S.A.F.E.Oceans

No meeting today

2008-09-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry, there will be no meeting today.

First Meeting pushed back to 9/29/08

2008-09-22T10:17:00.001-07:00

Hi guys,

Sorry for the change in schedule. I have 5 tests this week and an exam tonight and just will not be able to hold the meeting tonight. I have moved it to next Monday and will see everyone then. Have a great week and send me an email if you have any questions! oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

~AMI

Welcome Back S.A.F.E.Oceans!!!

2008-08-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!!! Hope you guys had a great summer. We are getting ready to start a new semester with S.A.F.E.Oceans and have many new projects to take on. We will be having our first meeting on September 22 at Austin's Pizza (on the drag) at 6pm. I will make a more formal announcement of this meeting via email and facebook. I figured we would start a couple weeks in to give everyone a chance to get used to their classes and not be so stressed out. This will also give us plenty of time to come up with ideas for the fall. Please feel free to bring your ideas and friends. We will be discussing group positions and meeting new members as well. I look forward to seeing you all there. Good luck with classes and I will see you in a couple of weeks! Feel free to send me an email as well if you have any questions: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
~AMI

Thanks for another great semester!!

2008-05-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped out this semester. We all had really busy schedules, but we managed to get a lot done which I am really happy about. We finally got some responses for our brochure. We just launched our first issue of our newsletter, Seatopia. And we got some field research in at Port A, as well as other outings that we participated in. Great job!! I will be going to Port A a couple of times this summer to continue the work we are doing and I will keep you guys informed in case you want to go. We will have some big changes next semester and I am looking forward to handing over the reigns. Congratulations to all those who are graduating!! We have had some great times both on campus and off ;) Good luck in the future and here's to hoping we all actually become marine biologists after school!! Take care and I will be in touch throughout the summer. Call me if you guys have any desire to do stuff during the summer. 408-644-6702 Later!

~AMI

Upcoming Events and Info!

2008-04-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, we have a lot going on. Please see descriptions below for details:

1.) Trip to Port Aransas: We are leaving either Fri. night or Sat. morning (will have confirmation by tomorrow night). We will arrive at Cole Park in Corpus Christi on Sat. to help out with Earth Day "Bay Day." http://www.baysfoundation.org/edbd_main.php
We will be out there from appx. 12-5pm. We will then wake up early Sun. and set up a control site for the marsh comparison. This should not take very long and we will leave Port A no later than 2pm on Sunday. Please send me an email stating you preference on leaving (fri. night or Sat. morning): oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

2.) Seafood brochure: Please have all restaurant info. ready to go at next Monday's meeting, we will be making the brochure then. If you can send them in earlier, that would be great!

3.) "Seatopia" Please send in your article of choice to me and we will get it ready to go for the newsletter. All articles welcome (can be about a certain species, issues, volunteer events, etc...) Have these ready by next Monday as well.

4.) Earth Day tabling event: We need people to work our table at the East Mall. The table will be out there from 10am-3pm. I can work from 10-12:00pm. We need people from 12-3pm. Please respond to this post saying which shift you would like to work. Remeber to sign your comment with your name or I won't know who you are. Thanks!

That's about it. Next Monday will be our last meeting of the semester before finals so we will have a lot to talk about! Hope you have a great week and let me know about the trip!

~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today! (04/14/08)

2008-04-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! There will be a meeting today to discuss our trip this weekend and details for the brochure and newsletter! We will meet at Austin's Pizza at 6pm. Hope to see ya there!

~AMI

Recap of Meeting from (04/07/08)

2008-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is what we talked about

1.) Seafood Brochure: Please think of some places to call this week and have the info ready for when we meet next Monday. All you have to do is pick local Austin restaurants, tell them who we are and why we are doing this. Ask if they have a dish that is sustainable ad would they like for us to feature it in our brochure. They need to send a pic. and a shirt description of the entree (including price$). Try to call 2 or 3 places by next Monday.

2.) "Seatopia" newsletter: I want the first newsletter to be pretty involved, so please think of something marine related you would like to write about and compile a short article to be put in the newsletter by next Monday. Once again, this is optional, you don't have to write this, but just know that the option is more than available.

3.) Port Aransas trip (4/19-4/20): Still waiting on final details from Ken on this. We will iron out all the details next Monday. We may be able to leave on Friday night, and will be leaving Port A by 3pm on Sunday. Final details coming!!

4.) We will be tabling for Earth Day from 10-3pm on April 22nd (East Mall). I can do it from 10-12pm, I need volunteers to try volunteer for the other hours. Send me an email if you can pick up any of those other hours!

That's about it! Think about the stuff above and see what you can get done by next Monday. I want to have the newsletter and brochure ready for Earth Day, so we have about two weeks. Ok, thanks a lot for your help and I will see you in a week.

~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today! (04/07/08)

2008-04-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hey there! We will be meeting at Austin's Pizza today to discuss our trip to Port Aransas in a couple of weekends. We will also be picking the restaurants for our brochure and assigning them to people so they can call. We will also talk about the launch of the newsletter, "Seatopia" and see if people want to be in charge of certain topics or just write an article for it. Ok, the meeting will be from 6-6:45pm and that should cover it. Check out this article on albatrosses and what is being done to help them. ~AMI

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/12/albatross/safina-text

Recap of meeting from (03/31/08)

2008-04-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! The meeting from Monday went well. I always get more motivated when we actually meet...go figure! Anyway, here is a list of the topics and upcoming events that we discussed:

1.) Field/Research Trip to Port Aransas (04/19-04/20): This is happening and will not be canceled. We will be leaving early Saturday morning (most likely around 7am) and be leaving Port Aransas no later than 3pm. This will be a very fun trip and the weather should be great that weekend. I will give more details about when and where to meet next Monday.

2.) Earth Day (04/22): We will be tabling on the East Mall and getting the word out about our group. We will be out there from around 10am-2pm...volunteers needed, so check your schedules and let me know.

3.) Local seafood brochure: Yeah!!! This is finally a go. I will send out a list of places this week for us to call, please feel free to call some on your own. Hopefully we can have this brochure up and running for Earth Day. We can hand these out then :)

4.) "Seatopia" This is our first shot at an official newsletter. This will have details of what the group is working on and which issues are important for that month. I also want to split up the content in terms of contributors. Maybe one person can be in charge of different sections. That way if someone is interested in a certain topic, they can write about it each month. We will talk more about this in the next meeting.

