Sanibel Sea School at the Blue Ocean Film Festival

What is Sanibel Sea School doing at a film festival? Well, the same thing we’re always doing – marine conservation. And boy, are there a lot of conservationists here with us! This is the heart of ocean photography and filmmaking. We have seen some awe inspiring and beautiful photography by National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry . We’ve also seen some terrific films that we’re trying to get to come to Sanibel Sea School – the Cove, Dugong and Din, Saving Luna, Riddle in a Bottle – lots of great stuff!

While we’ve been here, we’ve pitched some ideas to National Geographic and Discovery Channel! (Don’t buy the popcorn yet. We’re still learning how to do this!) And a real highlight – we’ve had the privilege of talking about Sanibel Sea School to Carl Safina, author of the award winning Song for the Blue Ocean and Eye of the Albatross as well as founder of the Blue Ocean Institute. In fact, we’ve told a lot of filmmakers, producers, scientists and conservationists about Sanibel Sea School. And we’ve heard a resounding chorus of encouragement!

You know what’s interesting about all this? Most of these folks started out the same way we did – loving the ocean by running around and exploring it! Which is really exciting for Sanibel Sea School. If we have any part in growing a little girl or boy into tomorrow’s Carl Safina, we’ll have done a fine thing for this ocean planet. And in the meantime, if we find partners in telling the world about Sanibel Sea School and our mission of experiential education, that’s also a fine thing.

So we have lots of homework to do following up with all kinds of requests. One crew might even come to Sanibel in July to film a segment for a children’s show. You never know what might happen on down the road. As for now, it’s been an education for us to find out more about these filmmakers and leading voices in ocean conservation. And we have enormous respect for the task before them of raising money to produce films that will in turn raise awareness. As a speaker said last night – “You are either an activist or an inactivist.” All right, then! Let’s change the world! How about it?

A New Bus For Sanibel Sea School

In the early months of 2009 Sanibel Sea School was fretting about transportation. With the kids, the buckets, the nets, the volunteers, the life preservers, towels and water bottles, the Sanibel Sea School bus couldn’t handle any more. “Have you ever seen those foreign movies with buses full of families, caged chickens and bundles stacked to the ceiling? It was getting to be like that. No chickens but plenty of sloshing buckets” says Sanibel Sea School Director, Bruce Neill. Enter Sanibel Sea School Board member, Don Wildman.

When Don heard the plea for more transportation, a bell went off in his head. His son Mark Wildman is the Vice President of Marketing for a company called The Parking Spot. Perhaps you’ve seen their spotted shuttles at airports throughout the country. Don realized that maybe, just maybe, Mark could figure out how to retire a used Parking Spot shuttle to a little Sea School in need.

And so it was that JoAnn Paul, Sanibel Sea School’s diligent and obviously committed bookkeeper flew across the country to Austin, Texas to retrieve a shuttle for Sanibel Sea School and single handedly drove it across the many miles, and over the bridge to its future home. All along the way, Doc Bruce would ring up JoAnn’s cell phone. You know how that drive goes: I’m in Texas. I’m in Texas. I’m in Texas. I’m in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. I’m in Florida. I’m in Florida. I’m in Florida. It’s a long one.
So now Sanibel Sea School is the proud owner of a new bus – with buckets and nets in the luggage rack and happy kids and adults in the seats. All thanks to Don Wildman, Mark Wildman and the Parking Spot with a commendation for service above and beyond the call of duty by JoAnn Paul.

Sanibel Sea School is a non-profit dedicated to marine conservation through experiential education. You can find out more about
Sanibel Sea School by looking online at sanibelseaschool.org.

Sanibel Sea School Gets NOAA Grant to Produce Podcasts

Sanibel Sea School is located on a barrier island and offers people a unique place to enjoy and learn about nature. Now the school is reaching out in new ways with technology to engage more people with Gulf of Mexico issues. Through a grant funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal Services Center (NOAA CSC) in support of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Sanibel Sea School will be reaching people live with podcasts and videocasts to show the public an inside look into the complex ecosystem that makes our Gulf so unique.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Education is one of the six priority issues that the Alliance has addressed as regionally significant. In order to effectively engage this priority, the GOMA Environmental Education Network, coordinated through the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, received a grant from NOAA’s Coastal Services Center to fund Gulf-wide environmental education projects. The Alliance Education Network awarded funding to seventeen projects in the five Gulf States this month.

There was a large response of Florida applicants for the GOMA grant and Sanibel Sea School was able to beat out the competition with their innovative proposal to reach a new sector of people. Be looking out this summer on www.sanibelseaschool.org for live podcasts and videocasts from the Island. Exciting topics to expect: “The Mighty Gulf of Mexico,” “Coral Reefs on the Gulf,” and “The Wandering Tarpon.”

The Final Clue Has Been Found

Marcia Kimball braved chest-deep water and finally found the final clue on Friday.

Congratulations and Happy Hunting Next Year.

And Here We go For the Last Week

And for the Grand Finale.

Let us first go back to week Number Three.

Start there to find a trail that will lead you home.

Be prepared to find your way with compass,

and let's not stay altogether dry.

Good Luck.

The Final Clue

Will be here in 2 hours, please come back.

Week Number 7

Sanibel Sea School along with sponsor and partner Lily and Co. are preparing for the arrival of the January 30th Bonefish Ball by holding a scavenger hunt every week. This is lucky week number seven with Bonefish Ball just around the corner! Every week participants follow clues in search of a laminated Bonefish Ball token that marks the spot for treasure provided by Lily and Co. Players are notified online as soon as the token is found at sanibelseaschool.org by clicking on the blog button. No purchase necessary to play!

Sanibel Sea School is a 501(c) 3 dedicated to marine conservation through experiential education. Founded in 2006, the Sea School teaches kids and adults about the ocean and these islands. This summer in response to heavy demand, Sanibel Skills Summer Camp will expand a little to include Urchin Week for kindergarteners and Survival and Surf weeks for teens.
Join this season of Ocean Celebration by participating in the last two all-island scavenger hunts. Thanks to Lily & Co. this week’s prize is a gorgeous hand-blown glass piece from McDermott Glass Studios in Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Seventh Heaven:
History, history, it’s no mystery.
Where have I seen this building before?
It’s been many things, including a store.
The first Episcopal Church, they say.
A school and a bank, back in the day.
Now it’s for you to figure out.
What this clue is all about.

Week Number Six

Congratulations to the father and son team, Eric and John Pfeifer. Together, they solved last week's clue by following the GPS coordinates to a beach on Woodring Road and identified the tree as a Black Mangrove. John knew that the Black Mangrove had pointy leaves, and they tasted salty. Good work guys!