Past, Present, Future
Sea to Shining Sea Newsletter - April 2017
Join the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in this issue as we travel through time. We take a look at some of the amazing things you have helped us achieve over the last year, and share with you our plans for the future. As we look ahead, community involvement, preservation, compatible recreational use, and youth engagement will continue to play a vital role in maintaining the sanctuary system.
Eight Amazing Things that Happened across your National Marine Sanctuary System
As we look forward to celebrating our 45th anniversary this year, we’re reflecting on recent events. The staff and volunteers throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System have been very busy. From education programs and scientific investigations to tourism and recreation, incredible things have happened. We invite you to take a look at just a few of the major events in our national marine sanctuaries and national marine monuments.
Our Vision for America’s Treasured Ocean Places
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is soliciting public input through April 30th, 2017 on a draft strategy to direct national and local efforts in the protection of America’s underwater parks. The strategy is designed to set a five-year course for managing nationally and internationally significant areas in the ocean and Great Lakes through comprehensive and community-based approaches. Click below to read about the new five-year plan (draft) and tell us your thoughts!
Ocean Guardian Schools: Action-Based Environmental Education
A healthy ocean starts with all of us, and through the Ocean Guardian School Program students are making a big difference for the ocean. Ocean Guardian Schools carry out year-long projects that encourage students in grades K-12 to explore their local ecology, their impact, and forge a personal sense of environmental stewardship. Applications for the 2017-18 school year are being accepted until May 1, 2017!
Stories from the Blue: Kimokeo Kapahulehua
"Call nā po‘e ka lani, nā po‘e moana, nā po‘e ka hōnua -- the people of the heavens, the people of the ocean, and the people of the land, we're all just one big family in how we work together in preserving everything," says Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary volunteer Kimokeo Kapahulehua.