Summer 2011

National Marine Sanctuaries

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Featured: 

America’s Great Outdoors:

The Ocean 

Page 2

Sanctuary Voices:

Richard Louv

Author of ‘Last Child in the Woods’

Page 4

Astonishing Tales from 

the Sanctuaries:

Caught in the Eye

Astonishing Tales
DIRECTOR’SLETTER

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is part of NOAA’s 

National Ocean Service. 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring MD 

20910 | Phone: 301-713-3125 | Web: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

SANCTUARY WATCH is a publication of the Communications, Outreach and Education Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 

NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Cover Photo: Daniel Peckham, TracingLight.com

How to Subscribe: To subscribe to Sanctuary Watch electronically, please send an e-mail to requests@willamette.nos.noaa.gov and 

put the following in the e-mail subject line: subscribe sanctuarywatch

DIVISION chief Michiko Martin

editor Matt Dozier

Design/Layout Matt McIntosh

Copy editors Matt Dozier

Sharon Sirkis

contributors Matt Dozier

Tracy Hajduk

Michiko Martin

Matt McIntosh

Seaberry Nachbar

Printed on Recycled Paper

2 Cover Story

4 Sanctuary Voices: 

 Richard Louv

6 Infographic: 

 Ocean Recreation 

8 Education and 

 the Great Outdoors

11 Volunteers on the Water

12 Star of the Sea: 

 Staci Kaye-Carr

13 Astonishing Tales 

14 Sanctuary Snapshot

AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS:

THE OCEAN

In this Issue

The ocean has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Those that know me 

are aware that I am more myself outdoors than anywhere else, especially when I am 

near, on or in the ocean. President John F. Kennedy said “We are tied to the ocean. 

And when we go back to the sea — whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going back 

from whence we came.” I think he had it right.

Earlier this year, President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to 

foster a 21st-century conservation and recreation ethic. America’s Great Outdoors takes as its 

premise that lasting conservation solutions should rise from the American people — that the 

protection of our natural heritage is a non-partisan objective shared by all Americans. We have 

all inherited an amazing environment to enjoy and hand down to the next generation.

When many Americans think about the outdoors, they think of hiking in the woods or playing ball, but for me, it’s about getting to the ocean. Sitting on a boat in the middle of the ocean, 

surrounded by water as far as the eye can see — that’s my quintessential “great outdoors” 

experience. Out there, nothing but a small vessel separates you from the vast, unbroken 

expanse of wilderness. Below, above, and in every direction on the compass, nature thrives.

In the last Sanctuary Watch, we celebrated recreation in the national marine sanctuaries. In 

this issue, we herald the importance of getting Americans outside and into the water, not just 

in sanctuaries but all across our nation’s ocean and coasts. We spoke to author Richard Louv, 

who explained how recent studies have shown that people who spend more time outdoors are 

happier, healthier, and more productive. 

Staying connected to the sea is beneficial to our health, but it’s also vital to our economy. 

When we spend more time on the ocean, we are more likely to care about it and to take 

responsibility for its well-being. That leads to cleaner, healthier marine ecosystems that generate billions of dollars in recreation and tourism and support upwards of 50,000 jobs in national 

marine sanctuary communities alone.

Encouraging people to experience the nation’s special ocean places is a critical part of the 

stewardship mission of the sanctuaries. The legacy of outdoor areas, an ethic for appreciating nature, and affection for recreational pursuits are American values we should never take for granted. 

So, as summer kicks into high gear, take advantage of those opportunities to get outside, 

head to the shore, dive into the water and enjoy America’s great outdoors.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Basta, Director

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Olympic Coast

Cordell Bank

Gulf of the Farallones

Papahānaumokuākea

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale

Monterey Bay

Channel Islands

Fagatele Bay, American Samoa (U.S.)

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument

Thunder Bay

Stellwagen Bank

Monitor

Gray’s Reef

Florida Keys

Flower Garden Banks

National Marine Sanctuary System

National Marine Sanctuary

Marine National Monument

Proposed for sanctuary designation

Scale varies in this perspective. Adapted from National Geographic Maps.
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 1

Crewmembers of the USS Mason, the first Navy ship with a predominantly African-American 

enlisted crew during WWII, stand by their ship at the Boston Navy Yard in 1944.

Photo: U.S. Navy Photo ID: 80-G-218861, National Archives.

