Buzzards Bay, MA in recognition of their environmental achievements, former Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee and Grammy-nominated singer and song-writer Sophie B. Hawkins will be presented the Townsend Hornor Environmental Stewardship Award this Friday, August 15th, at the National Marine Life Center's Mermaid Ball on the grounds of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

While Bill "The Spaceman" Lee will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame this coming October in recognition of his accomplishments during his 10-year career with Boston and his work as a tireless ambassador for the game of baseball, it is his long record of environmental activism off the field for which NMLC will bestow on him its Environmental Stewardship Award. His 1984 memoir "The Wrong Stuff" explores the contrast between his on-field persona and off-field activism. He wrote, "If I accomplished anything as a player, I hope its that I proved you could exist as a dual personality in the game....Away from the ballpark, I tried to care about the earth, and I wasn't concerned with getting ahead of the 'other guy.' On the mound, I was a different person, highly competitive and always out to win. Who I was off the field fed the person I became on it. I had to make the stands I did. To be silent in the face of injustice would have made my life and pitching meaningless. If I was able to keep my compassion while retaining my competitive senses, I would judge my career a success....If I am remembered by anyone, I would want it to be as a guy who cared about the planet and the welfare of his fellow man." NMLC and its marine animal patients have benefited from Lee's generous support of our organization for several years, and we are delighted to recognize Bill "The Earthman" Lee with the inaugural presentation of this Award.

Sophie B. hawkins is a singer, song-writer, musician and artist best known for her chart-topping singles "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and "As I Lay Me Down." While Sophie's passionate musical accomplishments are documented by her 1993 Grammy Award nomination, multiple gold records and critical acclaim, NMLC is honored to recognize her equally passionate environmental and social activism by bestowing on her its Environmental Stewardship Award. Her work includes the 2004 documentary for the National Wildlife Federation entitled Wildlife Survivors: A Take of Two Turtles, which documents the natural and man-made threats to the survival of the Kemps' Ridley sea turtle - the critically endangered species most often found stranded on Cape Cod beaches and in need of medical treatment. She also worked with the Sea Turtle Restoration Project to establish the Kemp's Ridley Marine Reserve along the Texas gulf coast. Moreover, throughout her career. in venues around the globe before countless thousands of fans, Ms. Hawkins has served as an impassioned spokeperson and diplomat for the environment. This Friday, the National Marine Life Center will honor Ms. Hawkins as a diplomat for the ocean and all living creatures within it. As a special gift to Mermaid Ball participants, Ms. Hawkins will present her Cape Cod debut of her new single "The Land, The Sea, the Sky" at the event.

The National Marine Life Center is an independent, not-for-profit, marine animal hospital and science education center. Its mission is to rehabilitate for release stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, and to advance scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and ocean conservation. Since admitting its first patient in 2004, the National Marine Life Center has cared for nineteen endangered sea turtles, seventeen endangered red-bellied cooters, two endangered diamondback terrapins, and one harp seal. Also during this timeframe, National Marine Life Center staff have presented six scientific presentations, welcomed over 20,025 summer visitors to their Marine Animal Discovery Center on Main Street, Buzzards Bay, and presented educational programming to over 10,615 children and adults.