The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is proud to announce its involvement in the Ocean for Life program. Ocean for Life, which kicks off this week, aims to promote cross-cultural understanding between Middle Eastern and Western cultures through a greater appreciation of the ocean and how it connects us all.

The Foundation’s Director of Government Relations and Education Programs Coordinator, Letise LaFeir PhD, is serving as an Ocean for Life Co-Lead. Along with others, she will be working to ensure students gain a sense of place, interconnectedness, and ocean stewardship through high quality, immersive ocean field studies and follow-on education programs.

Two immersive, two-week field studies will be piloted during the summer of 2009. During these two field studies, a total of 30 Middle Eastern students, selected from GLOBE Schools (www.globe.gov) in their home countries, will join 30 Western students.

The first Ocean for Life Field Study begins in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and will take place at Marine Lab in Key Largo, Florida, from July 15 through July 30. Highlights from the trip include: introduction to Keys’ ecosystems; snorkeling and REEF fish counts; a day trip to Key West and the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, and more.

The second Ocean for Life Field Study will take place in California's Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries from July 26 through August 9. Highlights from the trip include: introduction to kelp forest ecology, exploration of rocky intertidal and sandy beach habitats, Año Nuevo field visit to observe northern elephant seals, and a full moon kayak tour of Monterey Bay just to name a few.

Students from both field studies will meet for a three-day visit to Washington, D.C., July 27-29, 2009, which will include a historic tour of the city and visits to the White House, United States Capitol, and Smithsonian Museums, including the new Sant Ocean Hall.

Throughout the entire program, students will capture what they have learned through their development of “youth media projects,” in which they will use photography and video to capture the essence of their surroundings. These “youth media projects” will become a tool to help Ocean for Life participants share what they have learned and promote ocean conservation and cultural understanding among their classmates, friends and family.
(Update: Check out three videos created by the Ocean for Life students during their time in the Keys.)

"Ocean Stewardship"
"Family for Life"
"A Sense of Place"

The Ocean for Life program is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program, and Scubanauts International. It is presented in collaboration with the National Geographic Society, American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking, the Meridian International Center, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Visit the Ocean for Life website to learn more about the Ocean for Life program, or contact Jonathan Shannon or Letise LaFeir.