Ok, that's it for now. Feel free to email me with any questions and bring any ideas or comments to our next meeting! Have a great weekend, see ya Monday!!

~AMI
oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

Meeting Today (03/31) at Austin's Pizza

2008-03-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

We will be having a meeting today at Austin's Pizza at 6pm. Hopefully, we can still get some stuff done! See ya there!

~AMI

Next S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeitng March 24th, 2008!

2008-03-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the long delay in our next meeting. There was just too much absence on my part this month to get a lot done. We will resume our meetings next Monday and will hit the ground running. We still need to try and get down to Port Aransas and Earth Day is coming up, so we should definitely try to be presence for that. Have a great first week back and see ya soon! In the meantime, feel free to check out these audio files:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88236348

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87959035

~AMI

No meeting today (02/25/08)

2008-02-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Sorry for there being no meeting again today. I have to assess what we can actually do this month. I will be gone for two weeks and 3 weekends out of the month, so there aren't many opportunities to do things. So let me try to figure some things out and just check the website...I will keep you updated! Later ~AMI

NO S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today!!!

2008-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

There will be no meeting today. We usually only have about 3 meetings per month unless there is something important to discuss. So enjoy the afternoon off and we will meet again next Monday. Take care! ~AMI

Recap of meeting from (02/11/08)

2008-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, here is a rundown of what we talked about on Monday. First of all, the trips to Port Aransas have been scaled back from 3 to 2. The first trip will of course be this weekend...details will be listed at the end of this post. We will no longer be trying to get research credit unless you still want it (in that case, talk to Ken Dunton personally). Also, we do not have to make a poster for undergrad research anymore which helps tremendously. Now we are just going down this weekend and once in April to get later results from the marsh. This way it will be less stressful. Second, we will be contacting other conservation orgs. in Austin to see if there is any collaborative work we can do with them. I will probably call them next week. We will be moving the canoe cleanup to a later date when the weather and the staff are more consistent...details to follow. I also mentioned trying to get Bill form Ocean Conservancy up here to talk to us during one of our meetings...I will call this week. All other events I will list below in a more orderly fashion.

1.) Feb. 16-17: Trip to Port Aransas. Everyone should meet on campus at the bus circle (San Jacinto and fountain) at 7:00am. Please try to be on time, we are under pretty strict time requirements. Staci, feel free to call me at 6:30am to make sure I am up :). Please bring overnight stuff, blankets and some $$ for food/drinks. Rental car and lodging are paid for. We will stop on the way to grab some breakfast. My phone number is (408) 644-6702 if there are any problems or questions...call me.

2.) Hot Science, Cool Talks presents "Our Energy Future" This lecture is put on by ESI and will begin at 7pm. on Fri. Feb. 22nd. See website for details. (You don't have to go to this, just letting you guys now).

3.) Job opening: San Francisco Bay Area: Studying zooplankton and marine mammal/bird interactions...sweet job. See link.

4.) Recyclemania: From now until April 5th, UT is competing in Recyclemania, so recycle everything you can!

Ok, I think that's it. Call me or email with questions. Peace out!

~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today at Austin's Pizza

2008-02-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! First of all, sorry about the cleanup. I was told once again that they would be there at 9am and unfortunately they weren't. The people at Zilker Park on Sunday said that during the winter, they kind of show up anywhere from 9am-12:00noon which doesn't help us. So anyway, I am going to reschedule the event for March when the weather and park traffic is more consistent. Moving on, we will have our normal Monday meeting today at Austin's Pizza to discuss Port A this weekend and other events. We will be meeting at the normal time, 6pm. So hope you had a good weekend and I will see you there! ~AMI

Canoe CleanUp starts at 9:30 am

2008-02-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! Just a quick update. The cleanup will start at 9:30am and will go to appx. 11:30am. So meet at the Zilker Park Canoe Rentals in the morning and everything else will be ready to go. Feel free to bring friends, the more we have, the better! See ya then! ~AMI

Recap of meeting from (2/04/08)

2008-02-05T08:54:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! The meeting went well, we did make some changes though. We will be moving our trip to Port Aransas to the weekend of (Feb. 16-17). We will leave no later than 3:30 on Sunday afternoon. We will be traveling out to a natural marsh and taking samples. Our goal is to set up a control site to compare later results with. Next up is the canoe cleanup, it has moved to this Sunday (02/10) at 9am in the morning. We will cleanup for about 2.5 hrs. in canoes and hopefully enjoy the weather. Check the website Friday or Saturday to make sure everything is still on. If the weather is bad or if the guy isn't there, it will be rescheduled. We will have our next meeting at Austin's Pizza (upstairs) next Monday at 6pm. See ya there! Oh, there is a really great conservation movie called Sharkwater (www.sharkwater.com) playing at the Alamo Ritz downtown. It plays today and tomorrow at 4:45pm. It was a great movie and I suggest seeing it if you have time! ~AMI

Events

2/5-2/6: Sharkwater: Alamo Ritz downtown. Tues.-Wed. at 4:45pm

2/10: Canoe CleanUp: Zilker Park canoe rentals right down from the Barton Springs Pool...9-11:30am...free

2/16-2/17: Research/Field trip to Port Aransas. We will be leaving around 6:30 am Sat. morning...I will drive and pick people up from a central location on campus. We will leave Port A Sunday by 3:30pm. Lodging is paid for but you need to bring $$ for food and drinks and also blankets. Call me with any questions!

My Cell #: (408) 644-6702

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today!!

2008-02-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, just a quick reminder, we will be having our meeting today at 6pm at Austin's Pizza (on the drag). We can grab some food and talk about logistics for volunteer events and our outreach stuff. I also have the dates for Port A., so I need to know who is interested in coming. Ok, hope to see you guys there! ~AMI

Recap of S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting (01/29/08)

2008-01-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to give ya'll a quick recap of the meeting yesterday. See below for important events and dates!

1.) We are working on a research project this semester in Port Aransas. This can be for upper division credit if you participate. To get credit, you must make 3 trips to Port Aransas and help make a poster presentation/slideshow for the results. The dates for February will most likely be the weekend of (8-10). We would leave late Friday night and come back Sun. afternoon. The dates for March are (1-2), (28-30). We will have more details of this trip when it gets closer. I just want people to take note of the dates to see if they are available...so check out your calendars and send me an email with availability.

