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Benella Caminiti, Water Hero 2004

Benella holds a BS in Zoology from the University of California Santa Barbara and worked as a research analyst in New York until she moved to Seattle in 1964 to take a job with the University of Washington’s Regional Primate Research Center. She eventually became the manager and held this position until her retirement in 1988. In 1972, Benella became involved with, and helped organize, the first of the many environmental campaigns she has waged from her home in Queen Anne. A champion of the Public Trust Doctrine, she has fought legal battles to preserve local parks and shorelines from development to ensure their continued access and enjoyment by everyone. She is also a long-time member of the League of Women Voters, helped found the Seattle Shorelines Coalition, and has been an enthusiastic and generous supporter of CELP for many years.

Join us in celebrating a lifetime of service to Washington’s waters when we present Benella with the 2004 Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero Award.

Water Heroes
1. Rachel Paschal Osborn, Water Hero 2001
2. Benella Caminiti, Water Hero 2004
3. Nancy Rust, Water Hero 2006
4. Mickey Gendler, Water Hero 2008
5. Russ Busch, Water Hero 2010
6. Harriet Bullitt, Water Hero 2011
7. NW Indian Fisheries Commission, Water Hero 2012
8. Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Water Hero 2013
9. Ann Aagaard, Water Hero 2014
10. Upper Columbia United Tribes, Water Heroes 2015
11. Professor William H. Rodgers Jr., Water Hero 2016
12. Dr. John Osborn, Water Hero 2017
13. Water Heroes 2018
14. In Memory of Nancy Shuttleworth Rust: Former CELP Board President & Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero Awardee
15. Larry Wasserman, Water Hero 2019
16. Professor Emeritus Robert Anderson, Water Hero 2020
17. Sharon Haensly, Water Hero 2021
18. Kimberly Ordon aka KO, Water Hero 2021
19. Daryl Williams, Water Hero 2022
20. Carla Carlson Named 2023 Water Hero
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