Gulf of Maine Council honors Dover's Gretchen Young with visionary award

posted on 8/8/2022

The Gulf of Maine Council on Marine Environment recognized Community Services' Gretchen Young in July with a 2022 Visionary Award for her "outstanding accomplishments as Environmental Projects Manager for the City of Dover."

The Gulf of Maine Council highlighted Young's work in facilitating the City Council's Committee to Study Stormwater and Flood Resilience Funding, which earlier this year recommended the City Council create a stormwater utility to fund existing and future stormwater infrastructure needs. The City Council accepted the recommendation and declared its intent to create a stormwater utility, which is currently underway.

"We particularly appreciate your proactive efforts to reduce stormwater pollution by partnering with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership to bring residents, developers, and non-profit organizations together to develop innovative stormwater funding strategies," Gulf of Maine Council Coordinator Joan LeBlanc wrote notifying Young of the award. "Thanks to your leadership and personal dedication, Dover is at the forefront of sustainable efforts to fund stormwater programs in coastal New Hampshire."

Two weeks ago at a Portland, Maine, awards ceremony, NHDES Coastal Program Administrator Steve Couture presented Young with her award.

"Gretchen is a visionary leader whose personal commitment and professional dedication have helped improve Gulf of Maine waters by reducing pollution from stormwater runoff," Couture said. "Gretchen's visionary leadership and personal commitment have made a lasting positive impact on sustainability in New Hampshire and the broader Gulf of Maine watershed."

In her remarks, Young said she was thankful to work for a city that supports innovation and environmental stewardship. While she noted there wasn't always agreement between the diverse members of the stormwater committee, in the end, the committee voted unanimously to recommend the stormwater utility, which would be the first in New Hampshire.

"We still have some work to do, but I'm proud of what we've done so far," Young said.

The Gulf of Maine Council is a Canadian-American regional partnership that provides collaborative leadership on cross-border, including ecosystem conditions, water quality, and climate change within the Gulf of Maine watershed. Its mission is to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine to provide sustainable resource use by existing and future generations. Its annual Visionary Awards "recognize innovation, creativity, and commitment to protecting the marine environment."

Last year, Community Services Director John Storer received a visionary award from the Gulf of Maine Council.