Julie Packard

2022 Margaret Douglas Medal

Presented to Julie Packard in recognition of her ocean stewardship and for elevating public awareness about the ocean environment.

Proposed by: a member of Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club, Zone XII

Ocean conservationist and philanthropist, Julie Packard has spent her life promoting the preservation of ocean resources and environmental awareness. She has been a leading voice for science-based policy reform to support healthy oceans, convincing US politicians to change ocean policy to protect critical habitat in marine preserves. As director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), Monterey, California, since 1984, Julie has shared the wonders of the ocean with over two million annual visitors. She has worked to restore kelp forests and critical ecosystems, which aided in the recovery of sea otters. Under Julie’s leadership, MBA developed Seafood Watch in 1999 to promote buying only fish that are sustainably caught. By 2020, over eighty-five percent of the US grocery store chains and restaurants had committed to purchasing only sustainable seafood. Under Julie Packard’s leadership, the MBA has become a leading ocean conservation organization, collaborating with aquaria worldwide, to form a global effort to preserve and protect the oceans.

The Margaret Douglas Medal is awarded for notable service to the cause of conservation education.

The Margaret Douglas Medal was endowed by Priscilla Sleeper Sterling (Mrs. Robert D. Sterling), Garden Club of Dublin and Monadnock Garden Club, both Zone I, to honor Margaret Bell Douglas (Mrs. Walter Douglas: 1890–1963), GCA member-at-large. The medal was designed by Art Deco sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan in 1952. A native of Canada, Margaret spent much of her adult life in the American Southwest and Mexico. She is credited with the introduction of the papaya crop to Mexico and she helped establish the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. She was the recipient of the GCA’s Achievement Medal in 1954.

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