In 2009, NASA began probing for Earth-like planets. The Kepler probe, looking more than a little like a tube of fancy lipstick (with a solar array mounted on its side), has confirmed 28 planets to date. But Kepler 22-b is getting a lot of media attention. At this point, scientists are still unsure what the planet is made of – is it a gas giant like Neptune, or made of more solid stuff?

What about Earth 1.0?

Meanwhile, here on Earth, several stories on climate change showed up this week. Climate Change Conference #17 began in Durban, South Africa on November 28th; EPI’s own Katie Nelson is attending as a delegate (read her blog here!).

At right: Protestors in Durban, courtesy of Seattlepi.com

The main story from South Africa is a push by the “BASIC” countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) and the US to hold off on a binding climate change treaty until 2020. Many European countries and low-lying island nations see this as extremely bad news. Given that the conference will end this Saturday, there’s not much chance of an agreement. But, as Katie writes, “regardless of the negotiation’s outcomes, the real and meaningful climate change work [will] carry on back home.”

Speaking the language

Back in the U.S., Katherine Hayhoe is carrying out that work. A climatologist by training, Hayhoe lives in West Texas. She’s been using her Christian beliefs to reach out to skeptical Texans, explaining the issues at hand and the reality of climate change. She hasn’t let hostile audience members and angry emails slow her down; her work continues forward. “At the end of any given talk,” writes the LA Times, “perhaps one person might tell Hayhoe she’s convinced him of the scientific consensus on global warming.” One person at a time, Katherine Hayhoe is making a difference.

Top Turtle Story

A month ago, we posted this picture from the NOAA on our facebook page, showing the spines that line a leatherback sea turtle’s esophagus, allowing it to hold on to the seafood it catches while spitting out the seawater. This time, another story that ties into EPI’s work with leatherbacks: scientists have discovered that turtles in Australia “communicate with their siblings while they are still in their shells, buried under the soil, in order to coordinate when they hatch.” Ricky-John Spencer, the lead researcher, thinks that “they might be listening to each other’s heartbeats” in order to time their hatching. How cool is that? You can read the whole story here.

What science stories are you following this week?

The BBC published a story on Thursday about the Gamburtsev Mountains. Locked under the Antarctic Ice Shelf for millions of years, these mountains may be able to tell us an important story about the formation of Antarctica.

In honor of Geography Awareness week, see how much you know about the world’s more accessible mountains – can you tell your Urals from your Bugaboos?

After you pin down the Hindu Kush, check out the Department of State’s Global IQ quiz. Do you know which countries border Paraguay?

While EPI won’t be sending students to explore the depths of the ice sheet – check out PolarTrec’s work if you’d like to learn more about conducting research in Antarctica – we think our work helps tell another part of the same story. The scientists we work with are engaged in the same search for answers; when students gather data on leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica, they’re helping us make sense out of invisible mountains.

Two questions for you: Where do you think the next ghost mountains will show up? And, what is your most impressive geography fact?

Resources:

International Education Week Website
Geography Awareness Week Website
PolarTrec

While it’s true that there are serious problems in Mexico, the state of Baja California Sur is statistically safer than most US states.

It remains true, too, that the waters separating the peninsula from mainland Mexico are safe and burgeoning with life. The incredible diversity fostered by the Sea of Cortez is why we’ve been bringing students here since 2005, to study whale ecology and marine ecosystems.

Some recent articles and websites with information about traveling to Baja California Sur:
In the Seattle Times
On a blog dedicated to Mexico travel

EPI runs an educational campus in La Paz, the city featured in the above Seattle Times article. It’s the home of the only full fin whale skeleton in Mexico, proudly displayed in the courtyard.

As always, we’re committed to student safety – if you’d like to talk with us directly about your concerns with travel to Mexico, contact us .

More specifically?

Here’s a story about Danacia GreyWater (right, in above photo), a teen who participated in EPI’s Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Program last summer, which tells of the personal transformations that happen in the thousands of youth who participate in EPI’s courses:

Danacia is Sioux Indian from the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota. She lives with her mom and family in Wolf Point, Montana. An avid player in all kinds of sports, Danacia also loves the outdoors, including hiking and camping, and decided to take EPI’s Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology course to learn more about the natural world.

Danacia’s enthusiasm for science could be felt throughout the trip, says Montana Instructor, Katie Nelson. While the experience may have pushed her boundaries and comfort zone, she came alive during data collection, and was always the first to volunteer for the various scientific studies with our research partners. She demonstrated a passion and capability to achieve her dream of becoming a marine biologist. Although the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is far from any ocean, the practical scientific experience she gained on this trip brought her closer to attaining this goal. Danacia also gained insight away from the typical daily distractions.

“What I learned about myself is I don’t need technology as much as I thought. The outside can be just as much fun as computers and phones! I don’t litter now and when I see people doing it I try to educate them on its consequences,” says Danacia.

Danacia says that the most important thing she learned was how human interaction affects wildlife and habitat.

“I will carry the EPI experience throughout my whole life. Being in nature for a week helped me find myself and I would recommend it to anybody.”

Danacia is one of our exceptional students featured in our new 2011 Student Yearbook…coming soon!

Within 36 hours, the burning platform will have collapsed into the sea, as you are whisked into a whirlwind of company investigations, hospital visits, and questions from all sides. How did this happen? Why didn’t we see it coming? How are we going to clean up this mess?

That is the story of the 115 survivors of the Deepwater Horizon explosion; 11 of the rig’s workers died on-site that day. In the three months that followed, 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf, covering 80 square miles of ocean and 500 miles of coastline.

Sixteen months later, the unfinished cleanup of the Gulf oil spill is far from news headlines; time for a new story about how to clean up all of that oil.
In the Netherlands, Norway, and around the world, people are designing a new way of cleaning up oil. It’s called Protei.

The job of cleaning up spills is currently done by repurposed fishing boats. This puts people into contact with fumes and dangerous conditions, and is expensive and inefficient – with the oil spread over so much area, far away from shore, it’s difficult to reach.

BP used boats with absorbent booms to soak up some of the oil, but they could only get about 3% of the oil that way, and the sailors on the boats were exposed to fumes and other health hazards.

