5 Years of Empowering the Next Generation of Ocean Conservationists!

Five years. Six cities. Hundreds of young people leading initiatives to protect our blue planet. The Youth Ocean Conservation Summit program marked its 5^th anniversary on November 13 and 14 at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida where once again the emphasis was on the important role young people play as leaders in the field of ocean conservation. The event began Friday evening with the Community Ocean Conservation Film Festival – a celebration of youth initiatives featuring a showcase of student-led ocean conservation projects, a silent auction and raffle fundraiser benefiting the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit program and an exciting line-up of films including winners of the 2015 Youth Ocean Conservation Film Competition, a tribute to Mote Marine Laboratory Founding Director, Dr. Eugenie Clark, a look back at five years of the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit program, and Shark Girl, the story of 21 year old Madison Stewart and her work to save the world’s sharks.

Saturday’s Summit brought together over 200 youth and adults from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, and Washington State. Video messages by Dr. Guy Harvey and Wendy Benchley, as well as a keynote presentation from renowned marine scientist and author Dr. Ellen Prager, kicked off the event – inspiring participants into action to protect our ocean. Youth Ocean Conservation Summit alumni took the stage next to share their outstanding ocean conservation work – initiatives ranging from plastic pollution prevention campaigns and habitat restoration efforts to the creation of wildlife conservation calendars and a vertical school garden to raise awareness for water conservation. First time Summit attendees had the opportunity to work alongside expert mentors from local and national conservation organizations to plan out their own ocean conservation projects to protect marine environments in their local communities, while returning participants took part in the Careers in Ocean Conservation session – learning how to turn their passion for conservation into a lifelong career.

The remainder of the event allowed Summit attendees to take part in exciting workshops and sessions designed to equip them with the skills and resources needed to successfully carry out and expand their ocean conservation projects. These workshops focused on citizen science and water quality monitoring, public speaking, filmmaking, oyster reef creation and habitat restoration, using art to communicate conservation messages, fundraising, ocean acidification and working with government officials, organizing public science events, the Stow It-Don’t Throw It Project, and Mote Marine Laboratory’s spotted eagle ray research and conservation work! Participants also had a chance to experience the WaterVentures Mobile Learning Lab which was on display for the 5^th anniversary of the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit.

Throughout the weekend, youth participants also had a chance to network with peers and adult mentors who share a passion for protecting marine ecosystems. The event wrapped up with an inspiring call to action video message from Stephanie Arne, host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom! Immediately following the Summit, participants were invited to join Mote Marine Laboratory’s High School Interns for a special Youth Ocean Conservation Summit edition of Florida Teen Science Café. This evening event, Trash Talk, connected teen participants from across Florida and the country with Mote Marine Laboratory Senior Biologist, Kim Bassos-Hull, Stranding Investigations Program Manager Gretchen Lovewell, Staff Scientist, Dr. Katie McHugh, and Sarasota Bay Watch Program Director, Ronda Ryan, for an engaging and informative evening focused on marine debris, its impacts, and strategies for prevention.

A special thanks to the incredible participants, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and Summit planning team members for their support of this event over the past five years and their dedication to ocean conservation!

Thank you to our 2015 Youth Ocean Conservation Summit partners and sponsors: The Nature Conservancy Gulf of Mexico Program, the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, the Wyland Foundation and Wyland Galleries, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Klean Kanteen, EarthEcho International, Mote Scientific Foundation, Wild Studies, the Florida Aquarium, Sarasota Bay Watch, ROI Media, WaterVentures – Florida’s Learning Lab, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, FLOW Kayak and Paddle Tours, Jim Abernethy’s SCUBA Adventures, Sebago Watersports Key West, Lost Reef Adventures, Schooner America, Kermit’s Key Lime Shoppe, artist Carly Mejeur, Gloria Clifford Tropical Island Art, Sobel Designs, the Key West Aquarium, Mission Blue, Blue Frontier Campaign, and the Fishes Wishes.

Announcing the 2015 Youth Ocean Conservation Film Festival Winners!

The annual Youth Ocean Conservation Film Competition engages young people from across the country in sharing ocean conservation messages through film. Each year, students use this competition as an opportunity to highlight important conservation issues and emphasize the importance of taking action to protect marine environments and their inhabitants.

This year, we received many great entries and our excited to announce the winners of the 2015 competition: 

Elementary School:

“Sea Kids Make a Difference” – by Ryan M.

“Take 10 for Turtles” – by Landon P., Trent T., and Stephen S.

Middle School:

“Oysters – Canaries in the Coal Mine” – by Isabella G. and Lauren E.

“The Real Shark Attack” – by Derek P., Brian W., and Taylor B.

High School:

“The Jetty: A Documentary” – by Brooke W.

“Man and Manatee” – by Christian P., Lilly T., and Molly P.

