Longtime Civil Servant Honoured

An international marine environmental council is praising the work of a distinguished Nova Scotia civil servant by naming an annual volunteer award in his honour.

The Longard Gulf Volunteer Award is a tribute to Art Longard, former director of Policy, Planning and Coastal Resources with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mr. Longard died last December after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The award was recommended at the bi-annual meeting of the Gulf of Maine Council on the marine environment in Salem, Mass., today.

"As a founder of the council, Art's goal was always co-operation," Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said. "Getting every jurisdiction to support a single outstanding citizen across the region honours Art and that initiative."

The award will be given to a volunteer who makes a significant contribution to the conservation or management of the gulf's natural resources. Candidates may be nominated by the individuals or organizations.

The Nova Scotia departments of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Environment represent the province on the council which also includes senior government officials from New Brunswick, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The international council was created in 1989 to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine area which extends from Cape Sable to Nantucket, Mass.