Sea Notes

Jellies galore - by Alexa

When MBARI celebrated their 20th birthday in 2007, they created a list of the top 20 most important accomplishments since their founding. The number ten accomplishment was discovering that one third of the oceanic biomass is made up of JELLY!!!!!!!!!! That’s right, gelatinous animals made up about 1/3 of the oceanic biomass in marine food webs!

The coolest part of that announcement; jelly-ish animals happen to be my favorite creatures in the whole world! To all of you who are laughing at that pronouncement, I’m sure that by the end of the blog you too will agree with me.

I’m sorry, I bet some of you have no idea what MBARI is. MBARI stands for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. It is a center dedicated to the research and preservation of the ocean. Research also involves discovering amazing new species!

“Every time we dive below 2,000 meters, we see species that are new to science” said MBARI researcher Steve Haddock. It would take a few years to tell you all of the new animals, so I’m only going to mention a few here.  But if you want more information about MBARI and their wonderful accomplishments go to http://www.mbari.org, or if you specifically interested in jellies, check this page.

One of my favorite discoveries is a species of sea butterfly, like the one shown at the top of this blog. Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? I bet you won’t believe that it’s related to a common garden snail! Some species even have a shell inside of them. Go to the MBARI website to see more jellies like red bulbous jellies, bumpy jellies and jellies that use glowing red lures to attract lunch.  They are remarkable!

- Alexa Stefanko - 2008 Official Explorer

Committing to Action

In my last blog I talked about the TUNZA children’s conference  in Stavanger, Norway that I attended. In one of the workshops I participated in, we concluded that to solve pressing world problems we would all need to work together. That doesn’t just mean all of us in the U.S., that means all of us in the entire WORLD. If we don’t, we might end up having to move to Mars to escape the state of the earth. When we work together, we can address everyone’s needs, and use our collective thinking to solve our problems.

To this end, at the conference we met three times over the course of five days  in  “action groups”. We met in these groups to discuss ways to better protect our environment. At the end of the conference, all of our ideas were summarized into a list of commitments that we hoped every child in the world would work to implement.

We brainstormed  commitments on 4 themes; water, energy, biodiversity, and production and consumption. These commitments are things that each and every one of us can do every day to help our earth. I truly enjoyed attending the action groups. It was really rewarding and it was wonderful to hear the ideas from  people from other countries.

Here is an example of a commitment that we made in each of the four categories:

• Water: Participate in a beach, river, or lake clean-up.
• Energy: Turn off lights when not in use.
• Biodiversity: Plant a tree on every birthday.
• Production and Consumption: Minimize the use of plastic bags and paper. (For example, always remember to write on both sides of paper and then recycle it!)

The rest of the commitments that we came up with are listed on UNEP's web site. I am going to try to implement each and every one of these commitments. You can read the commitments agreed upon at the conference and implement them in your life too! 

Tunza (treat with care or affection)

This June I attended the TUNZA children’s conference in Stavanger, Norway. Tunza is a United Nations Environmental Program designed to inspire, inform, and enable children and youth to care for the environment. Children get to learn about environmental issues, share experiences and opinions, and collectively voice their concerns for the environment. The conference is also intended to inspire children to implement environmental projects in their communities. This year’s conference brought together children from 105 countries and focused on energy, water and sustainability.

There were over 50 workshops and fieldtrips offered. My favorite workshop was called, “Friends and Foes.” It examined the way the world works. The only problem is; our world isn’t working too well. We have significant environmental, political, and economic problems that need to be solved. In my action group we thought about how to fix our ailing world and centered on one solution, although I’m sure that there are others. Our solution sounds simple; we ALL must work together.

My favorite part of the conference was meeting children from all over the world committed to caring for the planet. They all offered new ideas and possibilities that I hadn’t even considered. I met an Egyptian girl who started a project which recycled everyday waste into amazing and fabulous works of art. I also learned about a girl from New Zealand who works to conserve an endangered species of bird called the takahe. I met a girl from Japan who is part of a group who saves owls. Then there was a group of Malaysian children called the Tree Theatre Group, who used drama to help people understand the importance of saving the forests.  And  then there was a group of children from Mexico who are devoted to the conservation of Cuatro Cienigas, which is the home to dozens of species endemic to their region. Another boy from Germany is dedicated to keeping the dream of planting a billion trees all over Europe alive. All of these children demonstrated extraordinary initiative and creativity. It was an honor to be able to talk to them and learn about them.

