We are saddened to report the passing of two stalwart protectors of the Guánica Bay watershed and our nation‘s coral reefs.
Madeleine Cancel, the Executive Director of Camared, passed away on December 24th. Madeleine was committed to educating people and raising the consciousness about the coastline and sea. She organized and participated in coastal clean-ups, bringing together people passionate about protecting the beautiful natural resources of Guánica. One of Madeleine‘s last organized events was the September 2010 cleanup of the Rio Loco outlet, when a group of volunteers from Camared and Puerto Rico DNRA pruned overgrown vegetation and cleaned up trash. Another recent cleanup was in March 2010 when 63 volunteers removed 118 old car tires and 1013 pounds of trash from the Las Pardas Beach. Madeleine was a powerful force in the Guánica community and will be truly missed. The GuanicaUS website has a place to remember Madeleine:
https://guanica.us/?p=229
Robert L. Quarles, an Aquatic Biologist with EPA’s Gulf Ecology Division, passed away December 6th while fighting a long illness at the age of 41. Bob joined EPA in 1995, and had a love of work in the field and at sea. Bob was an active SCUBA diver and a long time participant in EPA coral reef surveys. He was a EPA boat operator, earned the title of Captain from the United States Coast Guard, headed field operations for nutrients and seagrass research, and earlier provided support for EMAP coastal condition surveys. Bob will be remembered for his commitment to EPA’s mission, his enthusiasm, and joy of nature, as well as the camaraderie he so willingly shared with his team mates. We will all miss Bob’s love of work, family and friends.