Our 2015 winning films will be screened to the public during our Community Ocean Conservation Film Festival on Friday, November 13 at 6:30pm at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL. This event is free but seating is limited so be sure to RSVP at: http://bit.ly/1M9z34i

We would also like to recognize the following Honorable Mentions from this year’s competition:

“Better Days” – by Leah F.

“From Oceans to Beaches” – by Katherine C.

A big thanks to all of our Youth Ocean Conservation Film Competition participants for their dedication and commitment to protecting marine ecosystems!

2014 Seattle Youth Ocean Conservation Summit mini-grant recipients announced!

On December 6, teens from the Seattle Aquarium brought the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit program to the west coast of the U.S. for the first time! Through this event, over 100 attendees worked to plan a variety of ocean conservation projects. Thanks to support from Disney and the Seattle Aquarium, we were able to offer mini-grants to support the student-driven ocean conservation projects planned by summit participants. This year’s grant recipients are:

- Through his initiative “The Plastic Project”, Eli Fonseca will educate his classmates and community members on the impacts of marine debris and plastic pollution, and organize local coastal cleanups in the Seattle region.

- Through Sustainable Salmon Solutions, Blake Toney will monitor water quality in the streams around Gig Harbor and use the data collected to educate the public on the human impacts on salmon populations, and other wildlife in this region.

- Jolie Elliott will work on coral restoration efforts in the Riviera Maya Mexico area and will carry out an independent research project on these reefs.

- Abigail Welter will work with local Girl Scouts on a battery recycling campaign, first educating members of her community about the importance of proper battery disposal to prevent chemicals from entering the environment, and then providing bags to aid in battery disposal.

- Matthew Benedict’s Environmental Change Creators project will work to teach middle school students about conservation and environmental stewardship through an after school nature club. Activities the club carries out will include nature hikes, litter cleanups, and wilderness survival training with the goal of connecting students to the natural world.

Congratulations to all of our grant recipients! We’re looking forward to seeing the results of your work! 

2014 Youth Ocean Conservation Summit mini-grant recipients announced!

Each year we are honored to be able to support innovative youth-driven ocean conservation projects emerging from our Youth Ocean Conservation Summit event with mini-grants to help fund these initiatives! This year, thanks to support from Disney, the Johnson-Ohana Charitable Foundation, and funds raised from our 2014 Community Ocean Conservation Film Festival, we were able to fund twelve projects planned by students attending our Summit on November 8, 2014. This year’s grant recipients are:

Delaney Farrell will continue to teach students in elementary through high school about shark conservation through interactive outreach presentations as part of her Finformation program.

Derek, Landon, and Christian Petrisko will work to create a fundraiser to support marine conservation work by creating a calendar highlighting marine environments and organisms through compelling photos. They will also work to engage K-12 students in a mangrove re-planting initiative.

Through her Green Team Project, Paris Shewfelt will coordinate education programs focused on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and will engage tourists and community residents in coastal cleanup initiatives.

Monica Henry and Shelby Graziani will team up with the Florida Oceanographic Society to launch their Stash It and Trash It campaign with the goal of creating a beach ambassador program to increase marine debris awareness and inspire environmental stewardship. Through this project the will also coordinate community beach cleanups, school/community outreach presentations, and marine debris data collection.

Brooke Welch and her Ocean Preservers program will work to protect marine wildlife from fishing line entanglement by working to engage students in assembling and distributing 200 personal-sized fishing line recycling bins through the Stow It-Don’t Throw It Project.

Nicole Stevens will work with her fellow students at Berkeley Preparatory School to build a vertical garden at their school in order to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and sustainable gardening.

Destiny Treloar will launch the Reef Resurrection program to raise awareness through education about the issues faced in the oceans, particularly marine debris. To accomplish this they will collaborate with South Africa's Two Oceans Aquarium Young Biologist Program to organize cleanups within their community, and then turn the trash into art projects for the severity of the issues.

Elinor Rienzo will launch her Trash Stash program to create reusable, personal-sized trash bags that will allow individuals to store their trash so it doesn’t accidentally enter the environment. Her efforts will work to prevent the issue of marine debris at its source.

Keyla Correia will launch the Plastic Free Mermaids project by working with fellow students to highlight the dangers of plastics in the ocean through virtual presentations to classes and engage students in cleanup efforts. This project also plans to build a great white shark sculpture from marine debris collected.

Deja Golder and the National Aquarium’s Aquarium on Wheels program will launch the Drain Savers project to educate students in Baltimore, MD about water quality and mark storm drains in the city to help prevent runoff and trash from entering the surrounding water ways. They will also work to organize city cleanups to help address this issue.

Mikaela Groomes’ We-Cycle project will work to create a recycling program to prevent marine debris and provide places for disposal of fishing line near boat ramps and piers. She will also work to organize cleanup events and create educational outreach materials to teach students about marine debris prevention. 

Congratulations to all recipients and a special thanks to you, and all of our Summit participants for your work to protect marine ecosystems! Additional grant awards will be announced shortly for participants who attended the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit at the Seattle Aquarium!