Protei is an unmanned craft. It’s remote-controlled from shore, and in the future could be completely automated. Its design allows it to sail upwind and absorb a much higher amount of oil. And it’s been created with open hardware and software, meaning anyone can see the code and the blueprints for how it runs.

Designers around the world have worked to build Protei. “It’s a plus to have people from so many backgrounds and inspirations working together,” said Etienne Gernez, the Academic Coordinator for Protei. “You can have a community of people working in their own countries, in their own garages, and you can really build something out of that.”

Here at EPI, we like to think we’re building our own open-source network of students engaged in the study of critical ecosystems; if all the students we’ve worked with put their brains together, what do you think we could come up with? What critical issues could benefit from the open model of Protei?

Next week, look for more about Protei and how you can help.

But the past few years have been increasingly weird. After the heavy snowfall along the East Coast last winter, Thomas Friedman began using the term “global weirding” last year in a New York Times editorial:

“The fact that it has snowed like crazy in Washington, D.C. — while it has rained at the Winter Olympics in Canada, while Australia is having a record 13-year drought — is right in line with what every major study on climate change predicts: The weather will get weird; some areas will get more precipitation than ever; others will become drier than ever.”

As seasons shift and weather patterns become more unpredictable, the big question is how global weirding will affect already-fragile ecosystems, like the ones where EPI works. Sea turtles are very sensitive to water temperature – will warmer oceans affect sea turtle populations and the gender of their eggs? Will extended droughts give rise to new diseases and push some plant species out of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?

We really don’t know yet. That’s why studying what’s happening on the ground is so important today. How have you seen “global weirding” play out where you live?

I’m in my early 60s and have gone on several volunteering trips :

• to help communities get clean water,
• to help build and stock a library in Kenya,
• to keep poachers off beaches where turtles nest,
• to share the wonders of the sea with people who live on the shore but have no idea why tourists come, and
• to help communities on the Sea of Cortez realize the treasures and environmental threats outside their front doors.

The last 3 trips were with EPI and they have been by far the best. Each group was 10-14 adults, which is at or below the minimum for profit-based tour companies.

More and more tour companies offer eco-tourism trips with “volunteer opportunities”, but the goals are (1) income for the tour company; (2) bragging rights for their clients, and (3) some purportedly significant results in the field.

EPI is different on all counts, because it is a non-profit organization with a mission to teach, and make a difference, about endangered environments. Everyone on the trip works side-by-side with scientists doing research in the wild. Not only do the students learn about a particular project – theirs eyes are opened to a much greater world view, and they’ve made friends with scientists who are eager to see them grow!

It was an amazing experience… during our week together, these students discovered that they could make a difference. It was absolutely thrilling to be part of this!

From Jennifer Boyer (Costa Rica eco tour):
The Pacuare Reserve [in Costa Rica] was such an amazing experience and place to be!

They are doing wonderful and hard work. We were able to work for 3 nights and see a total of about 15 turtles and help relocate 7 nests. By our second night, they allowed us to go out with just Sophia [EPI’s instructor]. Not only did we learn about leatherback sea turtles, but Sophia has such a vast knowledge about frogs and many other jungle critters. Since it rained nonstop, the frogs were out in full force as night fell, but kept the picture taking to a minimum.

I’ve been yapping non-stop to anyone who will listen about our time there and the work EPI does for the turtles, communities, and children. I hope my big mouth will maybe get you some more folks down there and/or some charitable contributions.

I have no doubt that you have heard this a hundred times, but I want to rave to you about Sophia. She is kind, extremely knowledgeable, funny, speaks excellent English and was patient with our Spanish, passionate about her work, and just plain fun to be around. Basically, she’s fantastic!

So, thank you again for this opportunity and setting it up so flawlessly for us. We couldn’t have been happier with the experience.

From Laurie Boss (Costa Rica eco tour):
I just want you all to know what a wonderful time Virgil and I had on our Costa Rica eco tour. We are still talking about it. It seems every day when I pass Virgil in the halls of the hospital where we work, he is telling someone of our adventures.

They whole trip was well organized and everyone involved was amazing! The staff at the Reserve could not have been more wonderful. They really made our trip memorable.

Virgil and I especially enjoyed sharing our experience with the EPI students. They were the nicest group of young adults we could have ever wished for. Half of the fun and excitement of the trip was being around them.

Virgil and I enjoyed it so much, that we are thinking of returning next year!

Last but not least, thank you to the EPI staff in Montana. You all were very professional, friendly and helpful whenever I would contact you for information. From our experience, you have a great organization. We are thankful to for your work in caring for our world and giving people, young and old, an opportunity to learn about what is really important. Our lives have been enriched, by far.

I got 7 out of 10. How did you do?

Last week, the US Fish & Wildlife Service declared that the whitebark pine tree faces an “imminent” risk of extinction because of factors including climate change.

Two of the major culprits threatening whitebark pine health are infection of the mountain pine beetle and white pine blister rust. Pine beetles, typically killed during cold snaps at high altitudes, are now surviving longer and reproducing at higher rates due to warming trends. Blister rust, an invasive disease, has further devastated these tree stands, for a “double-whammy” effect.

Whitebark pine is a “keystone species:” a species that has an especially important role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem, affecting many other organisms and helping to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community.

Primarily, the whitebark pine helps slow the annual melt of the snowpack and is an important food source for animals like the grizzly bear and Clark’s nutcracker, and provides habitat for squirrels, birds, elk, and grouse.

Researchers have been trying to predict climate change effects on the whitebark pine for years, but no one had guessed its decline would have been this rapid and severe. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the whitebark pine could disappear within two or three generations.

Learn what other species and habitat you can help protect in the Rocky Mountain west on our Yellowstone program page.

But clearly, there are those that think otherwise. The companies that filed this suit say that figures like the size of the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean and the number of marine creatures killed by eating plastic garbage have been overstated, which violates the federal Lanham Act prohibiting false and misleading advertising.

So what do you think? What DO the facts say?

And here’s where you step in:

Reduce CO2 emissions – this can be achieved through many small changes:

• Bike, carpool, bus, or even ride a horse – to work and school
• Buy locally produced food
• Be conscious of using electricity and water
• Be faithful to those golden “R”s: reduce, reuse, recycle!

