Know someone you'd consider a great environmentalist? There may be an award lunch in his or her future. This note comes to us from the Maryland Department of the Environment:

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 Tawes Award for A Clean Environment - named in honor of the late J. Millard Tawes, Maryland Governor (1959-1967) and first secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. The awards are co-sponsored by MDE and the Maryland Petroleum Council.

The award is to nominate any individual, civic, community, or non-profit entity that has demonstrated outstanding efforts to enhance Maryland's environment over a period of time or with a single project. Through the years, award recipients have ranged from boy scouts, emergency response personnel and environmental activists to elementary and secondary schools, beautification and ecology groups. Entries are divided into categories - youth (individual or organizations with members under 21), and adult (individual or organization).

The James B. Coulter Award recognizes a government employee who goes above and beyond his/her duties in efforts to improve Maryland's environment. Activities or projects may include, but are not limited to recycling, ecology, animal habitat, community and stream clean up and conservation.

Winners, runners-up and their guests will be honored at an awards luncheon will be in May at the Tawes Garden in Annapolis. A panel of judges chooses the Tawes Award winners and runners-up.

Last year's winners included Jeffery A. Grills co-director of Frederick County Public School's Earth and Space Science Laboratory, and Edward Sinnes, an active Boy Scout who participated in restoration and creation of natural habitats and environmental improvements at the Waldorf Izaak Walton League property. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Jacksonville Release Project Team was honored with the second annual James B. Coulter Award.

For more information or a nomination form contact the Maryland Petroleum Council office at (410) 269-1850 or MDE's Office of Communications at (410) 537-3003. E-mail requests may be sent to: maryland@api.org. Deadline for submissions is April 10, 2008.