2.) Canoe Cleanup at Town Lake will be Sun., Feb. 17th from 9-12 noon. This is our volunteer event for Feb.

3.) Also, I want to try and keep our weekly meetings at Austin's Pizza (on the drag). It went over very well this week and I think it puts everyone more at ease...so let me know if this works for you.

4.) Earth Day is April 22nd...we should do something for this to demonstrate ocean conservation!

5.) We also want to continue to work on our seafood phamplet ( we will discuss this next week)

I think that's about it...just check out the Port Aransas dates and let me know. If you don't want credit but just want to go, that is fine as well...just let me know which time(s) you want to go.

Ok, let me know if you guys have any questions and I will see you next Monday at Austin's Pizza at 6:00pm!

~AMI

First S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Tomorrow!

2008-01-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!
We will be having our first meeting tomorrow (Tues. 01/29/08) at Austin's Pizza on the drag from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Normally, meetings will be held every Monday from 6-7pm in the Union, but we had to move this day around due to last minute unavailability of some people. This will be a much more causal way of meeting and we will be able to eat and drink during the meeting which is way better! We will be setting up the schedule and expectations for the group as well as discussing our project and travel to Port Aransas this semester. We will also be discussing our organization positions and what is expected of those positions for those who are interested. Ok, please email me with any questions and hopefully I will see you all tomorrow!
~AMI

Welcome Back S.A.F.E.Oceans!!!

2008-01-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!!! Hope you all enjoyed your break. We are off to a fresh start this semester. We will be focusing on outreach and our project in Port Aransas this semester. We will be going down to Port A no less than 3 times this spring and will be doing research on the wetlands center there. I want to make sure that we also get other opportunities to do other outreach projects as well. We did not get to do as much last semester and I want to start this semester off with lots of suggestions. We will also be focusing on recruitment; so please bring your ideas to the first meeting. Our first meeting will be held on Jan. 21st. Hopefully, we will be in the same location. I just sent the request out so I will let you guys know ahead of time. I might have to alert everyone via the website and facebook until I get a consolidation of email addresses...my laptop got stolen last semester so all my addresses are gone...not to worry though, I got a new macbook for Xmas so it's not so bad :) Anyway, enjoy the last few days of your break and I will see everyone in a couple of weekS!! ~AMI

Final Meeting for S.A.F.E.Oceans Today!!!

2007-11-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!!! Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. Today, we will be having our final meeting before our movie night. We will be discussing the future of S.A.F.E.Oceans and what projects we want to focus on next semester. I also want to make sure we keep things a bit more structured next year. I kind of let things get a little haywire this semester and I don't want to do that again. We will also be discussing which movie we will be watching and how we want to advertise that. I also want to inform everyone of the credit hours that are going to be offered to thise who work on the Wetlands project in Port Aransas next spring. Ok, the meeting will be held in the Union, Rm. 3.116 at 6pm. See you all there! ~AMI

No Meeting Today!

2007-11-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

There will be no meeting today...our last meeting before the end of the semester will be next Monday and we will be putting stuff together for our last movie night and hearing ideas for next semester. Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!!

~AMI

Port Aransas this weekend

2007-11-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!! Details on the trip this weekend are listed here:

We will be leaving at 5:30pm from the bus circle (San Jacinto and 23rd) on Sat. You need to bring blankets or sleeping bags for the dorm rooms. We will most likely all be staying in the same building and will be meeting around 9am on Sunday morning to get started on our stuff. We will be going out into the wetlands, marsh area so bring sandals or shoes that can get dirty. Also, if you have a wetsuit, you might want to bring it...the water may be cold and I don't know if we are taking core samples again or not.

Here is my number 408-644-6702

Call me if there is a problem. See ya tomorrow!

~AMI

Meeting Cancelled Today!! (10/29/07)

2007-10-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys! Just letting everyone know that the meeting will be cancelled today. There is not much new to talk about and I thought I would give everyone a break. Just keep working on making the phone calls to restaurants for the seafood guide and we will meet back up next Monday to compare our results. Enjoy your week and I will see everyone next Monday!!

~AMI

Meeting Recap and Brochure Details

2007-10-24T08:09:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!! Our meeting was very productive this past Monday. We covered the following items:

1.) The next trip to Port Aransas will be November 17-18. We will be leaving no later than 6pm on Sat. (11-17) and returning at about 5-6pm on Sunday...hopefully. Please mark your calendars as this will be a big project weekend and we need to have enough people there.

2.) We are starting work on our seafood brochure. Everyone has been assigned places to call to find out about a "signature" dish that they might want to offer in our brochure. Basically, we call and tell them who we are and what we are doing. (e.g. We're from S.A.F.E.Oceans, an UT student run conservation organization. We are making a brochure about sustainable seafood and would like to feature your restaurant in our guide). Do you have an entree that would be considered "sustainable" If the head chef does not know how the food is caught; it might help to ask who their supplier is so we can call them...if they want to. We can also ask them to send an email to you with a description of the entree and possibly a picture.

3.) Our last movie night will be held Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6pm. We will start advertising very soon for this as soon as the room is confirmed.

Other than that, we have a few other things we need to discuss next Monday...till then, have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday!!~AMI

Meeting 10/22/07

2007-10-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans!! We will be having our meeting today to discuss our current project in Port Aransas. We started it this weekend and it was a huge success, so we would like to tell you all about it. We also will be discussing possible collaboration with the Environmental Defense organization that Emily contacted. They would like to help with our seafood brochure. Kandice and I wrote down the names of places to call and we will be assigning those today. We will also be discussing possible options for recruitment and fundraising. Our biggest concern today is to give out info. for the next Port A trip and make sure that everyone has the details early on. We accomplished a lot this weekend and want to make sure that everyone is included for next time. So we will meet today in the Union, Rm. 3.116 at 6pm. See you guys there! ~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Update

2007-10-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! The meeting yesterday went well. We discussed plans for the month and tabling efforts as well. We will be tabling this Friday at the West mall from 11-12:30ish. Feel free to come by if you want to help. Our movie night is tonight. We will have free pizza as well as drinks. Please excuse the room choice it is not my favorite...RAS 215 from 7pm-8pm. We are planning our Port A trip for Sunday, Oct. 21. We will be leaving very early or late Sat. evening...we will talk about that next week. Also, we are looking for ways to increase funding and one option brought up was to offer to help a professor or department with research and maybe they could donate to us. That is a work in progress. We also need to work on our brochure for local seafood choices. I think the best way to do this is to look in the phone book and call some palces that are listed under each category, that way we can narrow it down. I volunteered to call grocery stores and Mexican food, I think. There are many categories and they are well sorted in the phone book. Ok, that's about it. We will have a meeting next Monday at the same time and place! Have a good weekend! ~AMI

Recap of Meeting (9/24/07)

2007-09-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ok everyone, here goes...We have a lot of things on the table. There are many dates that you need to take note of and get back to me via email with RSVP's. Dates of activities are listed below with short descriptions listed.

