Santa Barbara, CA – U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, marine business pioneer Captain Fred Benko, and Santa Barbara civic leaders Barry and Jean Schuyler were honored with National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) awards during a gala tribute dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. World renowned ocean explorer and NMSF Trustee Jean-Michel Cousteau served as Master of Ceremonies for the gala, October 7th, one of several recent events marking the sanctuary’s silver anniversary.

Capps was honored with a NMSF Stewardship Award for her ambitious legislative agenda on behalf of national marine sanctuaries and marine habitats, and most recently for securing a federal grant of $4 million to help fund construction of a new ocean science education building at UC-Santa Barbara. The facility will expand the headquarters of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Capps’ award was accepted by her District Representatives Christine Elliott and Greg Haas.

"I am honored that the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation has presented me with its Stewardship Award and I am proud to live on the Central Coast and represent its interests in Congress,” said Capps. “I know just how important the beauty and bounty of the ocean is to our quality of life, and I pledge to continue working with the Foundation, other interested partners and my colleagues to develop and implement an agenda that will ensure the health and productivity of our marine environment for generations to come."

Schwarzenegger received a NMSF Stewardship Award for acting quickly after taking office to protect ocean and coastal resources, particularly for signing several ocean protection bills into law and initiating the California Ocean Action Plan. The Governor’s award was accepted by Mike Chrisman, Secretary of the California Resources Agency.

"As Californians, we all have a duty to protect our state's world class beaches, shorelines, and magnificent 1,100 mile coastline so they can be enjoyed by future generations," said Schwarzenegger. "I thank the Foundation for this prestigious award and its tireless work to keep our ocean and coast healthy."

Marine business pioneer and naturalist Captain Fred Benko was honored with a NMSF Stewardship Award for his devotion to protecting whales and educating the public about these magnificent marine mammals. "It’s a great honor to receive this recognition from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, especially in the company of such distinguished honorees,” said Benko. “Marine science education is a critical need in our community and I hope this effort helps spark funding for these important endeavors."

Longtime Santa Barbara civic leaders Jean and Barry Schuyler received the NMSF Lifetime Achievement Award for their unwavering and longtime dedication to protecting and preserving coastal, marine and other habitats. "Jean and I are very fortunate to have spent our lives near and on the Pacific Ocean and we can't imagine a world without healthy oceans for our children and grandchildren,” said Barry Schuyler. “We are honored that the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the men and women of NOAA, whose duties and privileges are to care for and preserve our marine habitats, think that in some small way our work has helped."

The Channel Islands 25th Anniversary Awards Dinner was held at the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort in the La Pacifica Ballroom in Santa Barbara, California. "We thank the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary Foundation for co-hosting this 25th anniversary gala, it's just amazing to see the progress over the years," said Sanctuary Manager Chris Mobley. "We have matured to the point that we can now provide key assets to the Channel Islands area, including expert staff, a state-of-the-art research vessel, a survey aircraft, and a solid volunteer program. There's much to celebrate!"

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the waters that surround Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands. Since its designation in September 1980, sanctuary objectives have focused on balancing the protection of marine animals, habitats and prehistoric tribal artifacts with ever increasing recreational and commercial activities. The sanctuary is supported locally by the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary Foundation, which was created to assist the federally managed Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary with education, outreach and research programs designed to preserve, protect ad promote meaningful opportunities for public interaction with our local marine sanctuary.

The gala tribute was co-hosted by Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF). Sponsors include Inamed Corporation, Aquarium of the Pacific, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Kavlico Corporation, Oppenheimer, The Ocean Foundation, and Venoco, Inc.

"We are delighted to have tremendous support and enthusiasm from the Santa Barbara community for this event, which marks such a significant milestone for Channel Islands,” said NMSF Executive Director Lori Arguelles. "This was an evening to celebrate nearly a generation of accomplishments by one of our nation's oldest sanctuaries, as well as some very special people who have contributed to that success along the way."