NEWSSPLASH

Students, Teachers Explore NOAA Research Vessel

NOAA, Partners Launch Voyage to Discovery 

New Website Highlights Stories of African-American Maritime Heritage

The U.S. Department 

of Commerce awarded 

Bronze Medals to four 

Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries staff members 

for their superior public service in helping support NOAA’s 

response to the 2009 tsunami in the U.S. territory of 

American Samoa. 

Kevin Grant, Benjamin LaCour, Kelley Sage and 

Lisa Symons were members of a NOAA team that responded to the devastation in America Samoa, home 

to Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

William Douros, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries acting deputy director, was also awarded a 

Bronze Medal for his work with a National Marine 

Fisheries Service team that developed a regulation 

prohibiting the harvest of krill on the West Coast. 

The Bronze Medal is one of the highest honors 

that can be granted by the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. 

Five National Marine 

Sanctuary Staffers

Awarded Bronze Medal

Thirty Western and Greater Middle Eastern students have been selected to participate in the 2011 

Ocean for Life program hosted by Channel Islands 

National Marine Sanctuary. The two-week immersive 

field study will be held July 14-26 in Santa Barbara, 

Calif., and on Santa Cruz Island. 

During the field study, students will document their 

experiences through still photography and video, mentored by staff from the National Geographic Society and 

graduate students from American University’s Center 

Students Selected for 2011 Ocean for Life Field Study 

Immersive Program Gives Participants Multicultural Experience

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, in partnership 

with Murrain Associates, Inc., and the National Association of 

Black Scuba Divers (NABS), launched Voyage to Discovery, a 

new website and education initiative highlighting untold stories 

of African-Americans and the sea. The website can be accessed 

at www.voyagetodiscovery.org.

Aimed at everyone from students to adults, the Voyage to Discovery website offers feature stories, interviews and videos about 

African-American seafaring achievements since the pre-Civil War 

period. Information about marine careers will also be available. 

The website, recognized by President Obama on WhiteHouse.

gov during Black History Month, is part of a NOAA initiative to 

build awareness about the legacy of African-American maritime 

heritage and engage the public in stewardship of the country’s 

coastal and ocean resources through education, archaeology, 

science and underwater exploration.

“Our economy and way of life are inextricably linked to the 

health and productivity of the global ocean,” said Daniel J. 

Basta, director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 

“Through this initiative, African-American youth can learn about 

their maritime heritage and the educational and career opportunities in the 21st-century global economy.”

for Environmental Filmmaking in Washington, D.C.

Ocean for Life, which is funded by diverse nongovernmental partners, brings together high school 

students of diverse backgrounds and cultures to 

discover marine science, conservation, and how the 

ocean connects us all. The program provides highquality, immersive ocean field studies and follow-on 

education programs designed around three main 

themes: a sense of place, interconnectedness, and 

ocean conservation and stewardship. 

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National 

Marine Sanctuary hosted more than 150 middle and 

high school students and teachers from Oahu, Kauai, 

Molokai, and Maui during a day-long marine education cruise aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette.

During the hands-on tour, students rotated through 

study groups involving plankton, marine mammals, 

and water quality. A scavenger hunt gave students 

the chance to explore the ship and learn about living 

and working on a research vessel.

 “The sanctuary hopes that the experience provided by the education cruise will inspire Hawai‘i’s 

students to pursue careers related to marine science 

and conservation,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent.

Student education cruises have been hosted by 

the sanctuary in the main Hawaiian Islands aboard 

NOAA ships since 2005.
2 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

America’s Great Outdoors:

Last year, President Obama announced the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, laying out a bold 

vision to reconnect Americans 

with the natural world and protect our environment for future generations. 

“Americans are blessed with a vast and 

varied natural heritage,” he said. “From 

mountains to deserts and from sea to shining 

sea, America’s great outdoors have shaped 

the rugged independence and sense of community that define the American spirit.”

The initiative demonstrates a strong commitment to getting our nation back out and 

into nature, for the health of our children, our 

environment and our economy. It’s a goal 

that everyone can support.

But America’s great outdoors don’t stop 

at the shoreline. Ever since the birth of our 

nation, the ocean has been an integral part of 

the fabric of American life. 

