The workshop closed with a general discussion of future trends for Coastal America and the CELCs. A number of priorities were identified including military assistance in transporting stranded marine animals, establishing a tagging bank and collaboration in developing the appropriate messages to be communicated to the public when stranded animals are rescued and released. Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center Update Summer is the busiest season for our Learning Centers and they all reported on their new exhibits and educa-tional programs. The New England Aquarium has funding for 4 more years of the Teachers Sabbatical Program. Small groups of teachers spend an intensive week learning about environmental science, and follow up days focus on how to teach using local habitats.
Federal agencies participate as subject matter experts and speakers.
The program will serve 21 teachers in 1998-1999. The Mystic Aquarium , CT DEP, FWS and EPA are working together to create traveling displays on tidal wetlands and on coral reefs. The displays will be completed by late summer or early fall and will be available for use by all Coastal America partners. The National Aquarium in Baltimore hosted the Northeast Region Stranding Conference. Partici-pants from federal and state agencies and partner stranding networks met to discuss strategies to improve coordination and effectiveness of rehabilitation and release of marine animals.