Hot off the Press! America’s Marine Sanctuaries: A Photographic Exploration |
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 America’s Marine Sanctuaries: A Photographic Exploration is out now! The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation partnered with Smithsonian Books to release this coffee table-style book to bring the wonders of our national marine sanctuaries to your fingertips. America’s Marine Sanctuaries takes you on an intimate and immersive journey to explore the rich history, iconic wildlife, and vibrant habitats that makes sanctuaries so special and worthy of protection. America’s Marine Sanctuaries is a tribute to the ocean’s incredible ecosystems and landscapes, from kelp forests to deep sea canyons. The fourteen underwater gems that make up the National Marine Sanctuary System are celebrated for their beauty, history, and importance. Featuring a foreword by actress and activist Sigourney Weaver, the book serves as a gorgeous reminder of what’s at stake in our efforts to conserve the world’s most critical and beautiful environments. |
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Exploring Beyond the Lens with ocean photographers |
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 | | Keith Ellenbogen exercising his craft. Photo credit: Nick Zachar |
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| To celebrate the launch of America’s Marine Sanctuaries and the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary System, the Foundation is hosting a series of virtual seminars and intimate discussions with some of the world-class photographers behind the book. Underwater photographer Keith Ellenbogen kicked off the series, Beyond the Lens: Discovering Sanctuaries Through Photography on October 20th with an engaging presentation on his close encounters with whales, sharks and more in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Two more installments of the series will follow on October 27th, by Hawaii-based photographer Melody Bentz, and on November 10th, with Florida Keys diver and photographer Stephen Frink. You won’t want to miss out on these incredible opportunities to learn about the craft and inspiration behind ocean photography. |
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State of the Monument report reveals the benefits of science-based management practices |
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 | | Red squirrelfish in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Photo credit: James Watt/NOAA |
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| This month, NOAA and the co-trustees of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument released the 2020 State of the Monument report, which will support monument managers in future management planning, research priorities, and decision making. It found that most of the habitats within Papahānaumokuākea remain in good condition, owing to the science-based management practices in place to protect them. Lost fishing gear as well as climate change impacts including, coral bleaching, invasive algae growth and intense storms still threaten the ecosystem. Following the report’s release, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and hundreds of supporters urged policymakers to keep in place restrictions on commercial fishing within Pacific marine monuments. In its letter to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the Foundation explains that opening up Pacific monuments would undermine the health and resilience of these special places and undermine fishery conservation efforts. In fact, according to a recent study in Nature, the Hawaii longlining fleet’s catch and its catch per unit effort increased since the monuments’ designations. |
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Attention federal employees!
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is a proud participant of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the world’s largest annual workplace charity campaign. The CFC official solicitation period is running now through Jan. 15, 2021. |
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Support America’s national marine sanctuaries by designating your gift to the Foundation. Visit the CFC Donor Pledging System and use our CFC number: 10762. |
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 | | On World Fish Migration Day, October 24th, the Pacific Northwest College of the Arts (PNCA) is premiering an educational short animated film “The Life Cycle of Pacific Salmon.” Supported by the Foundation through a NOAA Fisheries grant, a team of PNCA Animated Arts students worked together on this animation to teach about the life cycle of Pacific salmon and their role in the ecosystem. The film will premiere live on YouTube on Saturday, October 24th at 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific, along with short talks by PNCA animators and NOAA’s Alicia Keefe. Watch it here. You don’t want to miss it! |
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A virtual exploration of cultural heritage in Papahānaumokuākea |
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As part of its “Third Thursday” series of talks supported by the Foundation, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the
Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will host Reframing wahi kūpuna: The tangibles and intangibles of cultural heritage in Papahānaumokuākea, a virtual presentation from NOAA Native Hawaiian Program Specialist Kalani Quiocho.The presentation will provide a brief history of research on cultural resources, and several examples illustrating how the concept of cultural resources is (re)framed and implemented in the monument’s management. The talk will take place on Thursday, November 19 at 12 noon HT/6 pm ET. |
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 | | Colleen Maynard grew up in Michigan drawing and photographing the great outdoors. As an artist, she showcases the richly beautiful animals and plants of our world in hopes of creating lifelong stewards to protect them. She says, “I feel an urgency to learn about, honor, and learn how to spread awareness of these living coral that generate so much activity and life.” Read more of Colleen’s story and others, and learn how to discover wonder in sanctuaries for yourself at marinesanctuary.org/discoverwonder. |
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From the Blog: A quest to photograph California’s rare and endangered abalone species |
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 | | Photo credit: Oriana Poindexter |
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| Marine scientist and artist Oriana Poindexter took us on a two-part journey to photograph the endangered black and white abalone off of California’s Coast. In part one of the series, The Iridescent Ones: Visualizing California’s Abalone, Oriana goes extreme tidepooling to photograph the endangered black abalone. Black abalone were once found all along the western coastline, from Crescent City, California to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico, but are now scarce in much of that range. Photographing these masters of camouflage and shy crevice dwellers was no easy task. In part two, Oriana ventures underwater, scuba diving in the coastal waters off San Diego in search of white abalone. Facing intense fishing pressure in the 1970s, the white abalone were the first marine invertebrates to be listed as endangered in 2001. Read the blogs here >>> |
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 | | The Florida Keys tourism council released this new video with tips on how to recreate responsibly in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. You can enjoy all the boating, diving and fishing the Florida Keys have to offer while doing your part to keep yourself and this special place safe and healthy. |
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Recreate Responsibly, Explore LocallyThis month, we blogged over at the Recreate Responsibly Coalition about exploring locally and recreating responsibly around the National Marine Sanctuary System. In the era of COVID-19, planning vacations and connecting with nature is proving to be harder than ever. Many people are dreaming of far-off destinations to find adventure or take a much-needed break from reality. Instead of hopping on a plane, consider the wonders around you! There are 14 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments all around the U.S. that can serve as a long-awaited escape while reducing long-distance travel and limiting the spread and exposure to COVID-19. Learn more >>> |
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 | | Kayaking at Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Photo Credit: Chuck Graham |
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