From the placid, sun-kissed waters of the 

Florida Keys to the rugged, storm-tossed 

seas off Washington’s Olympic Coast, the 

ocean has nurtured and sustained us for centuries, providing a source of transportation, 

trade, food and entertainment. The nation’s 

coastal waters were our first highways, its 

beaches our first playgrounds, and its abundant fisheries our first restaurants.

Generations of Americans, from poets to 

presidents, have listened to the whisper of 

the sea and taken inspiration from it. Ralph 

Waldo Emerson, Ernest Hemingway, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President John 

F. Kennedy — the list of great citizens who 

cared deeply about the ocean goes on.

Today, many of us shuttle back and forth 

between our homes and offices in temperature-controlled automobiles, scarcely catching a breath of fresh air. But even as we drift 

apart from nature in our daily lives, we continue to be drawn to the water.

Nearly 160 million people — over half of 

the U.S. population — now live within coastal communities. More than one-third of the 

American people participate in some form of 

ocean activity every year, from swimming to 

fishing to simply lounging at the water’s edge.

They go for fun, fresh air, and a feeling of 

peace that only the great outdoors can provide. Something about the salt spray and the 

cool breeze rejuvenates the spirit and nourishes the soul. Coastal tourism invigorates 

the economy, as well, generating billions of 

dollars in annual revenue.

The United States is a nation of sweeping 

plains and towering mountain ranges, of vast 

deserts and dense forests. But it’s also a nation of more than 12,000 miles of coastline 

and spectacular, thriving ocean treasures like 

our national marine sanctuaries.

America’s great outdoors stretch from sea 

to shining sea, but the sea is not a boundary. 

Rather, the ocean is a part of our nation’s 

rich tapestry of wild places. We owe it to 

ourselves to enjoy it, care for it, and protect 

it for generations to come.

“From sea to shining sea, America’s great outdoors have shaped the rugged 

independence and sense of community that define the American spirit.”

2 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 3

O cean 

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea — 

whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going 

back from whence we came.”

— John F. Kennedy

The

By Matt Dozier

What Makes The Ocean Great?

Jack Curlett

Recreational Fisherman

Key Largo, FL

“The greatest thing about our ocean is the 

diversity of its inhabitants and their ability to 

live in such close proximity to one another 

in their shared environment. Each and every time I either put on a scuba tank and go 

under the water’s surface or sit in a boat 

and cast a line into the water it is a true 

mystery.”

Ashely Pereda

5th-Grade Student

Ventura, CA

“To me, the ocean is one of the most important places in the world. It is important 

because the ocean gives us many things 

like fish and shrimp. The ocean to me is a 

home to not just animals, but seaweed that 

makes the oxygen we breathe. Plus the 

ocean is a fun place to be at, it has nice 

beaches for me to run on and waves to 

jump over on sunny days.”

Capt. Jim Coon

Whale Watch Tour Operator

Maui, HI

“The vastness of the ocean and its constantly changing moods create a stimulating environment that, even after a lifetime 

working on it, continues to thrill me. The 

variety of ocean life that surrounds us 

from the very smallest invertebrate to the 

magnificent humpback whale reinforces 

my passion to educate, share and protect 

these amazing — but fragile — resources.” 

Photo: Lars Fackler

Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 3
4 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

Richard Louv 

Author, The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

research suggests that children who experience nature play tend 

to be healthier, psychologically and physically, than peers who 

grow up mainly indoors. Many of us believe that spending time 

outdoors is vital for people of all ages who hope to live a balanced 

life and to feel fully alive. 

As for our long-term relationship with nature, several studies have 

found that people who identify themselves as conservationists or environmentalists almost always have had transcendent experiences in 

nature when they were children. What happens if those experiences 

shrink to the point where they’re no longer considered normal? We’ll 

always have environmentalists, of course, but unless we connect future generations to nature, environmentalists will carry nature in their 

briefcases, not in their hearts. And that’s a very different and unsustainable relationship. 

You speak often about “Nature’s Therapy.” What do you mean 

by this — what is nature’s role in our health and well-being?

Time spent in the natural world can help build our physical and 

emotional fitness. We know nature-based therapy has had success healing patients who had not responded to treatment. Studies show exposure to natural environments enhances the ability to 

cope with and recover from stress, illness, and injury. 

There now are established methods of nature-based therapy 

(including ecopsychology, wilderness, horticultural, and animalassisted therapy) that have success healing patients. I believe 

these approaches will grow in popularity in coming years, including among the traditional health professions. This is already happening.

