Sanibel Sea School Gets NOAA Grant to Produce Podcasts

Sanibel Sea School is located on a barrier island and offers people a unique place to enjoy and learn about nature. Now the school is reaching out in new ways with technology to engage more people with Gulf of Mexico issues. Through a grant funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal Services Center (NOAA CSC) in support of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Sanibel Sea School will be reaching people live with podcasts and videocasts to show the public an inside look into the complex ecosystem that makes our Gulf so unique.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Education is one of the six priority issues that the Alliance has addressed as regionally significant. In order to effectively engage this priority, the GOMA Environmental Education Network, coordinated through the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, received a grant from NOAA’s Coastal Services Center to fund Gulf-wide environmental education projects. The Alliance Education Network awarded funding to seventeen projects in the five Gulf States this month.

There was a large response of Florida applicants for the GOMA grant and Sanibel Sea School was able to beat out the competition with their innovative proposal to reach a new sector of people. Be looking out this summer on www.sanibelseaschool.org for live podcasts and videocasts from the Island. Exciting topics to expect: “The Mighty Gulf of Mexico,” “Coral Reefs on the Gulf,” and “The Wandering Tarpon.”