![Merryl Kafak and Charles Denson](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/10462811583_5922b37fd0.jpg)
The New York State Marine Education Association presented the Herman Melville Literary Award to Charles Denson at their annual conference. "NYSMEA is pleased to recognize Charles Denson's contributions to marine education through the Coney Island History Project," said Dr. Meghan Marrero, President of NYSMEA. "His books, audio walking tours, and other works are important and timely. The NYSMEA Herman Melville Literary Award is a well-deserved honor."
The award is presented to a member or non-member who has made a major contribution to the world of maritime literature and/or art. Mr. Denson has documented the Coney Island Creek for over 40 years and is working on a book and film about the waterway. In the photo above, he is at the award ceremony with Dr. Merryl Kafka, NYSMEA board member and co-founder of the Rachel Carson HS of Coastal Studies in Coney Island.
"Coney Island as a resort began not on the ocean but on the banks of the Creek nearly two hundred years ago," says Denson. "The first hotel, restaurant and amusement park opened on the banks of Coney Island creek, and the history goes back nearly 400 years. The creek has great potential." Last year, Charles Denson and the Coney Island History Project received a grant from the Partnership for Parks to create CreekWalk, a self-guided walking tour brochure and a series of informational plaques installed on the creek side of Kaiser Park.
![Coney Island Creek Self-Guided Tour](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7599124860_6546c98d81.jpg)
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