Date: Friday,9/28/07 (11am-2pm) Tabling @West Mall. We will be handing out literature and selling dolphin cookies. Please let me know if you can come by and help.

Date: Sunday, 9/30/07. (9-12noon) Town Lake Canoe CleanUp. We will meet at Barton Springs Canoe Rental which is on the "free side" of Barton Springs Pool.

Date: Tues: October 9 (7-8pm) S.A.F.E.Oceans Movie Night

Date: Sunday, October 21 (all day) Trip to Port Aransas to work on Wetland Education Center...we will be taking a van.

Date: Sunday, November 18 (all day) 2nd trip to Port Aransas to work on WEC and do cleanups/ARK visit.

Now that we have dates given...we also need help working on our local seafood guide.

We will be splitting this up into categories...we need people to cover each of these:

Grocery Stores

Restaurants: (fine dining, sushi, chinese, thai, vietnamese, traditional (e.g. Bennigans, Chili's, Friday's, etc..., Mexican, Italian, steakhouses) That should be good for now.

Just pick a category and call the popular places in Austin or (local favorites)...tell them who you are and what you're doing. Then ask what sustainable seafood they serve and how is it caught (wild-caught, farmed, etc...) If you opt to do grocery stores, please respond on here on the comments section of the blog with the one you are contacting so we don't have multiple people calling; same goes for the categories, please let the members know via comments which restaurants in which categories you are contacting. You can then email me the results once they are in. Other than that, that should cover it. Please try to come by this Friday to help with tabling...if anything you get free cookies:) Ok, let me know if you have any questions. Also please RSVP on facebook if you will be attending the canoe cleanup this Sunday! Thanks. ~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today (9/24/07)

2007-09-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Our meeting today will be short and sweet. We just need to decide on final details for trips and our clean-up event. We will then brainstorm for ideas for the phamplet that we will be handing out during tabling this week. So, hopefully I will see you all there. ~AMI

When: Monday, 6:00pm
Where: Union Rm. 3.116

Meeting Today (09/17/2007)

2007-09-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hey there! We will be meeting today in our permanent location. We will be hearing ideas on outreach and volunteering. We will also discuss dates for visiting Port A and the movie night as well as any events that are going on here at UT that we might need to take part in. So see ya there! ~AMI

When: Monday @6pm
Where:Union Rm. 3.116

Meeting Recap (09/10/07)

2007-09-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I wanted to thank all of you for coming. I was especially appreciative of all the enthusiasm and great ideas. I feel like this semester is going to be great and I know we'll have a lot of fun while doing our community outreach. We had some really good ideas today. Some of the things we discussed included: trips and weekend activities for this semester (Wetlands Education Center in Port Aransas, Kids' Conservation Camp, End of semester conservation trip/vacation(will be on or near the ocean), Making movies of or group's activities, Movie night (which will be this month, t-shirts...I am getting quotes this week! We also met new officers and had open positions filled...thanks ;)! Our current officers are listed below along with their emails in case you need anything or have any suggestions:

President: April Idlett oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Vice President: Kandice Garibay kandice_1113@yahoo.com
Volunteer Coordinators: Staci Steele s_ray_88@mail.utexas.edu
Britney Haney brith08@mail.utexas.edu
John Pituch said he could also help out with volunteering j.pituch@mail.utexas.edu
Outreach Coordinators: Larissa Podsim l.podsim@mail.utexas.edu
Emily Kinsolving mle210@yahoo.com

We still have the position of Treasurer open...technically. Anyway, so for next week, we will be hearing ideas from the group on outreach issues as well as our volunteer opportunities and will be voting on a movie night. We will also be discussing logisitics of the Kids Camp and hearing ideas about videotaping...and finalizing all details brought up earlier. Ok, please email if you have any questions or if you are interested in the Treasurer position. Dues are $10/semester...please bring that in ASAP...hopefully it will cover our t-shirts; I will let you know the final pricing. Have a great week and I'll see everyone next Monday. Meeting details will be posted here before next Monday. Later. ~AMI

Meeting Place Changed...Today Only!

2007-09-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hi there...due to an overbooking issue by SALD, we will be meeting at the turtle pond today instead of our normal room. I have been told that we will have our room for sure after today though. So...

Where: Turtle Pond by BIO
When: 6:00pm...Today (Sept. 10)

Thanks!

~AMI

Welcome Back S.A.F.E.Oceans!!

2007-09-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!! I finally got everything worked out and the group re-registered for this semester. So we are ready to get started this semester. I have some new ideas for this semester and would love to hear any that you guys have. One nice thing this semester, we will have our meeting in the same room every week...no more switching around! With that said, see below for details on our first meeting.

When: Monday, September 10th
Where: The Union-Texas Governor's Room (3.116)
Time: 6:00-7:00pm

We have a lot ot talk about next week...I want everyone to meet new members and welcome new officers as well. So, I will send an email out tonight to everyone as well as update the facebook site! Take care and see you next Monday! ~AMI

Meeting Recap (4/23/07)

2007-04-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Today's meeting went well. We will be having our movie night next Tues. at 6pm in either GEO or ESB...I should find out Tues. (today). Anyway, we will be showing one of the Planet Earth series and serving snacks as well. One other major piece of news is that a few officer positions are open for the coming semester, they are as follows:

Outreach Coordinator: This position will be responsible for gathering info. on our upcoming research ideas and developing communication with the outreach sponsors (i.e. schools, rescue centers, research, etc...) This is a very important position and one which can be very rewarding in terms of experience.

