El Cerrito Resident, Author to Receive Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting

An El Cerrito resident and author is being awarded the Harold Gilliam Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting.

Kathleen M. Wong, coauthor of Natural History of San Francisco Bay, a book published by the University of California Press, will receive the award this Thursday, given by The Bay Institute — a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization ensuring environmental protections for the San Francisco Bay watershed for decades.

The Harold Gilliam Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting recognizes knowledgeable and skilled reporting on complex environmental issues affecting the Bay-Delta Estuary and its tributary waterways.

Between Wong and her coauthor Ariel Rubissow Okamoto, both have been reporting on science and water issues for nearly 40 years.

In 2011, Okamoto and Wong joined together to write Natural History of San Francisco, a California Natural History Guide that not only explores the natural history of San Francisco Bay, but also looks at its human history and how each affects the other.

On April 11, The Bay Institute will honor Wong and Okamoto along with other individuals for their outstanding achievements in protecting and restoring the San Francisco Bay.

Since 1992, The Bay Institute has recognized people within the community that have continually shown support for and made significant contributions to the San Francisco Bay and its watershed.  

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with an hour-long reception in the lobby of the Bay Theater at Aquarium of the Bay before the awards ceremony commences inside the theater.