Restore marine ecosystems:

• Buy sustainably harvested fish
• Reduce the use of gasoline and petroleum products
• Refrain from use of chemicals and toxic substances that find their way to the ocean, such as fertilizers and other chemical products for lawn care
• Be careful about the amount of wastewater your household produces

Sometimes big problems overwhelm us, making it seem futile to even act. But there are easy ways to improve the state of the ocean that each one of us can do, everyday – and teach others, as well!

Check out the Ocean Conservancy’s great site of one thing you can do each month to protect our oceans, and they will even send you reminders (by the way, I LOVE this month’s tip!)

Ok – so let’s hear it – what will you pledge to do to protect our oceans?

Bessie Morales Flores, an ecology and biology teacher, and Perla Yepiz Dominguez, who teaches ethics and culture, combined their knowledge for a project to show students how they can make a difference and have fun doing it!

Using everyday items that normally would be regarded as trash, Bessie and Perla challenged their students to make clothing to be shown in an eco fashion show.

The results were astounding! Using soda cans, newspaper, wrappers, and all kinds of things you find in the typical garbage bin, these teens skillfully created beautiful creations that they then modeled in the eco fashion show. When all was said and done, they made 48 recycled dresses!

Of the dresses that were shown on the runway, three winners were chosen, and those dresses were modeled in another fashion show during Mexico’s national “Student Day,” as well in EPI’s festival.

In EPI’s programs, we have found that over and over again, when youth are challenged, inspired, and supported, they can accomplish amazing feats!

How have you creatively wound conservation into a lesson?

Making change in the world is a big task – but surprisingly, for most people who are leading movements inspiring hundreds, thousands, of people to make a change, it started with one moment. One tiny speck in a lifespan that dramatically made a change where that life was headed.

For me, it happened in my school’s library (yes, no hiding that I am a total geek). I stumbled upon a book – never checked out – about Tibet. This book opened my small-town girl’s eyes to discover that so much was happening in the world around me that I had no idea about. Things that are important. Things that impact people’s lives, an entire culture, country, ecosystem…and I no longer wanted to be an uninformed bystander.

A moment like this made a change Zander Strode’s life and stoked a passion he didn’t even know he had. And his moment was much cooler than in a library…Zander was on a beach with his friends, setting off fireworks in the night sky. Out of the dark came a woman, telling them that the light was distracting sea turtle hatchlings from finding their way to the sea.

Zander, at that point, didn’t care about sea turtles –he didn’t know anything about them. This woman persisted, visiting his home, leading to conversations that made a change in Zander, who decided to do something about the human impacts that are creating dire situations for endangered sea turtles.

Zander wrote a children’s book about sea turtles, which is now the biggest publication about sea turtles in the world, and is distributed FREE. Zander continues to empower youth around the world to take part in sea turtle conservation.

Watch Zander tell his story on YouTube.

Has there been a turning moment in your life? What was it? And how has it inspired you to make change?

I had just left Pacuare Nature Reserve, after spending time with the new EPI instructor crew and the Pacuare research team, and was on my way back to San Jose. By the side of the road an old Tico was leading a caiman leashed with a string tied around its neck. Hardly a safe way to handle a half-sized alligator.

My curiosity and passion for Costa Rica’s wildlife made me slam on the brakes and hop out of my little clown-car rental. I introduced myself to the old man, and we began discussing what was going to happen to this creature. He was obviously impressed with the animal, but there was no doubt that this caiman would be a source of income for him. He planned to sell the caiman to someone who would eat the tail.

However, as we talked, and learned more about each other and the caiman, a shift occurred and the animal became more than a chunk of change – admirable, considering the poor living conditions of most of the population on the Caribbean coast. So this obrero hopped in my car, he lifted the caiman into the back seat, and headed off in search of a river to set him free (see the video!).

What a reminder – I spend so much of my daily life wrapped up in trying to get things done, that I lose sight of the basic power of nature to influence and shape a person, from young kids to old men. And this power even motivates us to act against our material interests; awe of and connection with something bigger than yourself and its beauty carries a lot of power.

This is what we see in the kids that go into the field with us. Before EPI, they see a turtle as a way to support their family. After the course, they see a turtle as a magnificent creature that is more precious than money. Moreover, they are inspired to protect them and teach others to do the same. This is how to do sustainable conservation.

The sad reality is that many kids just don’t have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors, learn about the world around them, and the alternative decisions and careers available to them. I ask you to join EPI in this effort, to empower the next generation of conservation leaders by giving an underserved teen the opportunity to connect with the natural world and be inspired.

The obrero would be proud…

Thank you for joining us in this work,

Scott Pankratz
Executive Director and Co-founder

This year, we decided it was time to shake things up. We asked ourselves, when we are out interacting with the public at these events, are we really advancing our mission of “improving and inspiring science education and conservation efforts worldwide” or just doing the same, easy routine that everyone else does? A flyer here, a raffle there…No, this Earth Day we wanted to make an impact. We wanted to inform, educate, and inspire people to make a difference; just like we do during our courses.

I was inspired by reusable bag company, ChicoBags, and their “Bag Monster.” To show people how many plastic bags the average person uses a year, ChicoBags made a costume out of 500 PLASTIC BAGS and wore it around to create awareness about plastic waste and its detrimental effects on our planet.

The generous folks at ChicoBags offered it to us to borrow, free of charge. But we thought it was silly to ship petroleum products, using petroleum to transport these petroleum products, to get people to stop using petroleum products. Does that make sense to you?

We decided to make our own version of the “Bag Monster,” since it is so connected to the issues we encounter in our programs – especially with sea turtles in Costa Rica. Our dedicated student volunteers accompanied EPI staff to the Earth Day celebration, showing everyone what the typical person adds to plastic waste each year, and what the harmful effects of that waste are (keep in mind, this is just grocery bags, we’re talkin’ here…add in produce bags, Ziplocs, plastic bottles, and plastic packaging and this number is WAY higher).

The responses from the crowd were amazing. People from all different walks of life could see the amount of plastics that accumulate from their actions each year. It was a wake-up call. People signed pledges to reduce their plastics waste, and the next day were telling me they refused to take plastic bags when they went shopping that evening. Wow.

Is there a conservation issue that really concerns you? Climate change? Pollution? Water?

We encourage you not to just tell people (yes, that’s important, too), but find a creative way to SHOW people why that issue matters. They will pay attention. I promise.

