Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary volunteer John Menke teaches visitors about intertidal invertebrates at the yearly San Simeon, California Coastal Discovery Center Fair.
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From removing trash to counting whales and educating school children, volunteers across the country performing a variety of critical functions have donated in excess of one million hours of community service to help conserve the country's ocean and coastal treasures for future generations, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announced today.
"We are incredibly thankful for every single hour volunteers dedicate in our marine sanctuaries, and we appreciate the way they excite and engage the next generation of ocean stewards," said Daniel J. Basta, director, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "We would not be able to accomplish many of the things we do without the selfless commitment of citizens in communities all across the country."
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages 14 marine protected areas spanning in excess of 150,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters from the Hawaiian Islands to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the sanctuary system. Since the mid-1990s, sanctuary volunteers have provided in excess of $15 million of in-kind support, according to a national value of volunteer time.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary volunteers Rita Chaffin and Ron Eby cruise the waters of Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, California
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Examples of volunteer opportunities include yearly events such as Ocean Count at Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, where in excess of 1,000 volunteers monitor humpback whales from the shores of O'ahu, Hawai'i and Kaua'i during whale season. In Southern California, the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteer plan teaches the public about the sanctuary's important ecosystem at community events, whale watching tours and free lectures. Channel Islands Naturalist Corps was named the 2011 Take Pride in America Outstanding Federal Volunteer Program.
On the other side of the country, volunteers of Team OCEAN in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary patrol sanctuary waters to provide boaters with valuable navigational information and report illegal activity to sanctuary law enforcement officers. Volunteers also represent their communities through participation in sanctuary advisory councils, which provide advice to N.O.A.A. on the management and activities at each of the 14 sites.
A volunteer shows a young girl a model of the whales they are hoping to see during the Whale Watch cruise off the coast of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in Southern California.
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"One million hours is a monumental achievement, but we encourage more people to get involved and help ensure marine sanctuaries remain America's underwater treasures for generations to come," said Tracy Hadjuk, N.O.A.A. national volunteer coordinator for sanctuaries.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook , Twitter and our other social media channels.