Volunteer Coordinator: We will still be doing one volunteer activity per month and this person is responsible for bringing ideas to the group and then arranging everything once the decision is made...(i.e. if we decide to do a canoe cleanup, this person must contact the Cleanup people and arrange for us to have supplies and all appropriate materials ready for when we show up).

Social Coordinator: We should still be getting together at least once a month as a group and hanging out, getting to know each other better. This person is responsible for coming up with easy, good ideas on getting together as a group, (i.e. BBQ's, pool parties, bowling, brunch, tubing, etc...)

All of these positions need to be filled. It is too much to take on two roles in the group and these positions are easy and rewarding. I feel the format of next year will be better and will allow us to focus our energies on the most important issue at that time. Please email me if you are interested in any of the above stated positions: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

Thanks!! Check back here for movie night details and location!

~AMI

Meeting Info for 4/23/07

2007-04-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans!! We will be having a meeting today to discuss advertising for our movie night and also officer positions for next semester. Meet at the time and location listed below...hope to see you all there!

~AMI

When: Monday, March 5th
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Where: TX Union Rm 3.116

Oceans in Peril Part I

2007-04-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Our oceans are not an infinite resource. Species that were once abundant are now being overfished past the point of return. Catch sizes have decreased and growth rate is dangerously low. The problem is a lack of moderation. We are taking too many too quickly and the fish that are there are not growing big enough to reproduce. Bluefin tuna, once grew to enormous sizes and are now being caught and sold at sizes that are a mere fraction of what they once were. If we are to make a difference and ensure the future progress of our oceans, then we must think of the long run. We should not take as much as we can get just because it is there...because it may not be there tomorrow. Harmful fishing practices, such as longlining and bottom trawling do more damage than good. Many animals become victims of a free lunch and get caught up in trawl nets just to be tossed overboard dead and dying...and just because other animals get to eat them as they rain over the side doesn't mean it's ok.
It is still a waste. We are responsible for the longevity and abundance of all creatures...not just ourselves. Our reasoning should include not only sustenance for ourselves but their right to inhabit this planet just as much as ours. Please write to your congressmen and support organizations that are trying to help. Thankfully, it is becoming more important these days to recognize the problem, but we still need to act. Please do not buy or eat seafood that is not sustainably caught and ask questions. Find out where your seafood comes from before purchasing. People in other countries may have less options when it comes to their diet, but here we have plenty and we have the resources to make informed decisions...so let's do it!

Meeting Today @the PCL 5th floor

2007-04-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there, We will be meeting again today to wrap up our project stuff for the Earth Day event tomorrow. We will be meeting at 5pm at the PCL 5th floor. Call me if you have any questions...408-644-6702. See ya there!

~AMI

Meeting 4/16/07

2007-04-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you guys know, we will be meeting in the Union Rm. 4.224...Asian Culture room at 6pm to work on our projects for Earth Day. I brought Planet Earth stuff for us to watch during so it should be pretty cool. Ok, see you there.

~AMI

Meeting: 6pm in Rm 4.224 in the Union

Recap of meeting from 4/9/07

2007-04-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to recap what we talked about today in our meeting. First of all, we addressed our projects for Earth Day...We will be set up a the West Mall on April 18th throughout the day...shifts can be discussed later. We decided to showcase 3 different issues...we will have info. on bottom trawling, overfishing and pollution. It is up to everyone to pick an issue they want to work on and collaborate via the website how they want to present that issue. I will send out a final email Friday asking for final ideas for projects and we will meet next Monday to work on and complete our projects...please bring supplies and ideas. You will be reimbursed for any supplies you buy yourself...if you want, tell me what you need first and I can probably pick it up.
We next discussed our movie night...I will be booking the room tomorrow and we will start advertising for it and will discuss final details next Monday...expect it to be held on the last Monday of the month during our normal meeting time...might run over. Also, we discussed our field trip...looks like it will be held on Sat. May 5th and we will return early Sun. by 1pm. Finals start on the 9th...so be sure that this will not interfere with your studies. This is the only time we have to go, I will doublecheck with Ken this week to make sure that date is still good. I also mentioned to everyone that Dr. Carl Safina will be presenting a talk on campus on Fri. Apr. 27th @7pm in Wel. 2.224. Dr. Safina is a highly respected and well known marine conservationist...http://blueocean.org I understand there is a lot going on that evening; however, I highly recommend you see him if you have the chance...it is a rare treat to meet someone with his insight into marine issues. Also check out the UT site on him for details on the talk "Hot Science:Cool Talks":
That is about it...please comment on the site this week to let everyone know your ideas for the projects and we will meet next Monday...I am also showing an episode of Planet Earth while we work on our projects next week! :) Take care and I will see you guys later.~AMI

Meeting Today 04/09/07

2007-04-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone we will be meeting today in the Asian Culture Room in the Union (4.224) at 6:00pm. See you there!

~AMI

Earth Day and S.A.F.E.Oceans

2007-04-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone, Earth Day is coming up in two weeks and S.A.F.E.Oceans needs to put on something at the West Mall on Apr. 19th. I hope to be able to have a booth out there with our mural and tons of literature to hand out. Also, I want to create a huge poster that talks about the dangers of overfishing and offers good choices for seafood. I am excited about our next meeting. We have a lot to discuss, there is also a speaker coming to UT that I want to tell you guys about. It's definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Check out this video podcast from the Save Our Seas Foundation...I will post details on room time and location this weekend. Hope to see you all on Monday!!
~AMI

Talk on Antarctic Warming this Wednesday!!

2007-03-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Oh, by the way, there is lecture going on this week about climate change that you guys might want to check out...here are the details. It will be held in WEL 2.224 @7pm this Wednesday!

http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Vaughan/

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 7 PM CT
Live Webcast - 1175125500

Come Ice or High Water: How Will Global Warming Affect Antarctic Ice Sheets and Sea Levels?
by Dr. David Vaughan
Glaciologist, British Antarctic Survey

What is the Lecture About?

In parts of Antarctica, rates of measured climate warming are the highest anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere – in another part, there has been a cooling. How are we to interpret such a complex pattern of climate change, and what are the implications for the future of the Last Continent?

