We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2021 Conservation Policy Award is Bob Bailey! 
The recipient of many enthusiastic letters of support, Bob Bailey is well-known in the marine environmental community for his thoughtful, knowledgeable, and ecumenical approach to solving problems and guiding marine policy. As the former Director of the Coastal Management Program at the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), Bob played a formative role in the development of the Oregon Ocean Plan and subsequently, the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan that set standards for the rest of the nation.
Bob was the visionary behind the Oregon’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council, and as a subsequent member, was instrumental in the success of marine reserves by encouraging solutions among otherwise deeply divided constituents.
Bob played a key role in the nomination of South Slough, Coos Bay, as the first Estuarine Resource Reserve in the United States. He also guided the development of the Estuary, Shoreland, Dune, and Ocean Resources goals and helped produce the 1987 Oregon Estuary Handbook that enabled continued protection of estuary and wetland habitat through the local/state planning program.
Currently Bob serves as the President of the Board with the Elakha Alliance, a non-profit organization pursuing the reintroduction of sea otters to the Oregon coast. Recently, Bob worked closely with Senator Merkley’s staff to include language into the FY21 federal budget that directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to “study the feasibility and cost of reestablishing sea otters on the Pacific Coast”. This federal directive marks a significant benchmark toward sea otter population recovery range-wide.
We hope you’ll take a minute to watch this endorsement video from one of his nominators, Claire Puchy:
The Conservation Policy Award is given to legislators, policy professionals, individuals, or entities who demonstrate leadership in advancing local, state, and/or federal policy(s) that benefit wildlife conservation in the state of Oregon. Specifically, this award seeks to recognize demonstrated leadership in one or more of the following areas: 1) Exemplary relationship building: Building strong relationships between state officials, policy makers, stakeholders, and wildlife conservationists across the state, 2) Effective outreach: Supporting wildlife conservation legislation, and/or mobilizing grassroots support for wildlife policy, and 3) Outstanding results: Producing measurable results in the form of policy creation that benefits wildlife conservation.