Nominations are now open for the Jan Holmes Coastal Volunteer of the Year award.

Anybody who lives within Island County and is a volunteer who helps take care of the marine environment in some way is eligible to be nominated for the annual award, which is usually presented at the Sound Waters University event in February.

Last year, Frances Wood, one of the founders of a long-running project surveying pigeon guillemots, won the award.

The award is hosted by Washington State University Extension, Sound Water Stewards and the Island County Marine Resources Committee. Every year, representatives from each organization collaborate to decide the award recipient.

In 2012, the award was named in honor of Jan Holmes, a marine scientist, educator and champion for stewardship of the marine environment.

People have until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7 to submit their nominations. A nomination form is available online at islandcountymrc.org/projects/volunteer-of-the-year/.