Each year, students attending our Youth Ocean
Conservation Summits create action plans to tackle marine conservation issues
in their local community. Over the past four years, we’ve been honored to
support these projects by providing mini-grants to help jump start and sustain
these youth-driven ocean conservation campaigns. After our 5th anniversary
Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, we’re excited to announce a record number of
mini-grants have been awarded to our participants. These Youth Ocean
Conservation Team mini-grants were made possible with generous support from the
Nature Conservancy’s Gulf of Mexico Program, the Johnson Ohana Charitable
Foundation, Klean Kanteen, From the Bow Seat and funds raised from our 2015
Community Ocean Conservation Film Festival. Read on to learn more about the outstanding
projects being led by our grant recipients:
Keyla Correia and the Plastic Free Mermaids will expand
their plastic pollution efforts by installing a water bottle refill attachment
to their school’s water fountain, and educating their student body on the
importance of reducing single use plastics.
Landon Petrisko will work with his peers and Florida
International University to raise and plant red mangroves to restore coastal
habitat in south Florida.
Alex Gregory will launch his S.S. Shrimp project to raise
awareness among consumers about the impact of shrimp bycatch, encouraging them
to make sustainable seafood purchases.
The National Aquarium’s Aquarium on Wheels program will
host their third annual satellite Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, training
students in Baltimore, MD.
Ethan Mengelt’s roadside cleanup program will engage
community members in organized cleanups along roadways in North Port, FL and
Wisconsin.
Cameron Rogister’s Wilson & Wake County Recycling
Project will engage young people in implementing and leading recycling programs
at Forest Hills Middle School in Wilson, NC and the Boys & Girls Club in
Raleigh, NC.
Morgan Shirley will launch the River Guardians
Afterschool Water Monitoring Project to engage Boys and Girls club members in
Greenville, NC in weekly water quality monitoring activities, and educating
their community about the importance of clean water.
Through her Sarasota Ocean Preservers program, Brooke
Welch will engage students in underwater snorkel cleanups, removing marine
debris from underwater environments off the beaches of Sarasota, FL.
Christian Petrisko will launch a program to utilize
photography to capture images of endangered marine species and those not
frequently photographed. He will use these photos to raise awareness for the
conservation of these animals, and sell prints at local events to raise funds
for conservation efforts.
Delaney Farrell will expand her outreach efforts through
her Finformation program, educating students ages 6-18 about shark conservation
through interactive activities and presentations at schools and community
events.
Student leaders from the Big Blue and You will launch T4T:
Transformation 4 Turtles, will work educate students in south Florida about
marine debris prevention, engage young people in beach cleanups, and turn the
trash they find into an art sculpture to display in their community.
Jacob Mohen will work to educate members of his community about the impacts of plastic pollution on wildlife, and provide them with alternatives to single use plastic products.
Students in Brevard Zoo’s teen program will coordinate
their annual Youth Environmental Summit which gives youth the tools and
knowledge to become involved with local conservation projects.
Samantha Andrews will launch her Pop It, Don’t Drop It
project, which will utilize a variety of outreach tools to educate community members
about the dangers of releasing helium balloons.
Benjamin Sachs will work with his local Boy Scout Troop
to engage in ongoing water quality/pH monitoring efforts in Broward County to
gain a better understanding of the impact of pollutants on south Florida
aquatic ecosystems.
Ryan Moralevitz will work with his classmates on his
Fishes Wishes Mangrove Nursery Project, which will engage students in growing
mangroves in a vertical garden at their school, and ultimately planting
mangroves back in the marine environment.
Adam Sachs, Katelyn Higgins, and Elinor Rienzo will also
receive grants of materials for Stow It-Don’t Throw It personal-sized fishing
line recycling bins to engage anglers and boaters in their community in
protecting marine wildlife from fishing line entanglement.
In addition to the
students receiving grants after participating in our Youth Ocean Conservation
Summit in Sarasota, FL on November 14 in Sarasota, FL we’re also excited to
award 3 grants to students who attended our first satellite Youth Ocean Conservation
Summit in Long Island, NY on November 21 hosted by Coastal Steward Inc. and New
York Sea Grant:
Students at LeRoy Jr/Sr High School in LeRoy, NY will
launch their Safe Disposal Program to help their local government implement a
safe pharmaceutical collection program. They will also provide information to
the public about the correct disposal of pharmaceuticals by creating an
interactive model and brochures.
Sarah Whelan will launch YOU: Youth and Oysters United
to educate young people in her community about water quality and engage them in
oyster restoration projects.
The Environmental Outreach Club at Mount Sanai High
School will educate the student body about the importance of reducing plastics,
and implement efforts to encourage the use of reusable water bottles, while
working to install water bottle refill stations on campus.
Congratulations to these young people, and all of our
Youth Ocean Conservation Summit participants for their outstanding ocean
conservation work. Stay tuned for more updates on these projects!
