February 27, 2019
Announcements
Pres. Tom: Many thanks to the members for supporting our fundraising efforts through the final hockey game last Friday.
Rob Drugan: Expressed the thanks of the Marina's Miles board for our continued support of this 3rd 5K coming up on April 6th. In the first year, a $3K scholarship was presented, and last year a $4K scholarship was awarded ... He hopes to raise some dollars for his own (and his wife, Connie's) cycling trip around the periphery of the US starting right after the term ends at UNH.
David: Speaking of Marina's Miles, we'll be operating from 8 AM through 12 PM in three shifts. Sign up soon to get the shift of your choice.
Will: July 4th Celebration preparations continue.
Bill: There are 41 bluebird houses left. He's looking for someone to step up and get some marketing done this Spring.
Program
Mark Wiley spoke to us about the UNH Marine Docent Program. A "docent" is a lay educator. The marine docent program began at Jackson Lab in an effort to relieve some of the pressure on full-time researchers from the public's interest in their work. When UNH was designated a SeaGrant university, the docent program moved there.
A docent spends his/her first year from September through April in training learning about Great Bay and the Gulf of Maine. Most of the 15 - 30 people who are in each year's class are retired and available to teach during the day. The roster numbers 240 now with some 80 - 100 active at any time.
The docents work with groups from pre-K to adult in school environment like SeaTrek, or on a boat, or in community groups. The adult programs include Sea Chanty singers, boat building and SeaSpeak (navigation). They also support the work of the Great Bay Discovery Center, the Blue Ocean Society, Odiorne Point, and the gundalow.
The docent program is supported by Federal dollars which flow through NOAA to UNH for research, extension and education.
Member queries uncovered the fact that the Marine interest ends up-river at the dams. Other well-established programs take it farther upstream. Their work in the schools arose when Mark discovered on a trip to a school in Belmont that half the kids had never seen the ocean. So their school programs focus on bringing sea creatures to the kids.
Megabucks: $211.50
Editor: Ric
