Highlights from Coastal Celebrations
The Pelican Awards annually recognize the effective work of people, businesses, nonprofit groups, local and state governments, and educators to improve environmental quality on the North Carolina coast.
Award recipients have demonstrated exemplary commitment and undertaken meaningful actions to protect and restore our coast.
When the Coastal Federation was founded in 1982, we adopted the brown pelican as our logo to represent our organizational mission — to provide people with the assistance needed to take an active role in the wise management of coastal water quality and natural resources. While designated as a federally endangered species in 1970, brown pelicans along the Atlantic Coast were removed from the endangered species list in 1985 after the pesticide DDT was banned in 1972. It is a true coastal success story! The Federation created the Pelican Awards to recognize exemplary achievements and actions in protecting and restoring coastal resources.
