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Schiavinato to Receive Governor’s Conservation Achievement Honor

Posted Tuesday, March 30, 2010

CORRECTION Mar. 31, 2010: An earlier version of this press release stated Schiavinato is the program committee co-chair of the 2010 Coastal Society International conference. Schiavinato is in fact the conference co-chair.

Lisa Schiavinato. Image credit: Paula Ouder/Louisiana Sea Grant (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE)

Lisa Schiavinato of North Carolina Sea Grant has been selected as the Natural Resources Scientist of the Year in the 2009 N.C. Governor's Conservation Achievement Awards program. The award will be presented at a September event hosted by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, which administers the statewide awards program.

Sea Grant's coastal law, policy, and community development specialist, Schiavinato, "has worked tirelessly to bring coastal policy issues to a wide range of citizens, from local communities to the General Assembly to academic institutions," said Tim Gestwicki, executive director of the N.C Wildlife Federation. "She is a very deserving award winner."

In 2009, Schiavinato provided leadership for a statewide advisory panel that made recommendations on emerging ocean policy topics. The resulting publication, Developing a Management Strategy for North Carolina's Coastal Ocean, is now under review by the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission. The report was developed through a two-year partnership among the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center. Schiavinato also serves as co-director of the law center.

The recommendations include development of a comprehensive plan to protect beaches and inlets, identification of available sand resources, creation of a coastal vulnerability index, and mapping of ocean resources. Emerging issue areas identified by the committee are: sand resource management, alternative energy development, ocean outfalls, marine aquaculture and comprehensive ocean management.

"The ocean policy report is just one example of the fine work that Lisa has done to help the state focus on current and anticipated coastal issues — thus encouraging proactive policy measures rather than reactions," notes Michael Voiland, North Carolina Sea Grant's executive director.

Schiavinato also has worked on legal and regulatory matters related to potential wind energy projects in the coastal region, and organizes the annual Shape of the Coast workshop for attorneys, planners and anyone interested in coastal policy topics. She joined North Carolina Sea Grant in 2007 after five years with Louisiana Sea Grant.

President-elect of The Coastal Society, an organization of private sector, academic, and government professionals and students that address coastal issues, Schiavinato was the 2008 recipient of the organization's award for professional promise. She is the conference co-chair of for the group's 22nd International Conference, to be held in Wilmington in June 2010.

Schiavinato holds a law degree and a certificate in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida. She earned a bachelor's in political science from the University of South Florida.

For a complete list of the 2009 Governor's Conservation Achievement Award Winners, and for information about the awards presentation, go online to www.ncwf.org.

North Carolina Sea Grant: Your link to research and resources for a healthier coast