To health and well-being, I’d add intelligence and creativity. 

New research suggests that exposure to the living world can enhance intelligence for some people. A more natural environment 

seems to stimulate our ability to pay attention, think clearly, and 

be more creative. One reason may be that, when truly present in 

nature, we use all our senses at the same time, which is the optimum state of learning. 

Sanctuary Voices is a guest column featuring views and opinions from the national 

marine sanctuary community.

SANCTUARYVOICES

In your new book, The 

Nature Principle, you 

talk about some of your 

experiences on the water. What part of your 

time on the ocean impacted you the most?

I’ve spent more time on freshwater than saltwater, but in recent 

years two friends have taken me, and sometimes my sons, out on 

the Pacific to fish, or to take photographs, or just to experience the 

ocean. There have been many moments: gliding over sunken galaxies of bioluminescence; following dolphins to the Coronado 

Islands; watching for breaching whales and sharks, and seeing them; racing home as a powerful storm came in from the 

west. Perhaps the most moving moment was encountering a 

great ocean sunfish, a mola mola, basking in the sun.

You have spent time with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom you 

quote in Last Child in the Woods as saying, “Our children ought 

to be out there on the water. This is what connects us ...” Can you 

expand on that idea?

Part of the connection is simply the water, which is not only mysterious at its source, but in its constitution. In On Water, Thomas Farber 

writes: “The water in our blood will be cloud one day, was glacier 

eons ago,” and will be ice again, and will lose nothing in its translation. When we look into water, we’re reminded of our own depths and 

possibilities, and of humility.

Why do you think people feel such a deep connection to the ocean?

Oceans are water writ large. They remind us not only who we 

are, but what we aren’t — and what we can’t control. Why this is 

true is still a mystery. E.O. Wilson introduced the biophilia hypothesis, which holds that humans are genetically wired to have an affiliation to nature; that affiliation would, of course, extend to oceans. 

Nature always moves on, and life usually finds a way. We can 

harm the oceans, or the part of us that is drawn to nature, but we 

can’t control the oceans.

With children spending more time indoors and less time exploring the natural world, what are the dangers of letting that 

bond with nature disappear?

First, there’s the impact on children now; then there’s the impact 

on the long-term human relationship with the natural world. Recent 

In this issue, we talked to author Richard Louv about the ocean, our connection to 

nature, and the future of conservation. For the full Q&A, visit sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

Oceans are water writ large. They remind 

us not only who we are, but what we 

aren’t — and what we can’t control.
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 5

"...my son and I saw 

an ominous-looking 

dorsal fin cutting 

the waves, moving toward us. The 

fin dipped loosely 

now and then, like 

a sleepy eyelid, and 

then we saw what 

appeared to be an 

eye— a flattened 

orb, a great blue 

pupil beneath a 

reflective skein of 

saltwater. The eye 

looked at us as if its 

owner were curious.

“Karma fish,” said Louie. He was smiling broadly.

We had encountered one of the strangest fish 

in the sea, an ocean sunfish, or Mola mola. This 

sunfish appeared to weigh a few hundred pounds. 

It circled the boat, almost touching the hull, pausing now and then. “Good luck to see one. Bad 

luck to hurt them,” said Louie...

...Since then, the Mola mola often comes to mind. 

That slow, unafraid creature somehow offered a 

reminder that life’s tide can be slowed, and that I 

must take more time to recognize the miraculous."

Excerpt from The Nature Principle

What role can environmental conservation 

— and special places like national marine 

sanctuaries — play in reconnecting our 

society to the great outdoors?

Some recent science has shown that, in 

urban neighborhoods, the greater the biodiversity, the greater the psychological health of 

people, and the better they treat each other. 

Children who spend more time in nature and 

with non-human animals seem to develop a 

keener sense of empathy. 

As a species, we generally do better when 

we’re in kinship with species besides our own. 

If this is true in the neighborhoods in which we 

live, learn and play, then it may well be true in 

much larger environments, such as the ocean. 

We need to know that we share this world with countless neighbors, and the 

more diverse they are, biologically, the healthier that world is. 