The TUNZA conference has to have been the most fantastic and moving experience of my life. I wish I was able to go back, but I’ll be too old when the next conference rolls around. The next conference is in Korea, maybe you would like to attend it?  If so just go to the Tunza webpage for more information.  But even if you can’t attend, please read the commitments with the adults in your life and implement in your home!  Or get your friends together and start a project caring for our precious environment.

Swap-o-Rama-Rama (by Alexa)

So I spent Earth Day weekend knee-deep in used clothes! Why you ask? Because we were holding a Swap O Rama Rama at the Coyote Point Museum! What’s that? What’s a Swap O Rama Rama? (I’ll bet this is feeling a bit like a strange vocabulary test, huh?!).

Swap O Rama Ramas are part of an international network of events created by the brilliant Wendy Tremayne in 2005 and protected under a Creative Commons License.

At a Swap, people bring a bag of used clothes and then they swap those clothes for other used clothes. Then with help of talented designers and artists, they transform those clothes into unique and creative recycled fashions. Earlier this year two incredible friends, Elena and Abby, and I decided to plan a Swap O Rama Rama and other activities to help raise money for Coyote Point Museum, a museum that does incredible work teaching kids how to care for the planet.

Our Swap O Rama Rama was very similar to a traditional one, except it was geared more towards youth. It was held on Saturday, April 19th, at Coyote Point Museum as a part of their big Earth celebration. And, because the event was geared to youth, we wanted to make sure everyone had the help they needed to transform their used clothes into wearable art.

Boy, did the creative community come through! About 50 people volunteered their expertise and time including clothes designers, knitters, jewelry designers, silk screeners, fabric embellishment artists, and organizers extraordinaire. Then, after we posted on Freecycle and Craigslist, people donated the supplies that was needed for the Swap O Rama Rama. We were given donations including sewing machines (thanks to Ray’s Sewing Center of San Jose), sewing notions and supplies, and jewelery-making, knittting, silkscreening, iand iron-on supplies. So when we opened our doors we had clothing designers at seven sewing stations, plus handsewing, knitting, silkcreening, embroidery, iron-on and jewelry-making workshops. And good thing we did - because lots of people came with their bags of used clothes, many staying the entire day, and some making entirely new outfits. And the fun didn’t stop there. After the Swap O Rama Rama we held a fashion show so people could show off their creations. Everybody looked great walking down the runway but my favorite outfit was an incredible little dress made out of a green lace top and a dark brown embellished skirt. Judges considered the entries and awarded prizes which included supplies from the event that we recycled into prizes! Most importantly everyone had a great experience doing creative recycling.

We really wanted people to see how much fun reusing is and how cool the things that you create can be. So we also collected recycled, upcycled, and repurposed donations from around the world and auctioned them off at a Green Auction. There; was a purse made of recycled jeans from Finland, a serving platter made of street signs from the US, altered couture from Canada, and many, many more items. My favorite was a stuffed Asiatic Mouflon, (that’s a sort of mountain goat) made out of recycled upholstery fabric! Wendy explains that when you go to a Swap O Rama Rama you reuse rather than buy new and create rather than consume. So next time you are cleaning out your closet, ask yourself; do I want these clothes and accessories; to go into a landfill, or can the get used by someone else or can I use them again myself?

Above all else, remember the three Rs and one C; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Create!

Dia del Nino (Day of the Child)

On  April 27th, Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrated Día Del Niño, or ‘Day Of The Child’! Día Del Niño celebrated children and the enormous power they hold in their hands. Because it was their day, children under 12 were admitted free. Día Del Niño featured splendid family-oriented, educational events. There was so much going on at the event  I didn’t get to see it all but I’ll tell you about as much as I can.

First, there were two great presentations including “Working With White Sharks” presented by Associate Curator Manny Ezcurra and “Seahorse Magic”. Both were presented in English and Spanish.  El Teatro Campesino was also there presenting, Basta Basura (or Enough Trash), a great musical that teaches us about the dangers of throwing garbage into the ocean.

 

Next, there was lively music and infectious dance wherever I went. There was a mariachi performance by Mariachi California De Javier Vargas and  an incredible harpist named William Faulkner.  There were also dancers from Águila Real and although I have never thought of myself as a dancer, even I was moving to the music at this event!

 

There were also hands-on activities in the craft room.Here people made a traditional Mexican toy called a Boleros Cup. A Boleros Cup is a cup - usually wooden, although ours were paper- with a little ball or figurine attached to it with a string. The object of the game is to get the little ball into the cup. Sounds easy, right? I thought so too, until I tried it. It’s really is hard! But the paper cones that everyone decorated were gorgeous! There were so many bright colors and unique designs! I had a lot of fun there, but I have to admit I had just as much fun at the Prize Wheel.