Tell us what you are going to do for Earth Day on Facebook. Need ideas? Contact us!

I sympathize with all of you out there who are desperately trying to scrounge up enough cash to have an experience that can change a life. I know we don’t live in a “fair” world, but personally, I don’t think it’s right that someone’s economic status can limit how far he or she can go in this world, and how big of an impact s/he can make.

That’s why we searched all over for places that can help you secure that chunk of change with your group of stellar students, and sought out advice from individuals who have successfully fundraised and how they did it. Just for you. And all those kids who deserve the EPI experience.

Without further ado, I present to you fundraising resources! Yes, it takes a bit of time to apply for these (many are grants), but I know you have the gumption and perseverance to do it; you are a teacher, after all. And I am here to answer any questions you have!

Do you have experience fundraising? What worked for you? Share your experiences with the wider educational community on our Facebook page!

Students also had the opportunity to explore lowland rainforest, observing different species of monkeys, sloths, birds, and all kinds of insects and plants. They saw first-hand how humans impact Costa Rican ecosystems through visits to banana and pineapple plantations, and made connections how their decisions and lifestyles in the US impact ecosystems around the world.

Finishing the trip by rafting the Pacuare River, these Minnesota students were immersed in a world completely different from their own.

“The experience has provided me with a wealth of knowledge in regards to cultural interaction and the natural world.

“Already, after only two days of life in Minnesota, I yearn for the rhythmic lapping of waves at Pacuare, the guttural yelps of howler monkeys at La Suerte, and adrenaline-injecting rapids at the rafting river,” says participant, Collin Motschke.

¡Bienvenidos de nuevo, St. John/St. Benedict! Now, back to studying and the cool Minnesotan spring weather!

The earthquake in Japan kept the Islands on tsunami alert for the two days prior to this group’s arrival. EPI staff was evacuated to the highlands, and kept in frequent communication with our US office. Meanwhile, students and their families anxiously followed the news along with updates from our Montana office. The tsunami alert was lifted just prior to the group’s arrival in Quito.

The day after arriving in Quito, the group flew to Baltra Island in Galapagos, then traveled across the Baltra Canal by ferry and up into the misty highlands of Santa Cruz Island. They spent the next five days at FUNDAR Galapagos assisting researchers on a giant tortoise monitoring research project, restoring habitat, creating their own research project and supporting the conservation work of the researchers. The Fenn students are pictured here at Los Gemelos, twin volcanic craters on Santa Cruz Island, where they let out a group primal scream before heading to see tortoises in the wild. Next they will visit several other islands in search of other magnificent Galapagos wildlife: marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, penguins and – of course – finches! ¡Buen viaje, Fenn School!

Is it possible that the popular conception of the science-inclined is misguided? What do you think?

We argue it is – and we’ve got the proof.

The New York Times recently came out with an article revealing the 2010 Oscar winner for Best Actress, Natalie Portman, as an aspiring scientist. In high school, Portman was a semi-finalist in the prestigious “genius” grants from the Intel Science Talent Search – considered “the nation’s most elite and demanding high school research competition.”

But we all know that only one measly example opposing the popular hypothesis is just an anomaly. But Portman isn’t the only creative and charismatic person to break the stereotype.

This Times article also cites actors such as Hedy Lamarr (the actress thought of as “that most beautiful woman in Hollywood,” who was also a rocket scientist), Danica McKellar (from “The Wonder Years,” “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue” and “Young Justice,”) is an accomplished mathematician, and Mayim Bialik (from the ‘90s show “Blossom” ) who is now a neuroscientist.

Ok, so maybe this is not enough evidence to strike down the “nerdy scientist” hypothesis. But those are only examples from the acting industry. Let’s get to the real proof…

A Wall Street Journal article, “Fleeting Youth, Fading Creativity in Science” shows that science and creativity are quite interwoven. In fact, younger scientists tend to make the biggest scientific break-throughs. James Watson was only 25 when he co-co-discovered of the structure of DNA with Francis Crick. Isaac Newton was 23 when he began inventing calculus; Albert Einstein published several of his most important papers at the tender age of 26; Werner Heisenberg pioneered quantum mechanics in his mid-20s.

Insights of Genius by Arthur I. Millar shows how “creative thought has led to some of the greatest scientists and artists to dramatically transform how we understand nature […]from Galileo and da Vinci to Einstein and Picasso.”

These are just a few examples of the happy marriage between science and creativity. Do you enjoy both natural sciences and the arts? Tell us about it on Facebook! Can you think of other artists who have hidden scientific talents? Let’s see how many young, creative scientists are out there!

On their first day in Mexico, the Redwood High students explored La Paz on foot and visited the Community Whale Museum. The next day they boarded their research boat called the Pez Sapo and they are now travelling north along the interior coast to the town of Loreto through rich feeding habitat for blue whales, the largest animal on the planet!

Loreto, listed as the 8th best place to visit in 2011 by the New York Times, is a sleepy town on the Sea of Cortez that hosts a nearly 300-year-old historic mission. After finishing their whale research, the students will meet with local Mexican youth who are also participating in EPI’s whale program. They’ll spend a couple of days visiting Loreto’s mission, a local ranch known for making excellent cheese, and walk along the boardwalk all the while enjoying the sun and the beautiful Sea of Cortez.

¡Buen viaje, Redwood High!

With all the amazing places to visit and the incredible need for conservation education all over the world, EPI puts careful consideration into which areas become EPI field sites. Baja California Sur was an easy choice for our third program. Just like it was for Teton Science School, NOLS, and tons of other conservation and education groups now operating out of Baja.

Yes, Baja is breathtaking. But also, it’s SAFE. Safety always has, and always will be, EPI’s #1 concern. Even though we like to have lots of fun during our field courses, we take risk management very seriously. Having five years’ experience taking youth into the field in Mexico, we are continually amazed by the comfort and excitement our students feel in exploring, and also the warm reception they are met with in Baja communities.

“I feel a lot more connected to my world and to myself. I can see a more clear connection with the big picture,” says teen from Bishop O’Dowd high school, who participated in EPI’s 2010 Mexico program.

We just have one warning if you decide to go to Baja: be prepared for a severe travel bug infection!