As national marine sanctuaries return some of the biodiversity that we have 

destroyed or lost, we’ll feel the benefits — intellectually at first, personally 

later. We do need more direct experience in nature, but in some instances, if 

we’re going to have a relationship with nature in the future, we need to step 

back and give other species some space and time. Building long-term kinship 

takes time and patience.

How do we penetrate all the noise in today’s world to deliver this critical 

message of the importance of nature to human existence and survival?

This is too simplistic, I know, but spending more time in nature does help 

us listen; it opens our senses, and builds our sense of humility. I believe that 

people are starved for authenticity, and nature gives us that. Technology is 

here to stay, and will grow, and brings many gifts; but we also need an antidote 

to the downside of technology. In short, the more high-tech our lives become, 

the more nature we need. 

You have posed the question, “Where will the future stewards of the 

Earth come from?” How would you answer that?

We can now see the emergence of what I call a “new nature movement,” 

which encompasses but goes beyond traditional definitions of environmentalism and sustainability. I realize that deserves more explanation, but stimulating 

a new nature movement is part of the reason I wrote The Nature Principle. 

For decades, our culture has struggled with two addictions: to oil and to 

despair. But what if our lives were as immersed in nature as they are in electronics today? What if we not only saved energy, but created human energy 

— as new homes, cities, schools, and workplaces emerge that maximize the 

benefits of the natural world to health, intelligence and creativity? What if we 

not only conserved nature, but created it where we live, work, learn and play? 

Answering these questions, and then acting, will be the goal of a new nature movement.

Richard Louv is a bestselling author, 

founding chairman of the Children & 

Nature Network, and recipient of the 

2008 Audubon Medal.

For more, visit www.natureprinciple.org

Photos courtesy of Richard Louv
6 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

53%

Live within 50 miles 

of the coast

53% of the nation’s total 

population lives in 

coastal counties 

Where Does the U.

Coastal 

counties =

Inland 

counties =

Coast to Coast: America’s 

33,000 jobs

Supported by ocean 

recreation and tourism 

in the Florida Keys

top 8

OCEAN ACTIVITIES

(Number of annual participants)

1. Visiting Beaches

 77.8 Million

2. Swimming

60.3 Million

3. Viewing & 

Photographing 

Scenery

29.9 Million

4. Fishing

24.1 Million

5. Bird Watching

21.8 Million

6. Motorboating

 17.4 Million

7. Other Wildlife 

Watching

 17.3 Million

8. Snorkeling

12.6 Million

14

Time the Average B

DA

eachgoer Spends at the Shore P

YS

er Year

Americans participate in some 

form of ocean recreation
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 7

39 million — Increase in 

U.S. coastal population 

from 1980 to 2009

.S. Population Live?

150 m

100 m

1980 2009

=

=

12% of 

U.S. land area

88% of 

U.S. land area

 Ocean Connection

commercial shing across the National Marine SancAnnual revenue generated by ocean recreation, tourism and 

$4,000,000,000

tuary Syste

m

SCUBA DIVERS

visit Flower Garden 

Banks National Marine 

Sanctuary every year

PROTECTING THE 

GREAT OUTDOORS

Total Area Protected

(square miles)

Total Number of

Protected Sites

2,500+

132,00

0

157,43

0

39414

National Park System

National Marine Sanctuary System

Illustration: Matt McIntosh
8 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

Connecting Children 

to the Outdoors

The gust of wind carried the grand arch of balloons away from the confines of the 

city garbage bin. The students of Pacific Grove Middle School in Pacific Grove, 

Calif., did not delight in their flight. Not cheers, but gasps, escaped from the 

children’s mouths as they watched the balloons drift away beyond their reach. 

 The reason for their concern, explained middle school student Marissa Martinez, is 

that the balloons would float offshore into the nearby Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary, where animals would mistake them for food and eat them. 

The students learned about the problem after their teacher, Kelly Terry, nominated the 

school to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Ocean Guardian Schools Program. 

“I had a sense that since we can see the ocean from our school, we should definitely be 

ocean guardians,” Terry said. Today, as part of their Ocean Guardian School commitment to protect the ocean, the students take a pledge to help reduce marine debris. 

“Even if a balloon released into the ocean doesn’t harm an animal,” said student Lexi 

Rohrer, “it could end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

Armed with the knowledge of how runaway balloons can harm ocean wildlife, these 

young ocean guardians decided to take action. They organized a letter-writing campaign 

and collected signatures for a petition, urging both their school and the Pacific Grove 

City Council to ban latex balloons at outdoor activities.