The latest report by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, identifies the response of the great ice sheet of Antarctica and Greenland to climate change is the greatest uncertainty in projections of sea-level rise. Why, when so much other climate science seems to be converging, is there still so much uncertainty in this particular part of the puzzle?

In a wide ranging talk covering many aspects of climate change and its significance to Antarctica and the rest of the Planet, David Vaughan will try to cast some light on these issues, which may turn not to be as simple as the sound bites would lead us to believe.

(Taken from the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research)

Presenter's Biosketch
Dr. David Vaughan
Dr. David Vaughan
Dr. Vaughan is the principal investigator for British Antarctic Survey Core Program: Glacial Retreat of Antarctica and Deglaciation of the Earth System (GRADES). The opportunity to define and lead this program was won through open competition. GRADES will employ between 12 and 20 staff and focus on aspects of past and future deglaciation as drivers of change in the Earth System.

In 2006 Dr. Vaughan was made Honorary Professor in the School of the Environment and Society, University of Wales, Swansea.

No Meeting Today!

2007-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hey S.A.F.E.Oceans!! Hope everyone had a good weekend. We will not be having our meeting today...we usually skip the last one of the month in order to prepare for the next month. We will resume our meetings next Monday and will be discussing alternative ways for the group to get the message across. I feel like this semester, we are not quite reaching our goals and I think we need to discuss what our goals should be realistically and what everyone is willing to put into the group. So enjoy your afternoon and week and I will see ya'll next week! ~AMI

Directions to Kandice's Place

2007-03-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are the directions to Kandice's place. Take MLK East across I-35. Stay on MLK heading east...take a right at Cedar Ave. Her place is 1709 Cedar Ave. Unit B. Call me if you have any questions: 408-644-6702.

We will meet at her place Friday afternoon to work on the project. I will get there after 5pm but you guys can go earlier if you want. Call Kandice to make sure she is there: 512-552-6264.

Bus options are as follows: You can catch the #18 at Trinity and 18th and it will drop you off at MLK and Walnut...you can walk one block east from there and hit Cedar.

or you can catch the #20 at MLK and Red River and it will drop you off at Manor and Stafford.

Or you can go to www.capmetro.org and type in your address and hers and it might give you a different bus...or you could ride a bike if you have one. Ok, call me if you have any questions and don't forget to send me an email if you plan on helping out with the project or 40 acres fest. Thanks, later! ~AMI

40 Acres Fest and Field trip info!

2007-03-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we have decided to go ahead with our project for 40 acres fest which will be held this Sat. from 9-5pm. We will be meeting at Kandice's house this Friday afternoon to work on our project. I need absolute confirmation that you will be attending this Sat. if you plan to. Please send me an email stating when you are available to help out at the booth so I can set up the times. Please note that email is the only way I will know if some of you plan on helping Sat. If I do not get enough emails from people, we will not be able to set up Sat. Ok...moving on to the field trip. It looks like our best time to go down to UTMSI for this semester will be May 5th which is a Saturday. This is another issue in which I need input. So, do you guys want to

a.) Spend Sat. May 5th at UTMSI
b.) Spend Sun. May 6th at UTMSI
c.) Spend Sat. May 5th at UTMSI, spend the night and come back Sun. morning?

So that is it for now. I will be buying the stuff for 40 Acres Fest tomorrow afternoon, so I need to know who plans on helping by 5pm tomorrow! Thanks everyone.

I will have directions for Kandice's place up here tomorrow and will send out an email letting everyone know. Have a great day. ~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting (03/19/07)

2007-03-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! Hope you guys had a great spring break. We will be having a meeting tomorrow at our normal time...location has changed. We will be finishing up our mural for the bottom trawling issue and finalizing plans for 40 acres fest and also our movie night in April. Also, UT is having a waller creek cleanup on Mar. 31. I will be discussing those details as well as our field trip to the beach. I will need to know who wants to go for sure in order to set up plans with Ken at UTMSI. Ok, so we have a lot to discuss...but hopefully it will not be too painful! I look forward to seeing everyone. Take care. ~AMI

In the meantime, feel free to check out Dr. Fuiman's research on weddell seals:

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/animals/seal.jsp

Meeting info:

When: Monday, March 19, 2007
Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm...or earlier
Where: Texas Union Rm: 4.224 Asian Culture Room

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today!

2007-03-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hey there, we will have our first meeting for March today. Things may go a little differently because of how busy Feb. was. We will work out how we are going to set up our movie viewing party and maybe assign someone the task of finding a venue. We will also discuss 40 acres fest and our volunteer activity for March. We also were approached by the Natural Science Council and will be included in their brochure next fall. They also help with funding, so we may be able to get some money next semester. We basically need to organize today and get our priorities down for this month. Things have been really busy and time scarce so splitting up tasks is something we need to look into. I also want to revisit the idea of committees. These would be headed by anyone who wants to devote a section to a certain part of conservation. So, that should keep us pretty busy. Hope you all had a great weekend and I will see you at the meeting! ~AMI

When: Monday, March 5th
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Where: TX Union Rm 3.116

Canoe/BBQ thanks!

2007-02-27T16:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped out with our canoe cleanup and BBQ! It was a great success and good turnout as well. We had 15 people show up and collected appx. that many bags of trash as well...not counting the

odd pieces here and there. We had a lot of fun and I anticipate future events to be even better. Our next big trip will hopefully be a day trip to Port Aransas to conduct a beach cleanup and maybe get a tour of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep. That project is in the works and I will let everyone know details as it gets worked out.