How do you rank the places you want to visit? Do you decide by some geeky criteria, like which spots host the highest biodiversity? Or is it by what plane tickets are the cheapest? Tell us what’s on your list and why and we’ll compile an “‘EPI-phyte’ Top 10 Places to Visit” list on our Facebook page.

And please – if you are still concerned and would like to know more, contact EPI!

The further one gets from the equator, the larger the seasonal effect the earth’s tilt has on ecosystems. Just visit our field sites across the latitudes to see the difference. While our Montana staff busily shovels snow, our Latin American field sites are sweating in temperatures hovering between 70°F and 80°F.

For the students that we work with in the Galapagos Islands, right along the equator (hence the name: “Ecuador”), seasonal changes are observed in precipitation rather than temperature or length of day. The Galapagos Islands receive 12 hours of sunlight each day, year round, and temperatures fluctuate little. At our world headquarters in Montana we have extremes: only 8-9 hours of sunlight and freezing temperatures in winter, 15-16 hours of sunlight and 80+°F in the summer. (How many hours of sunlight will you have on the solstice?)

The changes caused by the tilt and movement of the earth affect more than just clothing decisions, though; they also define the seasonality of our work with wildlife. Many of Yellowstone’s avian residents have flown south for the winter to visit our Costa Rican staff. The Grizzly Bears from last summer’s motion-sensitive cameras are now deep in slumber. The grey whales are moving south from their arctic feeding grounds to their breeding grounds off the coast of Baja. The leatherback sea turtles that our students measured in 2008 are now half-way around the world paying close attention to changes in day-length and preparing for their return to Pacuare this spring/summer.

Who knew that the lives of our students, staff, ecosystems and subject matter could depend so heavily on the earth being tilted?

Happy Holidays! Happy Solstice!

EPI

Field Site	Latitude	Daylight Hours	Mean Temp F
US – Yellowstone	44.7 N	8.6	11
Mexico – La Paz	24.2 N	10.5	67
Costa Rica – Pacaure	10.2 N	11.4	75
Galapagos – Puerto Ayora	0.6 S	12.0	75

Latitude, daylight hours and mean temperatures for the winter solstice at each EPI field site.

My favorite way to raise funds while doing good is a “volunteer auction.” Gather a group of friends and classmates to create a “Volunteer Auction,” where community members can bid on your service. How many people do you know of that need help mowing a lawn, dusting their home, or raking leaves? Ideas of chores or services you can donate could be anything from a home-cooked meal to an afternoon walking dogs – whatever it is that you enjoy and would be helping someone out (or their furry friends)!

Then you can all donate the winning bids to your favorite cause!

Here are some more ideas on how to both raise money for a cause and help our planet:
Recycling programs
Mega yard sale
Clean up fundraiser

Taylor showed us that every person has the power to do good. Please consider helping out your Latin American peers by giving to EPI’s Scholarship Fund – thus inspiring many more people to change the world.

The images are real, but the message is false. The pictures are taken at Playa Ostional in Costa Rica; it’s one of about ten sea turtle nesting beaches on earth where a massive nesting phenomenon called arribada (Spanish for ‘arrival from the sea’) occurs. During an arribada, tens of thousands of sea turtles come ashore to nest over the course of 3-6 nights.

It really is a wonder of nature when this occurs. When I first traveled to Costa Rica in 1996, I got a job with the National University of Costa Rica to work as a researcher for 8 months at another arribada beach in Costa Rica (an isolated place called Playa Nancite).

At Ostional the beach fronts a village, and a special government-regulated management program allows egg harvest during arribadas. Here’s how it works: the turtles that come on the third, fourth, fifth, and later nights, dig up LOTS of eggs from the early nesters. So under the agreement in place at Ostional, the locals are legally allowed to harvest and sell eggs from the first two nights. The thought is that those eggs would likely be disturbed and destroyed by subsequent nesters, and the villagers make money from a healthy ecosystem. That money provides the locals a very strong incentive to protect the beach and the turtles.

There are drawbacks and plenty of people who do not approve of this management practice, but it has been going on for a long while, and the turtles that nest at Ostional have fared much much better than the turtles that nest at other arribada beaches (in Mexico, India, and other countries) that are located near population centers. Some of those beaches have been completely plundered, and the arribadas have ceased to exist.

Here’s another interesting perspective on the email and these photos:

Thanks for caring about sea turtles and taking the time to find out the truth! If someone forwards you this sea turtle email, please send this message or link back to your friend and their contact list – it’s a great learning opportunity.

At elevations approaching 10,000 feet, armed with a compass, a GPS device and hiking boots, Ecology Project International (EPI) students collect data while surveying the U.S. Forest Service’s transects for signs of whitebark pine ailments. As our students quickly learn, however, a whitebark pine without ailments is even harder to find. Travelling through a mosaic of green and reddish brown (dead) stands of conifers in the

Late last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service –one of our research partners in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – announced that over the next year it will consider adding the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) to the endangered species list. Though a few other trees have been unlucky enough to make the list in the past, they have only been species limited in range to a single island or small geographic niche. The whitebark pine, if selected, would be the first and only wide-ranging tree to ever make the endangered species list.

A mainstay of Western North American highlands and a crucial grizzly bear food source, the whitebark pine has come under attack in recent years from two directions. With milder winters brought on by climate change, the range of the mountain pine beetle has been allowed to expand into higher elevations, killing huge swaths of forest. Simultaneously, an invasive English fungus – blister rust – has infected, weakened or killed over half of the Rockies’ whitebark pine forests since 1970. According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “in certain parts of its range close to a half of whitebark pine trees are already dead and between 80-100% of the remaining trees are infected with blister rust or beetles and eventually will die.”

Erasing the whitebark pine from the greater Yellowstone ecosystem could have an immeasurable effect on the ecosystem as a whole. A study in 2003 by Washington State University on Yellowstone grizzly bear diet found that during masting years (high cone production years), whitebark pine nuts provided over half of the grizzly’s fat and protein source. A threat to the whitebark pine is a direct threat to grizzly bear. Life, in this way, is rarely hermetically sealed: climate change affects the beetles; the beetles affect the pine; the pine affects the grizzly; and the consequences cascade through the ecosystem.

