About the Awards

Every two years at the State of the Estuary Conference, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership presents the Jean Auer Environmental Award to an outstanding individual to honor their significant contribution toward improving environmental quality in the Bay-Delta Estuary. The award is given in memory of Jean Auer, a Bay Area environmentalist, whose ground-breaking efforts were directed particularly at improving water management in California.

Every two years, Friends of the San Francisco Estuary celebrates the most outstanding environmental projects of the region at the biennial State of the Estuary Conference. Awards go to those projects that significantly benefit the Estuary; are completed or show measurable results, have not been externally mandated (for example, to resolve an enforcement action), and further the goals and objectives of the 2022 Estuary Blueprint (Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan). Projects previously recognized include restoration of creeks, wetlands, and dunes; experimental natural infrastructure; collaborative volunteer efforts; and recycled water projects.