“Our school is an Ocean Guardians school, and we are trying to keep our area free of 

litter,” wrote student Luke Hiserman, author of the petition. “We would like to propose 

that it be illegal to have balloons in Pacific Grove at public events because we are so 

close to the ocean.”

 The city council agreed and has since banned all balloons at outdoor events. In addition, the school has prohibited large balloon bouquets on campus. 

Fighting “Nature-Deficit Disorder”

The students of Pacific Grove Middle School stand in proud defiance of the widening 

gulf between people and nature. Author Richard Louv addressed that gulf in his bestselling book Last Child in the Woods, which sparked a national debate that led to a growing 

movement to reconnect children with nature. 

Coining the term “Nature-Deficit Disorder,” Louv described the growing divide between 

children and their environment and the significant negative consequences of this gap: “An 

increasing pace in the last three decades, approximately, of a rapid disengagement between 

Ocean Education Programs Rekindle Our Bond with Nature

Across the National Marine Sanctuary System, 

diverse educational programs provide children 

with hand-on learning opportunities in the 

great outdoors. These experiences foster a 

connection to the natural world, improved 

physical and mental health, and a sense of 

responsibility for the environment.

By Michiko Martin and Seaberry Nachbar
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 9

children and direct experiences in nature ... This has profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health 

of the Earth itself.”

The outdoors have increasingly lost their relevance in the lives 

of our children, who now spend only half as much time outside as 

their parents did, but who spend an average of seven hours a day using electronic devices. In his remarks at the April 2010 White House 

Conference that launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, 

President Obama cautioned that “[w]e are losing our connection to 

the parks, wild places, and open spaces we grew up with and cherish.” 

People who are disconnected from nature are less likely to be 

committed to — and involved in — stewardship of the environment. Environmental psychologist Louise Chawla believes that 

early nature experiences are essential to produce tomorrow’s leaders of change; for most environmentalists, it was a deep connection 

to nature formed early in life that inspired their later work.

Nature’s Medicine

Reconnecting our children to nature is vitally important to developing tomorrow’s leaders and stewards. But the health of the 

environment may not be the only thing at stake. A growing body of 

research suggests that the great outdoors positively impact our own 

health and well-being, as well.

Nature can help protect children against stress and adversity, according to a 2003 study by Cornell University environmental psychologists Nancy Wells and Gary Evans. “Our study finds that life’s 

stressful events appear not to cause as much psychological distress 

in children who live in high-nature conditions compared with children who live in low-nature conditions,” said Wells. 

In 2000, Wells conducted another study that found that being close 

to nature also helps boost a child’s attention span. Previous studies 

have similarly found that time spent in the great outdoors is linked to 

better psychological well-being, improved mental function, fewer illnesses and speedier recovery. Louv supports those ideas in his books, 

explaining that by tapping into the restorative powers of nature we 

can boost mental sharpness and creativity; promote health and wellness; build better and more sustainable businesses, communities, and 

economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds.

Innovative Sanctuary Programs

Encouraging children to experience nature and fostering a sense 

of responsibility for our environment is at the core of educational 

programming in the national marine sanctuaries. Sanctuaries enable 

people of all ages to experience the wonder and beauty of the natural 

world firsthand, and help instill a deep appreciation for the people, 

stories and traditions of these special places. 

As the efforts like the NOAA Ocean Guardian Schools Program 

prove, children who feel personally connected to their environment 

become passionate stewards of the great outdoors. Their hands-on 

experiences with a world beyond computers, cell phones and game 

consoles motivates the students to care and protect — whether 

through recycling, discouraging single-use plastic shopping bags, or 

speaking up in the fight to keep trash out of the ocean we all share.

Prominent environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. summed 

it up well in Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods: “Our children 

ought to be out there on the water. This is what connects us, this is 

what connects humanity, this is what we have in common. It’s not 

the Internet, it’s the oceans.”

Illustration: Matt McIntosh

Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 9
10 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteer Sally Eagle interacts 

with a child on a whale watch cruise in Channel Islands National 

Marine Sanctuary. Volunteer programs like this one work to 

make visitors’ experiences fun, informative and memorable.

Photo courtesy of Bob Perry, Condor Express

10 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 11

“I thought when I grew up I would just get 

a job like my brother, and that would be it. 