Thankfully, a few governmental and nonprofit organizations are working to stave off the outbreaks. EPI students on our Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Program get their hands dirty and their brows sweaty learning to identify the whitbark pine, spot potential symptoms and identify the culprit: cambium rodent chews, “flagging”, beetle bore holes, fungal growth… etc. The data that they collect is used as a piece of a larger study being conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. In assisting with this research, EPI students help move the scientific community a step closer to identifying resistant strains, assessing regional damage and developing an informed recovery plan.

How you can help:

• Support organizations like the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation
• Assist with whitebark pine data collection through EPI’s Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Program
• Reduce your carbon footprint, calculate carbon emissions and purchase carbon offsets
  
  

1. “Get Your Feet Wet!” Most conservation researchers – marine or otherwise – are driven to pursue their career out of a downright love of and curiosity about the natural world. It’s never too early to cultivate this type of appreciation for your surroundings. Get outside, be inquisitive and never let the walls of the classroom be the boundaries of your education!

2. Build a Demonstrable Interest in Marine Biology: By getting involved in courses and extracurricular activities as early as high school, you stand a better chance of becoming a marine biologist in the long-run. Through volunteering with local, regional or international marine organizations and partaking in marine science programs outside of the classroom you position yourself to stand out from the crowd during the college application process. Our Baja Island Ecology, Baja Whale Ecology and Costa Rica Sea Turtle Ecology programs are great places to start!

3. Research Colleges that Offer Marine Biology as a Major: Though not an absolute necessity, focusing on marine biology, rather than general biology, throughout your undergraduate career can provide you with a leg up on competition when it comes to marine biology fellowships, internships, jobs and graduate programs. MarineBio.org has a great list of schools by state that offer marine biology programs.

4. Pad your Marine Biology Resume: During and shortly after college, find opportunities that allow you to build your marine biology resume: internships, jobs, research assistantships, summer courses, fellowships…etc. Graduate schools and employers value experience as highly as they value education.

• Marine Conservation Biology Institute has a great list of job opportunity links
• Columbia University department of biology offers a (far from exhaustive) list of ocean-related internships
• MarineBio.org also has a list of marine research laboratories that are great places to gain additional experience

5. Pursue a Graduate degree in Marine Biology: While a graduate degree is far from a necessity en route to becoming a marine biologist or an active and contributing member to the world of conservation, most successful researchers would tell you that an M.S. or Ph.D. degree could be added to the list of education needed to be a marine biologist. By this point you’ve had ample time to explore a number of marine biology avenues and can concentrate on a narrowly-focused research interest. Find schools and professors that have research programs and focuses similar to your own interests. MarineBio.org’s list of schools also shows whether M.S. or Ph.D. degrees are available.

- Read more about some of our students that have been inspired by conservation and marine biology and the paths that they’ve pursued.

Any former EPI student who has had the opportunity to study sea turtle ecology on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica knows the significance of these fatalities. In Costa Rica, our students partner with researchers from the Pacuare Reserve to monitor a critical leatherback sea turtle nesting beach. Using data like those collected by our students, scientists are able to gain insight into the size of the leatherback population, the average reproductive capacity and the importance of reducing sea turtle adult mortality.

For example, most research suggests that leatherbacks become reproductively mature at around 10 years old and can remain so for well over 20 years. Now, let’s imagine that they nest, on average, every three years during that time, and lay seven clutches per nesting season with 65 eggs per clutch. While these numbers can vary substantially, a little bit of simple arithmetic tells us that an average female leatherback sea turtle may lay over 3000 eggs in her lifetime ([20/3]x7×65=3033.33)! Of these 3000 eggs, only around 2 of her offspring, on average, will make it to adulthood to complete the cycle in a stable, gender-balanced, population.

The adult sea turtles that we encounter while patrolling the beaches in Pacuare or snorkeling the shores of the Galapagos are the lottery winners! Sadly, the same is true for the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles that are washing up along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. These are the few turtles that, against the odds, have survived the tumultuous life of a hatchling at sea. When we discuss adult sea turtle fatalities from issues like oil spills, bycatch, or harvesting it’s important to keep in mind how many eggs it will take to fill the voids those turtles have left behind and how important our conservation work is.

How you can help:

1. Learn More about the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, the impacts of oil on sea turtles and the rescue plans from the NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2. Support the Cause: Sponsor a sea turtle with EPI to protect adult Leatherbacks and their nests

3. Join Us: Help collect data on nesting leatherbacks on our Sea Turtle Ecology program in Costa Rica

4. Spread the Word: Send this page to a friend using the form in the upper right corner!

5. Contact Us: to learn about more ways to help

Sea turtles drag their huge bodies up sloping beaches expressly so their eggs can escape the lethal effects of salty ocean water, and incubate safely in the warm tropical sand. Nesting Lesson #1: Eggs go in the nest cavity—not sea water. When this turtle started to lay, it was obvious that she was too close to the tide line, so the research assistants had already placed a bag in the pit to collect the eggs as she laid them. When the water rushed in, the eggs were quickly lifted out of the hole, saltwater and all. This turtle’s ineptitude at nest site selection was ironic considering turtles have nested here for about 100 million years.

Which makes one wonder, what’s genetic vs. learned? That is, perhaps genetically driven instincts led her to this exact location on this beach, and pushed her to drag her massive body out of the water to lay eggs, but could it be that nest site selection is a learned behavior? It’s no simple task to choose a good spot. You’ve got to consider the tides, erosion, temperature, moisture, density, and beach angle. The eggs incubate for two months, so things like predators, logs and debris may arrive later to affect the little hatchlings as they dig themselves out and scurry by moonlight back to the water.

This turtle’s carapace measured just 135cm (about 4 ½ feet), which is about as small we’ve seen laying eggs. The nesting season had just begun a week ago, there was no record of her ever coming to nest previously (she had no tags and no tag holes or scars), and so it’s possible that this turtle was nesting for the first time in her life. Do you remember doing something monumentally important for the first time in your life? Sometimes you just don’t get it right.

So if choosing a place to lay your eggs is like tying your shoes, and this small turtle is also a young turtle, maybe she’s tying her shoes for the first time.

The eggs were hefted out of the deep hole in the ground, along with some ocean water, then drained and relocated to higher ground. The nest was marked, and we’ll know in a couple months if any little turtles hatch and return to the sea.

