2013 Gulf Guardian Award.
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The Gulf Guardian Awards are awarded on a biannual basis. Past winners must wait four years before submitting a new application. (For example, 2011 winners can reapply for 2015).
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Type sizes should be no smaller than Times 12-point or comparable.
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Projects must show measurable results. Projects must either be complete or demonstrating measurable results as an ongoing effort.
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Support material (videos, brochures, press clips, photos, manuals, etc.) will not be accepted. However, you may be asked to submit additional materials at a later date.
2013 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & REQUIREMENTS

(CONTINUED) Application deadline for a 2013 Gulf Guardian Award Nomination is
March 8, 2013.
Selection of the winning projects will be based on the following criteria:
Does the project contribute new or improve upon existing information? Is it a new concept or process? Has it ever been executed successfully before? Is it a creative solution or provide more information to solve a problem?
Does it make a significant contribution to improving the Gulf of Mexico? Does it reduce health risk or conserve resources? Does it reduce a large volume or significant percent of water contaminants, hazardous/toxic or solid waste? Is it beneficial to the economy, the environment, or local community? Does it tackle a difficult task? Is it effective?
Can we measure its contribution to environmental quality or improved awareness?
Does the project promote public education? Does it encourage other environmental efforts? Does it serve as a model for other efforts?
Is the project self-sustaining or ongoing? Does it go significantly beyond legal requirements? Does it solve a serious environmental problem or result in a significant positive impact on the environment?

Or if for
INDIVIDUAL category:
Low-Altitude Aerial Monitoring of the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf coast
Organization Name:
Street Address:
City, State, and ZIP Code:
Phone (with area code):
Email Address:
On Wings Of Care, Inc. (www.OnWingsOfCare.org)
6101 G. Bellanca St., Flightline First, Lakefront Airport
New Orleans, LA 70126
626-383-1412, 504-616-7007
Bonny@OnWingsOfCare.org
Name of person submitting this nomination in Name: Bonny L. Schumaker
 case further information is needed. NOTE: If
Address: PO Box 24717
 project or individual is selected, correspondence will be addressed to
City/State/ZIP: New Orleans, LA 70184-4717
 person/organization listed in first block above. Phone: 626-383-1412, 504-616-7007
Email: Bonny@OnWingsOfCare.org
Award Category:
Focus Area-Please check all that apply to your nomination . Not applicable to the
Individual Category.
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Civic/Nonprofit Organization
Water Quality/Public Health
Habitat
Ecosystems
Cultural diversity/Environmental
Justice
Environmental education
Coastal community resilience

Environmental Justice/Cultural Diversity
 Youth Environmental Education
 Business and Industry

Civic/Nonprofit Organization
 Partnerships
 Bi-National
 Individual *Continue with the nomination form for individual category below
 Water Quality/Public Health:
Does this project protect the public’s health or preserve, or enhance water quality for healthy beaches, living marine resources and shellfish beds in the Gulf?
 Habitat: Conservation and Restoration:
Does this project conserve, protect or restore critical Gulf of Mexico coastal habitats?
 Ecosystems Integration and Assessment:
Does this project aid coastal managers, scientists and others make sound decisions regarding the health and productivity of the Gulf?
 Nutrient Enrichment:
Does project aid in the ultimate reduction of nutrients introduced to our streams, rivers, bays and the Gulf?
 Cultural Diversity/Environmental Justice:
Does this project enhance environmental awareness and protection among the culturally diverse and underserved communities?

Environmental Education:
Does project increase awareness and stewardship among youth and students and ultimately aid in the protection of Gulf of Mexico resources?

Coastal Community Resilience:
Does this project provide education or enhancements for coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies to become more resilient to coastal hazards?
If this results in a winning entry, who would be most likely to accept the award?
Name(s): Title(s):