Now I know what I am going to do — I am 

going to go to college and study marine science. And then I am going to come out here 

and teach people about the oceans and the 

animals. I am so excited!”

Connecting People with Nature

Every day, smart, passionate volunteers 

like French reach out to visitors across the 

National Marine Sanctuary System in an 

effort to make their trips to the sanctuaries 

educational, enjoyable and safe. 

“Just a little bit of outreach can create a 

lot of enthusiasm,” explained French, who 

said she gets an “amazing” number of questions from people of all ages. 

Through programs like the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps, these trained volunteers connect with people of all ages in the 

great outdoors. They encourage curiosity, 

provide information about sanctuary resources, and promote responsible use of the ocean.

Park ranger David Begun, who coordinates the Naturalist Corps in partnership 

with Shauna Bingham of the Channel Islands sanctuary, emphasized the importance 

of volunteers in helping visitors get the 

most out of their time in the great outdoors.

Knowledgeable volunteer naturalists, 

Begun said, can help members of the public 

gain a deeper appreciation for places like 

the Channel Islands, an understanding of 

Volunteers Help Visitors 

Appreciate the Great Outdoors

— By Tracy Hajduk

Reaching Out, Water on the

the need to protect those treasured places, 

and a desire to come back again. Some people, like the inquisitive boy who bombarded 

French with questions, even come away 

with the urge to pursue a career on the water.

Promoting Education and 

Stewardship

In Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, volunteers with the Team OCEAN program have become an essential part of the 

sanctuary’s public outreach efforts. Todd 

Hitchins, coordinator of the program, said 

Team OCEAN members in boats and kayaks station themselves at popular spots for 

boating, fishing, snorkeling and diving, providing them with plenty of opportunities to 

interact with sanctuary visitors.

Hitchins said volunteers on the water can 

educate visitors about the local coral reef 

ecosystem and help them better appreciate 

the sanctuary without accidentally causing 

harm to its habitats.

“When I go to a place, I want to learn 

about it,” Hitchins said. “Team OCEAN 

volunteers let visitors know they are in a 

sanctuary and share information about the 

reef, and people really appreciate that.”

America’s great outdoors are there for all 

to enjoy, and the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps, Team OCEAN and other volunteer programs work tirelessly to make every 

visitor’s experience fun, memorable and 

educational. 

Catherine French stood on deck 

and watched as the students 

piled aboard, still smiling and 

laughing after hours of trekking around the trails and tidepools of Santa Cruz Island.

Their day of exploration in California’s 

Channel Islands National Park was at an end, 

but ahead lay an hour-long boat ride back to 

port through the neighboring Channel Islands 

National Marine Sanctuary. This was French’s 

chance to share the mystery and excitement of 

the natural wonders found beneath the waves 

of the sanctuary with a captive audience. 

And this is where she met her match.

It started with a question. As the boat paused 

to watch some humpback whales feeding near 

the surface, a fourth-grade boy wanted to 

know what the whales were eating. French, an 

11-year veteran of the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps with years of experience talking to 

visitors about the islands and the surrounding 

waters, replied with enthusiasm.

His hand shot up with another question. 

Then another. And another. Each answer 

sparked a new inquiry. “How long can 

humpbacks hold their breath?” “What’s the 

difference between seals and sea lions?” 

“Why are those birds diving in the water?” 

“How can I do this as a job?” 

French spent the rest of the trip home 

breathlessly trying to keep pace with the 

boy’s rapid-fire curiosity. As the boat pulled 

up to the dock, she beamed when he said, 
12 Sanctuary Watch Summer 2011

STARoftheSEA

Superstar Naturalist Passes 3,000 Hours of Volunteer Outreach

Staci Kaye-Carr | Volunteer, Channel Islands Naturalist Corps

Staci Kaye-Carr adjusted a few last wires 

and cables before checking in with her 

co-hosts. “You guys all set down there?” 

“Down there” was 35 feet underwater, in the middle of a towering kelp forest 

off Anacapa Island. 

“Good to go!” came the reply from the divers, ready to beam their voices 

and video from beneath the surface of Channel Islands National Marine 

Sanctuary to Staci’s group of visitors on the island and a classroom of students 60 miles away on the California mainland. They waited for her signal.