Leatherback sea turtles may reach reproductive maturity at 10 years of age, and since this is EPI’s 10th anniversary, it’s just possible that this nesting turtle was once an egg protected by an EPI student during our first field programs in 2000! As co-founder of this organization, this is a profound possibility from a conservation, educational, and personal perspective. It’s also a pretty big stretch to believe that that’s true – but that’s ok. I’ve always preferred to think about what’s possible more than what’s probable.

We’ll keep an eye out for this little turtle to see if she comes back this year (typically leatherbacks nest 7-9 times during the season), and gets better at tying her shoes.

That said, not much is known about what the young ones do – they likely spend time closer to shore. So there may be an impact on juvenile Leatherbacks that were born last year or earlier. Since eggs start hatching in late May, the 2010 hatchlings should be relatively safe. If you consider anything “safe” for a creature that has 1 in 1,000 odds of reaching adulthood!

Several years ago, there was a big push to drill for oil offshore of Caribbean Costa Rica. That legislation is shelved for now, but this spill is an example of what can go terribly wrong with oil drilling near sensitive coastal habitat.

Things you can do to help turtles right now are:

1. Oppose irresponsible expansion of offshore drilling (President Obama just proposed a 5-year plan to open new areas to offshore drilling), especially near sensitive marine and coastal areas, like sea turtle nesting beaches
2. Sponsor a sea turtle with EPI to protect adult Leatherbacks and their nests
3. Drive less to reduce the demand for oil and the need for offshore drilling
4. Participate in nesting beach clean up efforts
5. Tell your friends what you know!

If you’ve already sponsored a sea turtle with EPI, you can check on her status through our online database. By typing in your turtle tag number, you can see the latest nesting information about her – if she’s been back to Pacuare this year, and if so, how many times, how many eggs she’s laid, what students worked with her… Because we don’t put satellite tags on the turtles at Pacuare, there’s no way to follow them in between nesting visits and know for sure if they’re safe from this spill. We’ll have to wait patiently for her next appearance.

This celebratory side to humans is evidenced in the sheer number of holidays we have throughout the year – and really obscure ones, too. Did you know, for example, that January 21st is “Squirrel Appreciation Day?” Or that March 3rd is “What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day?” How about that July 27th is “Take your Houseplant for a Walk Day?”

While these are all very fun, they don’t exactly inspire me to take a fresh perspective on life (apologies to all the squirrel-lovers out there). That is why I am excited about Earth Day – April 22nd. This is a day made especially for recognizing the flowers, taking an inventory of the little things you can do that make a big difference (I encourage you to check out Team Earth’s DO More/DO Less challenge), and connecting you with people all across the country to take action. It can be as simple as changing out your light bulbs for compact fluorescents or turning your school into a “No Idling Zone.” (More cool ideas here!)

I think famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead, best summarizes the significance of Earth Day:

“EARTH DAY is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space.”

And I bet after that speech she ate some cake.

If you live in Missoula and would like to help EPI during Missoula’s Earth Day celebration, please email me or call (406) 721-8784.

This year we are seeing something different. During our instructor training, in under two days, we were lucky enough to observe more than 15 whales in the Bay of La Paz, just minutes by boat from our EPI Campus. What caught our attention, however, was that all of these individuals were Humpbacks. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed the show. The Humpbacks were putting on a spectacular demonstration of breaches, pectoral fin slaps, and fluke displays. Nevertheless, while we had witnessed this before in the area, in past years Humpbacks usually composed just a fraction of our other sightings including Fin Whales, Pilot Whales, and even a group of over 80 Sperm Whales floating lazily at the surface for several hours. We were left wondering why we had seen exclusively Humpbacks this time around.

This past week scientists finally announced that we are indeed in a El Niño year. This is a phenomena that occurs naturally when winds in the Pacific Ocean diminish for an extended period of time. Currents at the ocean surface slow down and water temperatures rise. Researchers substantiated this by taking temperature readings at depths of up to 800 meters from aboard one of the commercial ferry boats that runs between La Paz and the Mexican mainland.

My personal view is that there definitely is a correlation between whale sightings and water temperature. Our first student Whale Ecology Program voyage just returned to port on Saturday. They reported water temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius (about 2 – 4 degrees higher than average), and a significantly higher than normal abundance of Humpback sightings so far north.

It will be interesting to find out whether this is just an anomaly, or if our subsequent student groups make similar observations. It’s early in the season, so one can never tell. What do you think? Send us your thoughts!

1. Be a scientist. Scientists don’t just show up and do field work; first they learn about the species and ecosystem, and come up with a tantalizing question to be answered. They’ve got a reason for collecting specific data, and you and your students should know it. One other thing about scientists: they love to ask questions. If you’re in the field with students you should ask—and encourage them to ask—a lot of questions that stimulate observation, creativity, and interest.

2. Take care of basic needs. Bring food: good food, and lots of it, water, and appropriate clothes (for the below-freezing morning, the mid-day sun and the afternoon rainstorm). Don’t forget the essentials like 1st aid kit, maps, and communication devices. Scout the location before taking students, and tell someone where the group’s going and when you’ll be back.

3. Practice and review. Before heading out, practice the data collection, use the data sheets, and dial in your teamwork. Everyone needs to know their role, how to do it, and how to communicate. When you’re practicing it’s hard to imagine all those field variables that our students become familiar with — animals that move, the dark of night, snorkeling underwater, hiking in wind, taking notes in the rain — that might be a part of a great field day anywhere! When you get back, review your data together. How’d it go? What did you forget? What was tough? What was amazing?

4. Analyze and present. OK, you’ve got the goods, now what are you going to do with them? Well, no one’s really interested in a bunch of numbers, so have your students tell the story. Find the patterns, seek meaning, and tell people about it.

5. Have fun and celebrate the work. No one likes boring science; that’s why we do field work. So when you’re out there, play games, jump in the water, act like a sea turtle, and appreciate the fact that you’re working alongside some great people to learn about the world—few pursuits can be more rewarding. Once you’re home, celebrate what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve learned, and the experiences you shared.

