This year’s winner of the Clean Streams Partner Award was announced at the Annual General Meeting on November 19th. Every year, it is given to someone who has shown extraordinary dedication and leadership in improving the area’s waterways. The 2013 Clean Streams Partner award goes to Cherie Blair. Cherie has been the Maumee Remedial Action Plan Coordinator for Ohio EPA since 1996. She was the first Maumee RAP Coordinator in the watershed, working in the district office for Ohio EPA and living in the Area of Concern. Prior to that she worked at the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and helped start the Coastweeks program and the Lake Erie license plate program in Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree from Adrian College but her passion for water began as a child. Cherie grew up on Lake Erie, literally, commuting between Marblehead and Kelley’s Island.

With her passion for the area and for water, Cherie continuously goes above and beyond the basic fundamentals of her job by volunteering time in evenings and weekends. She tirelessly works to disseminate information to help groups plan strategically and to leverage more resources for improving water quality in the region. She has become a central pivot point in the work being done by the many partners including businesses, government and non-profit agencies working toward clean, clear and safe waters.

Cherie is receiving the Clean Streams Partner Award because of her countless hours and dedication for the work she does with Partners for Clean Streams and for the Maumee AOC, which goes way beyond her job description as Maumee RAP Coordinator for Ohio EPA.