By Dr. Jeffrey Seminoff, Leader of the Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program at NOAA-Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Ocean Connectors Advisory Board Member
It was 1975 and I was 8 years old when I treasured Moe, Larry and Curley—my three baby painted turtles that I caught from a small pond near my home in central Illinois. I can still remember that feeling of excitement and…
By Patrick Levin, Ocean Connectors Eco Tour Coordinator
Shortly after I joined the team at Ocean Connectors, I was asked to contribute to our blog in order to introduce myself and share why I’m so excited over my new involvement with the organization. I have spent the better part of the last four years on the San Diego coastline as a surfer, surf instructor, and lifeguard. While completing…
By Jonathan Lavan, Nature Photographer
Photography is truly unique among art forms. It is the only medium where you can freeze time, immortalizing a moment forever. Whether it’s a significant occurrence in history or a flower shimmering in the sunshine, all of these chosen moments show what is important to us and allow us to share our passions with the world. As environmentalists and…
By Tree Myriah, Jeweler
My name is Tree, and I design and make refined bohemian jewelry that helps modern free-spirited women elevate their elegance, by offering simple versatile designs that transition effortlessly from day to night.
I have always believed in a world where nature and humans can co-exist in health and harmony. A world where we all love the ocean, and do everything in our…
By Amanda Grant-Stout, Living Coast Discovery Center Director of Education
Did you know there are green sea turtles living in San Diego Bay? Ask any of the 800 4th graders that attend an Ocean Connectors field trip to the Living Coast Discovery Center in the fall of each year, and they will tell you that a group of green sea turtles calls South San Diego Bay home! For the past ten years, Ocean…
By Jennifer Arrowsmith, Qualcomm Incorporated Senior Manager of Sustainability
Sailing San Diego Bay and simultaneously watching the sun set over the Pacific and the harvest moon rise over the downtown skyline, while supporting one of my favorite organizations, Ocean Connectors, was never on my bucket list. I didn’t realize it was even possible to accomplish all these things at once. But on…
Photo by: Patrick Fore on Unsplash
By Ben Scheelk, The Ocean Foundation Senior Program Manager
I would like to discuss acquiring a van, having it wrapped with our logo, and then using it to transport children down to Mexico. Any issues?
This question, coming from anyone else, would have surely given us pause. Liability, insurance, depreciation, border crossings in a dangerous part of t…
In October Ocean Connectors will launch a new outdoor education program for third grade students! The new program will involve approximately 70 students, their parents, and teachers in the restoration of one habitat acre at Paradise Creek in National City, California. We recently joined forces with the Paradise Creek Educational Park, Incorporated (PCEPI), to improve a segment of wetland, river,…
2016 to 2017 was a record-breaking school year for Ocean Connectors! We reached a total of 3,730 kids on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border – an increase of approximately 25% since just last year. Our audience included over 2,000 elementary students in National City, California, nearly 300 National City middle school students, and about 1,200 students from primaria schools in Nayarit, Mexico.
As much as we bring Ocean Connectors students into direct contact with the ocean and marine life, sometimes it takes a talented photographer to convince kids what really lives beneath the surface in their own backyard, the Pacific Ocean. For that, we turn to professional photographers who are kind enough to let us share their incredible underwater photos with our students.
Ralph Pac…
