15 Marine Conservation Grants!
Ray Goldenberg
I received this press release from Royal Caribbean/Celebrity and
thought it would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news'
postings, they are available on my web site.
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Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises Award 15 Marine
Conservation Grants Totaling $796,000
MIAMI, April 2
The Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises Ocean Fund
awarded $796,000 on March 30 in 15 new grants to marine conservation
and environmental organizations, including a $100,000 grant to The
Conservation Fund for its Alaska land preservation program and a
$100,000 grant to Conservation International for its campaign to
conserve Caribbean biodiversity.
Almost $9 million has been awarded to 64 non-profit organizations
working to protect the marine environment since the fund's inception
in 1996. The mission of the Ocean Fund is to support efforts to
restore and maintain a healthy marine environment, minimize the impact
of human activity on this environment, and promote awareness of ocean
and coastal issues and respect for marine life.
"There are so many fascinating and vital marine conservation efforts
under way by our grant applicants," said Richard Fain, chairman and
CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We applaud our 2007 Ocean Fund
grant recipients for their efforts in research, education and
developing innovative technologies that help preserve the world's
oceans."
The complete list of 2007 Ocean Fund grant recipients is as
follows:
-- Audubon of Florida: $30,000 to continue satellite telemetry
tracking of
migration patterns of roseate spoonbills in the Florida Bay
Ecosystem.
-- Blue Ocean Institute: $50,000 to support Safe Seas, a program
that
works with communities in the Pacific to keep albatrosses and
sea
turtles from drowning in longline and gillnet fishing gear, and
to
reduce hunting of sea turtles in Latin America.
-- Caribbean Conservation Corp.: $40,000 to produce a video
series, "Ocean
Fund Eco-Explorations," in partnership with Open Water Media.
The
videos will be used in the new Barrier Island Sanctuary
Management and
Education Center in Melbourne Beach, and for distribution to
schools
and museums.
-- Conservation International: $100,000 for continued support for
its
Campaign to Conserve Caribbean Biodiversity: in the Saba
Bank/Netherlands Antilles; the Straits of Florida; the
Dominican
Republic; and the Southern Caribbean World Heritage Site.
-- Earthwatch Institute: $25,000 for creating an Ocean Fund Marine
Science
Educators fellowship program for high school teachers from
Florida and
Texas to participate in field research expeditions.
-- Harvard Medical School, Center for Health & Global Environment:
$50,000
to create exhibits for its "Healthy Ocean, Healthy Humans"
project to
accompany a related film, which will be shown at aquariums and
museums.
-- Island Dolphin Care: $25,000 to fund developing educational
materials
and to maintain the facility's touch tank, seven aquariums, and
exterior tidal pool to serve critically ill and special-needs
children
in Key Largo, Fla.
-- The Nature Conservancy: $50,000 for its program to promote
conservation
of coastal habitats in southeast Alaska; and $50,000 to design
coral
reef management strategies in Florida.
-- Oregon Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Oregon:
$45,000
to buy a scanning electron microscope to help identify and
determine
growth rates of small organisms related to toxic algal blooms,
invasive
species, and fisheries management.
-- Perry Institute for Marine Science: $30,000 to evaluate marine-
protected areas in the Bahamas, both existing and proposed, and
to
improve protection of coral reefs through adaptive management.
-- Shake-A-Leg Foundation Miami: $75,000 for continued support for
$3.95-
million eco-island project to provide educational,
recreational, and
island restoration activities for students with disabilities
and at-
risk youth.
-- South Florida National Parks Trust: $25,000 to hire a second
full-time
ranger to lead environmental education programs for 4th-
through 8th-
grade students at Biscayne National Park.
-- University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric
Science:
$51,000 for to continue the Royal Caribbean Fellowship Program
to
support two incoming graduate students.
-- World Wildlife Fund: - $50,000 in support of its Smart Gear
initiative,
to reduce the bycatch of endangered marine species by
encouraging the
development of innovative, practical and cost-effective fishing
technologies.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that
operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and
Pullmantur. The company has a combined total of 34 ships in service
and six under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations
in Alaska, Australia, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Additional
information can be found by contacting your travel professional.