FOR ALL CATEGORIES (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL)
Position the cursor in the blank area. As you type, the area will expand to accommodate the text you input.
(1) Summarize the project’s highlights and accomplishments. (Summarize in 100 words or less.)
Since 2010 May, On Wings Of Care has flown more than 100 flights totaling more than
500 hours over the Gulf of Mexico and coastal areas, for purposes of: a) documenting significant pollution; b) monitoring health of marine life, coastal wetlands, beaches, and barrier islands; and c) finding specific species of marine life. 
 These flights have supported research by scientists with government agencies (such as Louisiana DWF,
NOAA, USGS, and the USCG), academic institutions, and various NGOs. Their primary purpose and products have been published maps, photos, videos, and prompt factual information for the general public via our website, OnWingsOfCare.org and Facebook page.
(2) Describe the project in detail [date of event(s), site(s), purpose, goals, history, description of the problem, accomplishments to date, etc.]. What type of environmental improvement was made and how was the improvement accomplished? (Describe in 500 words or less.)
Beginning in May of 2010, our work in the Gulf of Mexico has aimed to understand and document the pollution caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon and other drilling and production sites; to help mitigate the damage; and to promote sound recovery for affected marine life, ecosystems, and coastal communities. Our primary contributions have been: 
 1) aerial surveying and documentation of natural and anthropogenic oil slicks and of pollution in off-shore, coastal, and wetland areas; and 
 2) aerial spotting for research on Gulf marine life -- primarily whales, whale sharks and other sharks, and other indicators of marine ecosystem health such as fish and sargassum. 
 We brought to these tasks a unique combination of decades of our own scientific training, piloting skills and experience, and aircraft customized for aerial imaging (with two belly viewers and four large opening side photo-windows). For scientists studying the nature and extent of oil slicks, we enabled estimates of quantity, flow rate, and duration of pollution events. We also provided regular reports to the US Coast Guard and the NRC of pollution sites, which aided in their investigation and addressing. For researchers studying the behaviors, health, and populations of whale sharks, we enabled the placement of dozens of GPS and biological monitoring tags on individual animals who otherwise could not have been found or reached. For NGOs and local, national, and international media, we enabled live video of the status of coastal areas, wetlands, and offshore waters. These, plus our prompt and comprehensive published articles after every flight on our website www.OnWingsOfCare.org, kept the public appraised of the facts of the status of the offshore, coastal, and wetland areas as they could be known from visual observations. Our observations frequently led to investigations by the
USCG and thence to cleanup efforts by responsible parties, including BP and other corporations. We were the first to notice and call attention to continued leakages from the Deepwater Horizon site (e.g., in August of 2011 and again in September of 2012).
We were also the first to call attention to the chronic pollution just 12 miles off the coast of Louisiana that had begun when Hurricane Ivan in 2004 destroyed a platform owned by Taylor Energy Corp. and several associated pipelines; this had gone largely unreported until we began regular aerial monitoring. Our observations also served to quiet some fearful speculations that the BP disaster had caused extensive fracturing of the seafloor and that the Gulf of Mexico would soon “be dead.” By our continuing to document and share publicly the actual visible state of the Gulf, many of those fears

were proven to be unfounded, and the associated hysteria was quelled. Our contributions have been noted in numerous scientific publications and news stories.
We also wrote and published a book titled “The Story of Pellie Lou -- a Pelican who
survived the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.” It is fiction but based on true events, places, and characters and contains 47 of our own photos from the Gulf.
(3) Is this project innovative or creative in its use or application of technology or personnel? If so, please explain.
(Explain in 100 words or less).
We’ve customized our aircraft for both nadir-viewing and oblique imaging. Our scientific affiliations and aviation experience enable us to fly safely and legally where others often cannot, to help guide sampling and cleanup vessels, and to provide factual information to the public and appropriate government agencies. We provide prompt, comprehensive reporting after each flight, including detailed flight logs, descriptions of all points of interest, and complete GPS flight track files. A three-to-four-hour flight is typically followed by ten hours of photo and video processing, article preparation, filing of NRC reports, and phone conversations with the USCG.
(4) Describe how the project benefits the health and productivity of the Gulf. (Describe in 100 words or less.)
(5) How do you specifically measure the success of the project? (Describe in 50 words or less.)
(6) Describe any educational, training, or outreach component to your program (if applicable) (Describe in 100 words or less.)
(7) Is this a collaborative project involving the cooperation of public, private, community, business, or citizen groups? If so, please explain the cooperative effort and list all participating entities and their respective roles.
(Describe in 100 words or less.)
(8) Describe anything exceptional about your project. For example, is it financially self-sustaining? Does it go above and beyond legal requirements? Does it result in a significant positive impact to the environment? Does your project take place in a critical region? Can it be duplicated in another area? (Describe in 100 words or less.)

(1) Summarize the individual’s accomplishments in one paragraph and why this individual is especially deserving of the Gulf Guardian Award. (Summarize in 100 words or less.)
(2) Describe the individual’s accomplishments in detail. What type of environmental improvement was made through this individual’s effort? (Describe in 500 words or less.)
(3) Has this individual used innovative or creative methods in application, technology or personnel? If so, please explain. (Explain in 100 words or less).
(4) How do you measure the success of this person’s accomplishments? (Describe in 100 words or less.)
(5) Does this individual seek the cooperation of different types of public, private, community, business, or citizen groups? If so, please explain the cooperative effort and list all participating entities and their respective roles.
(Describe in 100 words or less.)
(6) Describe anything exceptional about this individual. Does he/she go above and beyond legal requirements? Do his/her efforts result in a significant positive impact to the Gulf of Mexico? (Describe in 100 words or less.)
(7) Briefly describe the schedule or timetable for this individual’s career, including dates of any major mile-stones and/or their successes. (Describe in 100 words or less.)
All Nominations must be emailed by March 8, 2013 to gulf.guardian@epa.gov
, or postmarked by March 8, 2013, to: U.S
EPA, Gulf of Mexico Program, Bldg. 1100, Rm. 232, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000. Attn: Gulf Guardian
Award
Note: Email preferred. For questions, contact Diane Altsman, Gulf of Mexico Program Office, 228-688-7015.