Moments later, the cameras rolled and Staci launched into the broadcast, sparkling with enthusiasm as she and the dive team led the audience 

on an immersive, interactive tour of the watery world.

The show, part of a Channel Islands National Park program called “Channel Islands Live,” lasted about 20 minutes. As a volunteer naturalist for the 

Channel Islands Naturalist Corps, Staci contributes more than 500 hours of 

her time to programs like this one every year.

Think about it. That’s more than 60 eight-hour workdays, or as much as 

a full-time employee works over three months! 

Since she joined the Naturalist Corps in 2004, this “all-star of the sea” 

has donated a staggering 3,100 hours to education and conservation efforts in the sanctuary and adjacent Channel Islands National Park. She received the sanctuary’s “Volunteer of the Year” award in 2010 in recognition 

of her tireless contributions.

“At sea or on land, I never get tired of sharing with the public,” she said. 

“It’s so rewarding to spend time outdoors and give back to the community.”

Staci said she could hardly contain herself when she first donned the 

signature navy colors of the Naturalist Corps seven years ago.

“That was a great day for me,” she said. “I was so over the moon. Getting my blue uniform was as exciting as getting my wedding dress!”

Her enthusiasm seems to jump like electric current into anyone she 

touches, whether she’s hosting “live dive” broadcasts, performing puppet 

shows, leading nature hikes or just chatting to people during her daily walks 

on the beach.

But Staci, like the other naturalists, brings more than just passion to her 

interactions with Channel Islands visitors. She knows the islands and the 

surrounding waters as well as almost anyone, having logged more than 

1,000 dives in the sanctuary since she got her scuba certification in 1987.

On whale watch cruises and other outreach opportunities on the water, 

she works to enhance visitors’ experiences by sharing her knowledge and 

helping them gain an appreciation for the hidden world below the waves.

“We want to make people’s trip out to the sanctuary more meaningful,” 

she said. 

Even with thousands of hours of service under her belt, Staci shows no 

signs of slowing down, and her dedication continues to inspire new volunteers 

year after year.

“It has been an amazing journey,” she said, “and it’s really just starting.” 

Years since Staci joined the Channel 

Islands Naturalist Corps ................................................................7

Number of hours she volunteered in 2010 .........................610

Total hours she has volunteered since 2004 ..............3,100

Volunteer hours contributed by the 

entire Naturalist Corps in FY 2010 ........................23,878

Visitors reached by Channel Islands 

sanctuary volunteers in FY 2010.....................420,000

Staci poses with her hand-sewn blue whale puppet, part of the Channel 

Islands puppet show that she performs for visitors of all ages.

Photo: Staci Kaye-Carr
Summer 2011 Sanctuary Watch 13

Astonishing Tales National Marine Sanctuaries: Caught In the Eye of the Storm

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 — 

Hurricane Ike surges toward 

the coast of Texas. Directly in 

its path is Galveston Bay, where 

Captain Chuck Curry and 

Mate Deb Brock are preparing 

to ride out the storm aboard 

the sanctuary research vessel 

Manta. Staying behind is risky, 

but they know it’s the ship’s 

only chance at survival.

Night falls. The wind howls. Rain falls sideways in dense sheets. 

Huge waves toss the 83-foot Manta around like a toy sailboat.

After assessing the damage to the Manta, Brock and Curry volunteer the ship to 

help with recovery efforts on Galveston Island. Over the next several weeks, they 

provide showers, food and a resting place for hundreds of people. Slowly but surely, 

Galveston starts to rebuild. And thanks to the heroic efforts of its brave crew, the 

Manta lives on to support the national marine sanctuaries another day. 

During a brief lull in the storm, Brock peeks outside and sees an ominous black 

hole in the clouds rimmed by a reddish glow. They are in the eye of the storm.

The Manta endures hour after hour of merciless pounding before the 117-mph 

winds and churning seas finally subside. The vessel is battered, but still afloat. 

from the

Illustration: Matt McIntosh
SANCTUARYSNAPSHOT Just like trees on land, kelp can grow in dense underwater forests that provide shelter for wildlife, give us oxygen to 

breathe, and embody the mystery and wonder of the great outdoors. National marine sanctuaries work with diverse partners to encourage Americans to enjoy 

and care for our nation’s wild places, both on land and in the sea. 

Photos: Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (top), istock ©Daniel Cota (bottom)