By Scott Pankratz, Executive Director

EPI has planned a community fiesta from noon to 5 PM on Saturday to celebrate our recent move to and purchase of the Swift building in Missoula. Our vision for this building is to create a community resource where citizens can get inspired and involved in conservation. Our new role as owner of the Swift building has motivated us to measure our own carbon footprint, with the help of the experts at Clear Sky Climate Solutions. We each can do more, and together those steps will make a difference. I encourage you to come out on Saturday, join us at our fiesta if you’re in Missoula (315 S 4th Street East), and – wherever you are – get involved in your community.

Wednesday night is EPI’s annual fundraising event at Gallery 16 – a sweet space that will showcase a diverse array of donated auction items with the gallery’s current exhibition of Deborah Oropallo as a setting. It should be a stellar evening!

I always take advantage of my time in the Bay Area to get inspired by new ideas, though it’s been a particularly inspiring month in Montana, with several national thought leaders visiting our state:

• environmental historian Dr. Rodrick Nash – see my post yesterday
• Dr. J Nichols’ presented the EcoDaredevil Awards in Butte – Missoula local and EPI-participating teacher Kathleen Kennedy won!
• Heather McLeod Grant, author of the best non profit leadership book I’ve read: Forces for Good.

While in SF I’ll be meeting with Charmaine Ess at Room to Read, an outstanding, fast-growth educational organization that builds schools and libraries in developing countries in Asia and now Africa. The head of their girls’ scholarship program, Emily Leys, is on EPI’s board of directors and Room to Read serves as a role model and mentor for EPI. Hopefully I’ll get some new ideas and perspective on how to create systemic change in environmental education for high school youth, in Latin America and here in the U.S.

If you’re in the Bay Area, I hope to see you at tonight’s fundraiser!

The last time I saw Rod Nash was 15 year ago, at the Smithsonian in DC, where he convinced me in about 30 seconds to quit my job as an environmental scientist and immerse myself in nature as a river guide on the Colorado.

How does an individual create transformation in another? It’s something we strive for at EPI, and seeing Rod again was a reminder for me of what it takes. Rod:

• is someone I respect – he’s both smart and funny; how many of your professors got standing ovations after their lectures?

• has had many cool life experiences – he floats the Grand Canyon, skis big mountains, and sails in the Sea of Cortez when not holding office hours;

• has a vision of a better future – one in which the earth and humans achieve a balanced relationship.

In my experience with high school students on field science programs for the last decade, the fundamentals that changed my life from knowing Rod Nash have some universal application. These same elements are what we try to combine in an EPI course, and we hear from our students on a regular basis about how their lives are changed.

If you want to hear Dr. Nash yourself, listen to his interview on npr: http://www.wildernesswatch.org/.

As part of EPI’s vision of creating an ecologically literate society in which youth are empowered to take an active role in conservation, we have created the “EPI Alumni Award for Conservation Leadership.” Three awards are available for exceptional alumni who want to continue to make a positive difference in the world.

The goal of this award is to inspire young people to continue to educate themselves and/or work on critical conservation issues. Prizes will be awarded to those whose proposal best demonstrates the potential to positively affect an important conservation issue of the candidate’s choice. The award could be used to implement an independent project or to fund participation in an already existing program in a conservation-related field. Special consideration will be given to projects with cross-cultural components; however, this is not a requirement of the award.

There are three award levels. The Conservation Leader will be awarded $500; the Explorer will earn $250 and the Rising Star will be given $100.

To apply, you must submit the following: A cover letter, a completed Scholarship Application, your most recent school transcripts, and three letters of recommendation from academic, work, or personal contacts who can attest to your potential for success in your chosen project.

All applications must be postmarked on or before October 31, 2009. We cannot accept incomplete or late applications.

Please submit application materials to Andrea Stephens at Ecology Project International Box 9192 Missoula, MT 59807. Or for more information contact Andrea at 406.721.8784 or andrea@ecologyproject.org

Award recipients will be notified by March 1, 2010 and all scholarship funds must be spent by December 31, 2010.

One thing the EPI staff really values—and I know this because yesterday we wrapped up our annual staff retreat—is the innovative and dynamic nature of this organization. We deliver a solid educational service in part because we respond to the world around us with innovative strategies to stay relevant. We’re definitely not a group prone to idleness and decay. Welcome to our latest output!

Since our last site launch (over three years ago), EPI has gone through some significant changes. First and foremost, we are working with a lot of students. In fact more than 3500 students have participated in our programs in the last four field seasons. If you’re one of them, here’s a cyber high-five (from some guy named Rob). Second, our alumni are changing the world around them (Check out http://ecology.ehclients.com/students/testimonials/). Third, we have expanded our programming beyond our core field-based programs, and now offer trainings, workshops, activities and outreach events for our student and teacher communities.

EPI’s fundamental basis is science education. We teach through involving students in real science where they make a difference and collaborate with local people. All of this takes place in some of the most amazing places on earth, like the world’s first national park, the islands that inspired the Theory of Evolution, nesting grounds for the world’s largest turtle, and a place that Jack Cousteau called “the World’s Aquarium”.

The EPI experience is rich and life-changing.

This new website celebrates the impact that EPI has in our participants’ education and their lives. Let me explain very clearly where EPI stands on this: we involve students in hands-on scientific research and conservation; we bring together students from different cultures to meet and learn together; we teach science. We also give students time and space to process and think about these experiences—sometimes through art, poetry, and discussions. The students decide if and how they may apply that learning to their daily lives.

Many of our 5000+ alumni have gone on to pursue careers in science or education, assist on conservation projects in their communities, or make changes in their lifestyle, in response to their EPI experience. These students are making concrete differences in their homes, their communities, and the ecosystems where they live. I think that speaks to the effectiveness –and inspiration—of our programs, our teachers, and the locations where we operate.

Like my new filling, we’re hoping that our new website looks better, works better, and treats the environment better than our old one. It was a lot of work, there were even moments of dread, but it’s almost done and so far, we’re very pleased with the look and feel.

One more thing… As I was leaving his office, my dentist told me that the new filling material was really tough stuff, and so when my bite wasn’t quite lining up right, I had to go back and he took a little off the top. No problemo, and now it works perfectly. We’ll need your help to make sure that’s the case with this new website. Share your stories, tell us what you like, and… if by chance something doesn’t feel quite right, or maybe it’s just plain wrnog—will you please let us know?

Thanks for being a part of our work,

Scott Pankratz
Executive Director