Meet Kona’s Phil Fernandez, a whale of a volunteer.
Meet Kona’s Phil Fernandez, a whale of a volunteer.
Fernandez, a Kailua resident who volunteers at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, was one of 14 volunteers honored at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s 10th annual Leadership Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., last month.
From serving on advisory councils, to removing marine debris, to documenting whale behavior and educating school children, volunteers for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries perform a variety of critical functions and have donated more than one million hours of community service to help conserve the country’s ocean and coastal treasures for future generations.
The foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that assists national marine sanctuaries with education and outreach programs designed to preserve, protect and promote meaningful opportunities for public interaction with these special places in ocean waters and the Great Lakes.
Fernandez serves as the fishing representative on the Hawaiian humpback sanctuary’s advisory council. Last year, he spent countless hours leading the efforts of the council’s Offshore Development Working Group to develop recommendations to inform sanctuary management on emerging issues facing the state, including alternative energy production and offshore aquaculture.
“Phil has been a dedicated volunteer, serving the sanctuary through his efforts to protect cultural and marine resources while ensuring that subsistence, recreational and economic benefits of the sanctuary are considered,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent. “The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is proud to recognize Phil as our volunteer of the year.”
The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawaii through the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship. DLNR’s mission is to enhance, protect, conserve and manage Hawaii’s unique and limited natural, cultural and historic resources held in public trust for current and future generations of visitors and the people of Hawaii. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.