 Some special people will be recognized as coastal champions at the Littoral Society's Members Day event on Saturday, June 22. Among the honorees are Lisa Fanning, our Seastreak Volunteer Coordinator; Kristin Villani, a Science Teacher at Mercy Center's Sisters Academy of New Jersey in Asbury Park, NJ; Dawn Payne, a 4th and 5th Grade Science teacher at Compass Academy Charter School in Vineland, NJ, and Adam Riback, a New York State Beach Cleanup beach captain and Executive Director of New York State Marine Education Association (NYSMEA). Community Partner Award - Lisa Fanning Lisa’s love for the natural world began on the beach at Coney Island, in her native Brooklyn, where her mom would say: “Let’s see what the tide brought in” and encouraged a young Lisa to be curious about the wildlife around her.  Lisa Fanning Her curiosity didn’t stop there. Whether it is monitoring the nesting shorebirds at the Jersey Shore, watching her favorite pair of Osprey raise their young on the Bayshore, mothing to pass the hot summer nights, or just looking up at the night sky, she continues to observe the rhythms of nature. She is a longtime member and volunteer for The American Littoral Society, Monmouth County Audubon and other conservation organizations across New Jersey. She is also the compiler for the Ramsey Christmas Bird Count along with her husband Rob. As the Littoral Society's volunteer coordinator for Seastreak's Seal and Bird Eco-Cruises, Lisa spent dozens of hours this year getting everyone organized, as well as creating a volunteer training, sending out welcome kits, collecting data for Gotham Whale, and putting together reports on what was seen or done during the cruises. An amateur Astronomer, she is a recipient of the Explore the Moon and Explore the Universe Observing Certificates from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), editor of the RASC’s Halifax Centre’s Nova Notes newsletter, creator of “Lisa’s Look Up!” on Facebook, a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton and contributor to their Monthly online newsletter Sidereal Times. She has appeared on several programs and podcasts talking about the connection between Animal Behavior, Migration and Astronomical Events. Her driving goal is to motivate others to get excited and curious about nature and to pay it forward.  Kristin Villani Coastal Educator Award - Kristin Villani and Dawn Payne Kristin grew up on the Jersey Shore and spent her childhood on Sandy Hook, participating in beach cleanups and seining on summer afternoons (with her science teacher dad). After graduating college with a degree in Environmental Science and completing her service in the Peace Corps in West Africa, Kristin returned to the shore to work as a fish biologist for the NOAA lab on Sandy Hook. While working there she was introduced to students from Sisters Academy on a field trip and was told they were in need of a science teacher. Six years later, she continues to partner with the Littoral Society while teaching science to 5th through 8th graders. She incorporates the importance of protecting our coastal ecosystem into her lessons.  Dawn Payne Dawn has been an educator for the past 18 years and spent the last eight teaching science to elementary students at Compass Academy Charter School. She is passionate about fostering curiosity and critical thinking in her students while also striving to create an engaging and supportive classroom. To provide opportunities for students to get outside, she helped create a nature center where they can explore ecosystems under the logs, build dams in the streambed, create a garden for butterflies, and enjoy formal and informal lessons in nature. Dawn has partnered with the Littoral Society to bring her students into nature during field trips and outdoor classroom lessons and to deliver teacher trainings on “Teaching in the Outdoors” across grade levels and subject areas.  Adam Riback Coastal Community Stewardship Award – Adam Riback
For his day job, Adam is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments in Nanuet, NY. But his free time is often spent on a beach or in the water, frequently in support of Littoral Society initiatives such as the New York State Beach Cleanup (NYSBC). Adam was born and raised in Sea Gate, a private community in Coney Island that is surrounded by water on three sides. Growing up, he was immediately attracted to the ocean and what lies beneath the surface, which led to him becoming active in the New York scuba diving community. In addition to being a certified dive master, he spent four years as Vice President of the former NYC Sea Gypsies, which was renamed in 2022 to Big Apple Divers. Adam has also been the Executive Director of the New York State Marine Education Association (NYSMEA) since 2019. The NYSMEA has partnered with the Littoral Society on numerous events in and around Jamaica Bay, NY. Comments are closed.
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