We will have our next meeting on Monday, Mar. 5 and will be discussing many projects. I will be tabling this Thursday from around 1-3:45 at the West Mall...feel free to stop by if you want. We also need to start working on our idea for 40 acres fest! Once again, thanks to everyone and I will see everyone next week. Have a great week. Details for the next meeting are listed below. Take care! ~AMI

When: Monday, March 5th
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Where: TX Union Rm 3.116

Upcoming Events and Info

2007-02-20T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. We have made a couple of changes to our event this week. We will still be meeting at the bus circle; however, we will be doing the canoe cleanup instead and having a BBQ/play day at Zilker Park. It sounded like it was going to work out better that way. Also if anyone is interested in starting an IM Soccer team, please email Ren Pastana @dvillesokkerdude@mail.utexas.edu. We will be tabling this week and available times are Wed. from 2-5pm and Thurs. from 1-5pm. The materials will be located at SER 201 and my cell number is 408-644-6702. If you like to set up at the West Mall, let me know. If the tabling doesn't work out so well, we will try for alternatives as far as outreach. Ren suggested one time that we start a facebook group for our group which sounds like a good idea. As far as the t-shirts go. I will be working on the design or final look in the next coming weeks and will present ideas at our next meeting. Also, one of Freshman Interest Groups is looking for some people to come and talk about our group on Tues. Feb. 27th from 1-2pm. I am definitely going to go, if anyone else wants to, please let me know...oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Ok, I think that about covers it, if I've missed anything, let me know. So as far as the volunteer/social event goes, the final info is listed below:

When: Sun. Feb. 25
Time: 9:00am
Where: In front of the fountain at the bus circle. (23rd & San Jacinto).

From there, we will carpool over to Zilker and clean the lake and have a BBQ.

Please R.S.V.P. by commenting on this post with your name so we know how many to book.
Thanks!

Meeting Info for 2/19/07

2007-02-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans! Sorry it takes so long to update the site, the weekends are the only time I have to even think about this stuff. Topics for tomorrow's meeting will include finalizing details for the volunteer and social events. We will also discuss tabling and outreach efforts for this week. T-shirts and possible fundraisers are also on the agenda. We will not have a meeting next week because it will be directly after our event and we usually skip that meeting if possible. I am still working on details for the big movie night. I might have to ask some people for help because my time is spread so thin these days. We will also get votes on the people that want to play IM soccer. A lot of you sounded interested in that and Ren needs to know pretty soon. So try to make it tomorrow and feel free to bring any ideas or comments as usual. Meeting place and time listed below:

When: Monday, Feb. 12th
Time: 6-7:00pm
Where: The Union Rm. 3.116 TX Governors Rm

See you there!
~AMI

Meeting Info for 2/12/07

2007-02-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hey S.A.F.E.Oceans! Today, we will be constructing our sign that we will be using for our outreach issue. We have markers and posterboard and will be finishing up the sign by the end of the meeting. We will also be discussing options for making our t-shirts and also the movie night that we are trying to organize. We might wan't to hold off on the logo and just try to think of something to put on the t-shirts for now. There are also some volunteer opportunities coming up that have requested our participation. Also, I wan't to get ideas for Earth Day. We will also be discussing a tabling schedule to see if anyone is available to help out with this. Meeting time and place is listed below:

When: Monday, Feb. 12th
Time: 6-7:00pm
Where: The Union Rm. 3.116 TX Governors Rm

Next Meeting

2007-02-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hey there, I hope everyone had a somewhat stress-free week. I can definitely say that this is one of my busiest semesters. Anyway, hope your weekends go well. Kandice, Robby and myself will be presenting the group with our ideas for February's issue. We will present our ideas to you guys and then will vote on which ones we want to do and how we want to carry out our outreach. If you have any ideas, please bring them up at the next meeting. I also got an email from my friend at the Ocean Conservancy the other day and he mentioned us hosting a lecture for someone who has written a book on marine conservation. I will talk more about it at the meeting. Also, there are a lot of events coming up. I absolutely want our group involved in something for Earth Day...we need a really innovative idea...we'll have to brainstorm. That's about it for now. Please take note below. Our meeting place is different this week. We will most likely alternate locations throughout the semester.

So next meeting is as follows:

When: Monday, February 5th
Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm...or earlier
Where: Texas Union Rm: 4.224 Asian Culture Room

I will see everyone next Monday, feel free to tell your friends about the group, the more the better! Take care.

~AMI

First S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting

2007-01-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! We will be having our first meeting of the semester this coming Monday, Jan. 29th at 6pm. We will be discussing our strategy for the spring, potential field trips and also issues we want to focus on. We would also like to welcome any new members that have joined and tell them a little bit about our group. This semester is going to be very successful and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again next week. See below for meeting details.

When: Monday, Jan. 29th
Time: 6-7:00pm...we will probably be done by 6:30 though.
Where: The Union Rm. 3.116 TX Governors Rm

In the meantime, feel free to check out this website on marine science...it's one of the best I've found so far. www.marinebio.org

~AMI

Welcome Back S.A.F.E.Oceans!!

2007-01-18T16:01:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone, I hope you all had a great winter break. I definitely can say that mine was worthwhile. I got to go on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean where we saw all kinds of animals on our snorkeling and scuba diving trips...a much needed vacation. Anyway, I wanted to welcome you all back and hope that everyone is excited about this semester. I feel that this semester will be very successful for our group and we will begin having our weekly meetings on Jan. 29th. I am booking rooms and times right now. Most likely, the time will be Mondays from 6-7pm...I am not sure on the room yet; I will let everyone know as soon as it is confirmed. We thought of a few new ideas for this semester and will be discussing them with everyone at the first meeting. Attention all officers: please try to make it to our first meeting, there is a lot we need to discuss...if you can not make it, please email me so we can work out a different time: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Our first meeting will consist of a meet and greet and introduction for new members. I will be updating this website next week to inform everyone of the meeting place and official time...in the meantime, check out the movie I made about our group...hopefully we can do more like this for our conservation issues. Till then, take care!

~AMI

Check out the video below:

Meeting Today 12/04/06

2006-12-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Hello, we will be having our end of the year meeting today. We will use this time to take care of any changes that need to be made for next year as well as hear suggestions for 2007. I am very pleased with our success this semester and hope to make the next one even better. Please stop by today to let us know what you would like to see for the future of S.A.F.E.Oceans!

Meeting Time and Place: 6pm in the Union...Rm. 4.118

Hope to see you there!
~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans News 11/27/06

2006-11-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans...we did not have a meeting today due to an overload of work coming up and because there is not much new to discuss. We will be "tabling" at the west mall on campus Tues. from 11-1pm and maybe next week as well. We will be handing out literature about Wal-Mart and the dolphin drives and will also hand out some info about sustainably caught seafood. Everything is going pretty well. December is a short month for us so we will focus on outreach for the group and try to increase membership for the upcoming spring semester. Please fell free to stop by tomorrow to help out with getting the word out; here is a current article on the dolphin drives: http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/drive_fisheries.html
Hope everyone is having a good week. Let me know if you have any questions. ~AMI

oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

UTMSI field trip videos and pictures!

