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Yearly Archives: 2014
Coral Bay in St. John is Threatened by a Mega Marina

Click here to support The Fund for Coral Bay by Save Coral Bay
We’ve received lots of inquiries from residents and lovers of St. John and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the past weeks regarding a mega marina called Summer’s End that is pending approval for construction in Coral Bay. There is great concern for the environmental impact of the project on the local reefs and species (such as the endangered Green Sea Turtle), as well as belief that the regulatory bodies and government officials whose job it is to safeguard these habitats have vested interests in seeing the construction go through. We encourage our community to form their own opinions regarding this mega development in the pristine waters of St.…

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Summits for Science: Young Explorer Invites You to Seamounts of Anegada Passage

By Megan Cook
The ocean is home to many of the wonders of our planet – 72% of them to be exact. The deepest valleys, highest peaks, largest plains, and largest animal to ever live are all in our salty blue backyard right now. There are also mountains underwater – lots of mountains! Vast ridgelines peel around the world like zippers closing the boundaries of our ocean plates, and tens of thousands of seamounts dot the seafloor. Seamounts are isolated mountains, either active or extinct volcanoes jutting up from the seafloor, building some of the most unique and poorly understood ecosystems on our planet.
Rising sometimes miles off the seafloor, seamounts are hotspots for biodiversity in our oceans.  In the same way the world’s largest ball of yarn becomes a worthy detour to disrupt the monotony of a Midwestern road trip, the variation in topography and habitat structure of a seamount attracts life.…

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UN Conference in Samoa Unites World Leaders Behind Small Island Nations as Climate Change Looms

By Courtney Mattison
Equipped only with the tools of Polynesian ancestors and their unwavering conviction, the crews of the Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia traditional voyaging canoes sailed into Apia, Samoa on Sunday after navigating from Hawaii through Polynesia since May. The Pacific Voyagers and Nainoa Thompson – President and Master Navigator of the Polynesian Voyaging Society – were accompanied onboard the Hōkūle‘a for its most recent sail by ocean artist Wyland and Conservation International’s Greg Stone and were welcomed ashore by Dr. Sylvia Earle amid an impressive display of traditional Polynesian performers. Once on shore, the Samoa Head of State addressed his guests with a profoundly heartfelt speech expressing Samoa’s appreciation for its kinship with Hawaii, setting the tone for a four-day conference hosted by the United Nations on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).…

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New Book by Sylvia Earle!

Today, National Geographic and La Mer release a beautiful new book authored by Sylvia Earle titled BLUE HOPE: Exploring and Caring for Earth’s Magnificent Ocean. With a strong focus on the importance of the sea, BLUE HOPE weaves Dr. Earle’s insights about the ocean among those of other advocates including Bill Clinton and actress Daryl Hannah with exquisite photographs of coral reefs, beaches, other ocean habitats and close-ups of marine life. The fusion of these revelations with stunning images is sure to inspire readers to appreciate the beauty, value and vulnerability of the sea.
Throughout her 60-year career as an oceanographer and ocean advocate, Dr. Earle has led over 100 expeditions, logged over 7,000 hours underwater and set a record for solo diving to 1,000 meters.…

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Mission Blue Film Goes Global on Netflix

We’re tremendously excited to announce that the Mission Blue Film is live on Netflix! While Dr. Earle has been spreading her message of hope for years, we believe that in the coming days this message — our Mission Blue — is going to leap to the next level of awareness in the global public consciousness.
With the documentary, directed by Bob Nixon and Fisher Stevens, available in 40+ countries, we anticipate that Dr. Earle’s simple message of ocean conservation, of respect for our planet and what sustains us, will reverberate through the homes and hearts of Netflix’s global audience. We hope that a public awakening to the dire state of our ocean — and what we can do to save it — will propel personal decisions and public policy that favors the future of our ocean and ourselves.…

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UN Thanks Samoans with BLUE On Tour Film Festival

by Courtney Mattison
Yesterday, the United Nations kicked off a four-day film festival at the National University of Samoa called BLUE On Tour as a special gift to the Samoan people for hosting the upcoming Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In partnership with the US-based BLUE Ocean Film Festival and the National University of Samoa, the UN selected a variety of films for BLUE On Tour that are sure to appeal to a diverse audience with topics surrounding ocean and climate change issues.
“We are pleased to support this unique initiative between BLUE and the National University of Samoa,” says Christian Clark, UN Spokesperson for the SIDS Conference. “Media has the power to catalyze important discussions. We hope this festival will help inspire dialogue between the Samoan people and arriving delegations, media and others attending this important meeting.”…

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Technology is Fueling a Global Awakening for the Ocean

We humans have an ancient and enduring obsession with technology. Whether it be flint or silicon, we are constantly molding the materials of our environment to bring greater value to our lives. Take, for instance, the Leonardo da Vinci invention pictured above. Hundreds of years before the Industrial Revolution, this Renaissance man’s mind was sprouting complex schematics that used mechanical advantage to bring greater efficiency. What force, do you reckon, da Vinci had in mind to turn those grinding wheels? Perhaps beasts of burden tethered and yolked? Or maybe the current of a nearby river? Some natural resource is needed to turn those gears.
Catalyzed by the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, our world is dominated by machinery and electronics.…

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You are invited to a benchmark expedition with Sylvia Earle that redefines art, exploration and the conservation of our planet!

From our friends at the Ocean Geographic Society:
Join an elite team of explorers comprised of Dr. Sylvia Earle, David Doubilet, Jennifer Hayes, Ernie Brooks, Wyland, Michael AW, Göran Ehlmé, Amos Nachoum, Johan Ernst Nilson, Emory Kristof, Stuart Ireland and Leandro Blanco in an expedition to the High Arctic to produce a book, exhibition and a video documentary.  
The mission of Elysium – Artists for the Arctic is to capture the panorama, flora and fauna of the northern polar region in a perspective no one has seen before.  The Arctic region is regarded as one of the most enchanting wilderness regions of our planet, yet volatile and under severe threat from the warming of the world’s climate. This expedition promises the most awe-inspiring and stunning visual interpretation ever seen of the Arctic.…

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