Marine Environmental Awards Luncheon

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation will host the Thirteenth Annual Marine Environmental Awards Luncheon on Tuesday October 28, 2025, from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm at the Battle House Hotel. This will be a wonderful luncheon featuring Mr. Chris Blankenship. Awards will also be presented to Ms. Roberta Swann and Alabama Water Watch who have both made outstanding contributions to marine environmental sustainability in the Alabama Gulf Coast Region.

Keynote Speaker: Mr. Chris Blankenship will be the keynote speaker during the luncheon. Mr. Blankenship is the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Chris serves on many boards and commissions and is Chairman of the Forever Wild Land Trust Board as well as Chairman of the Innovate Alabama Council on Outdoor Recreation. Chris also previously served as the Program Administrator for the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission.

Sessions Brown Award - The Sessions Brown Award was created in 2023 by DISL in honor of Alabama Senator David Sessions and Representative Chip Brown in recognition of their advocacy for the conservation of the land and waters in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and Alabama watershed. This year’s award will go to - The Nature Conservancy in Alabama.

Gulf Coast Marine Environmental Excellence Award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to marine environmental sustainability in the Alabama Gulf Coast Region is – Ms. Roberta Swann.

Gulf Coast Marine Environmental Leadership Award recognizes an organization whose efforts have resulted in the improvement of marine environmental sustainability in the Alabama Gulf Coast Region is – Alabama Water Watch.

Doors for the Marine Environmental Awards Luncheon will open at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28 with the program beginning at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $60 a person and can be purchased online at the sealabfoundation.org or by calling 251-307-5903.