This webinar originally aired on 17 October, 2019.

Managers of coastal and marine protected areas are responsible for places that are important for a wide range of audiences, yet we often come up short in engaging meaningfully with diverse audiences. This webinar will present brief case studies about coastal and marine protected areas and non-profit partners that are working with people from diverse backgrounds to provide opportunities to understand and enjoy our ocean and coasts. Educational initiatives from two national estuarine research reserves (NERRS) — Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) in Florida and Elkhorn Slough in California — will be presented. GTM NERR’s educational programs have recently increased their ability to accommodate students and potential visitors with physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges and communities with little or no access to transportation. Elkhorn Slough NERR conducts after school and science mentoring programs, regular school field trips, and subsidized school transportation programs in a region with several predominantly Hispanic communities. Diving with a Purpose (DWP) is working with partners to engage and educate the community-at-large on cultural heritage resources that exist in marine protected areas throughout the US with a focus on the African Diaspora. Finally, the first Knauss (Sea Grant) Fellow from Guam will speak about her experiences.

Presented by: Josie Spearman of Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR, Ellen M. Leroy-Reed of Friends of Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR, Dave Feliz of Elkhorn Slough NERR, Jay Haigler of Diving with a Purpose, and Lauren Swaddell of NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Co-sponsors: NOAA National MPA Center and OCTO (MPA News, OpenChannels, EBM Tools Network)