The Prize Wheel is a lot like the Wheel of Fortune, except there is no letter- guessing. Someone would spin the huge wheel on a table. Then, depending on what color the spinner it landed on, the person spinning would get one of four prizes. The prizes were; a rubber otter, four tickets for the Aquarium, a Wild About Otters poster, or some fantastic stickers. The prize wheel was so cool! Sometimes, all of the people would start chanting the name of the prize they wanted! It seemed all of the adults wanted tickets, but the most popular prize among the children was the rubber otter. And when the person won the item they wanted, everyone whooped and hollered with excitement.  I had fun making prize announcements as interesting and varied as I could.

 

Día Del Niño was groovy and the best news is that more events like this one are planned for the future.  Mark your calendar for October 12th so you can come party at Fiesta Del Mar! This event celebrates the Latin American culture and rejoices in our magnificent and mysterious seas. The highlight of the day will be the Heroe del Medio Ambiente (Hero of the Environment) award ceremony. Like Día Del Niño, children 12 and under will be admitted all day for free! I will definitely see you there!

Hi, I'm Alexa Stefanko

Hi, I’m Alexa Stefanko. I’m 12 years old and live near Burlingame, California. I love climbing, snorkeling, swimming, bird watching, and reading. I want be a marine biologist and specialize in animal communication in the seas. This year, I'm an Official Explorer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

For the past two years I have been working to support the Coyote Point Museum, a museum dedicated to educating children about the importance of protecting the environment. Last year, a group of friends and I organized the Environmental Fair and Auction for the museum and this year we are planning a Swap O Rama Rama (SORR), Fashion Show and Green Auction. At a SORR you transform used clothes into wearable art (founded by Wendy Tremayne and described at swaporamarama.org) and then you get to showcase your designs at a fashion show. I also served as a Leader-In-Training helping out at the museum’s summer camps.

I had wonderful time at Shark Days at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and can’t wait for the next event! First, we met last year's explorers: Ayla, Eduardo, and Sierra. They told us all about their experiences as Official Explorers and what to expect for the year. They were all incredibly helpful, and very interesting to talk to. I was amazed and inspired by how committed they were to protecting the underwater community.

My favorite part of Shark Days was meeting last year’s explorers. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to work with them again. Shark Days was also my first opportunity to work with my colleague, the other 2008 Official Explorer, Simon Willig.

First, I listened to a presentation, which was given by Dr. Steve Webster, a senior biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. During the presentation, he told us all about his various shark encounters, from having a flipper nibbled by an enormous whale shark, to encountering the peaceful reef sharks in the waters of Fiji. He also explained that sharks aren’t the vicious and dangerous creatures we constantly hear about from the media. He taught us that sharks are normally passive and completely essential to a healthy ecosystem.

Did you know that more people die from falling coconuts every year than from shark attacks? A very enlightening statistic! I was most curious about what I could do to help protect sharks. After reading the Seafood Watch cards I learned not to eat sharks because their populations are so unstable. I was also reminded how important it is to never litter or pollute because ultimately much of the trash and pollutants make their way to the oceans.

Another fun part of Shark Days was the craft tables. I helped the participants create stamps of ocean creatures to put on their postcards (and even created a few of my own). I also worked at the event booth greeting visitors, handing out information about Shark Days and answering questions.

This year as an Official Explorer, I’m excited about absolutely everything! I can’t wait to meet new people, learn about our precious oceans and how to protect them and share that knowledge with others.

New Bloggers Joining Us

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, lots of folks are working every day to protect the oceans and ocean wildlife. In the Sea Notes blog, you've heard regularly from two of us. Now we're going to add two new voices

Each year the aquarium selects Official Explorers -- young people between the ages of 10 and 13 who serve as ambassadors for the oceans during many special events here. They meet with visitors, take part in activities like Underwater Explorers SCUBA sessions and find ways to help shape a future with healthy oceans.

Our 2007 Official Explorers recorded their experiences in journals posted to our own website. Now we'll share their thoughts and observations here.

Each year, they've proved to be amazing, articulate advocates, as you'll discover in the months to come.

So here's an introduction to Alexa Stefanko of Burlingame, California and Simon Willig of Redwood City, California our 2008 Official Explorers. Alexa, age 12, has helped raise funds to save the Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo, California, while Simon, also age 12, is co-creating (with 2007 Explorer Ayla Besemer), “Save Our Seas,” a program for kids who want to teach other kids about ocean conservation.

Look for their bylines in the blog throughout the year.