2006-11-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans! Our first field trip to UTMSI was a great success. We were greeted by Ken Dunton when we arrived and introduced to Sally Morehead who is working on the MANERR project (Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve). She was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and explained to us how it works. She then took us to ARK, which is the Animal Rehabilitation Keep. We met Tony Amos and were allowed to tour the facility. We received a private lesson and tour of the sea turtle rehab area and also the pelicans and gulls, which most were missing wings due to entanglement with fishing line. After that, Ken took us out on one of the boats and gave us a tour of the bay. We visited mangroves and compared the salinity there to that of the water in the bay. We then went to the East Flatts and took core samples to check out seagrass beds. It was great...of course on the way back we came across many pods of dolphins and thanks to Ken picking up on our obvious longing to stop and watch, we were able to get some good pictures and video. We had dinner that night while listening to some great live music and then hung out on the beach before going to bed. The day was more than I had expected and we were very grateful to be able to experience so much. We left the next morning after having a great breakfast at Juan's and can't wait till the next trip out. We want to thank everyone who helped out with the trip; it turned out to be great and we know that people gave a lot of their time and support to make it possible. Thanks again and check out the video and pictures from the trip!

Watch sea turtle video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a46xuk2QiIc

Watch dolphin videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_kg7HRgSfo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W20EW7cWn4

UTMSI Details

2006-11-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hello S.A.F.E.Oceans...I have all of the details involving the field trip ready. We will be spending the day at Port Aransas. We will first meet with Dr. Ken Dunton and go out on the boat. We will be getting a tour of UTMSI and other faculty will be on hand to help out with that as well. We will most likely do a mini beach cleanup and take a tour of the Port Aransas birding center. There are plenty of things to do there and we can decide as we go. Ultimately I want us to get experience with UTMSI and see what goes on there. Please write down these details. We are subject to a very strict schedule Sat. morning and can not leave too late.

Event: UTMSI Field Trip
Where: Meet at the corner of 24th and San Jacinto right by Waller Creek
Time: Meet Saturday @7:00am at above location.
Return: Appx. 1pm on Sunday
What to Bring: You need to bring your own towels and bedding, otherwise it costs twice as much. Also please bring money for food and/or drinks. Bathing suit, binoculars, camera, etc...

Please call me Sat. morning if you are running late or have any questions about the location, anything...408-644-6702.

Ok, I'm really excited, I think this trip is going to be a lot of fun! I will see you all Sat. morning.

~AMI

Lecture Series on Whales

2006-11-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, there is a lecture going on next week, Thursday, November 16 from 7-8pm in Welch 2.224. Detals below and at this link: http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Palumbi/

Thursday, November 16, 2006 - 7 PM CT

The History and Future of Whales

by Dr. Stephen R. Palumbi
Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station

What is the Lecture About?
Scientists use new technologies to reveal untold mysteries about whales and provide information on whale history that may be crucial to their survival in the future. Dr. Stephen Palumbi, a renowned marine biologist and professor at Stanford, will discuss how he uses genetic techniques to estimate historic whale populations and how his findings play an important role in decisions of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). He recently published in the journal Science that DNA evidence indicates that before commercial whaling began, whale populations were 10 times larger than scientists previously believed. The IWC guidelines state that there can be no whaling until populations have returned to at least 54% of their historic levels, but their estimates are based on unreliable whaling records kept by ships and dating back to the mid 19th century. According to these previous estimates, many whale populations have nearly recovered to the required 54% of their historic levels, but the new genetic analysis suggests it will take at least another 50 -100 years.

Presenter's Biosketch

Stephen R. Palumbi

Stephen R. Palumbi is a professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. He and other research scientists in the Palumbi Lab study genetics, evolution, conservation, population biology, and systematics of a diverse array of marine organisms. He uses molecular genetic techniques in conservation-related research, including the identification of whale and dolphin products available in commercial markets and the genetics of marine reserves designed for conservation and fisheries enhancement. His 2003 publication in the journal Science on Whales before Whaling in the North Atlantic suggests that whale populations were 10 times larger than historical records indicate, which has critical implications for the future of whaling and whale conservation.

Dr. Palumbi received his Ph.D. from University of Washington in marine ecology in 1984. In 1996, he received a Pew Fellowship for Marine Conservation Research. He has published on the genetics and evolution of butterflyfishes, bryozoans, cone snails, corals, sea urchins, sharks, spiders, shrimps, and whales. His recent books include The Evolution Explosion: How humans cause rapid evolutionary change and Marine Reserves: An Ecosystem Tool for Marine Management and Conservation.

2006-11-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Photo from: www.wspa-usa.org/images/full/823.jpg
Read the links below to find out Wal-Mart's
role in this.

S.A.F.E.Oceans Outreach and Info for November

2006-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, sorry it has taken me a bit to update the site. During our last meeting we decided on our outreach activity for November. We will be launching a campaign to pressure Wal-Mart to take responsibility for the Japanese company, Seiyu. Wal-Mart owns around 37% stock in this company which promotes the sale and slaughter of dolphins, porpoises and whales. We want to tell Wal-Mart that we will not support them as long as they support Seiyu. We will be signing petitions and urging others to sign as well. We will be tabling at the west mall for the next two weeks, getting the word out and plan on having a lot of information for the public. As far as our volunteer activities go for the month. We will be conducting a beach cleanup in Port Aransas when we go to UTMSI. Since this is a holiday month, we will focus more of our time doing outreach and will not be able to do a volunteer event here; however, we are still doing quite a bit this month with the field trip and beach cleanup. More information on Wal-Mart's role in dolphin kills can be found at the links below:

http://www.salvonet.com/eia/cgi/reports/report-files/media70-1.pdf
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_040302_1.html
http://www.ny4whales.org/wcc_walmart.html
http://www.all-creatures.org/hope/02%20save%20the%20dolphin.htm

The links above should provide enough info to get started. We will be starting on outreach next week. Email me if you have any questions: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

Other than that, take care!
~AMI

2006-11-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

R/V Katy at UTMSI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Field Trip to UTMSI!!!

2006-11-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, SAFEOceans is planning a field trip to UTMSI on Nov. 18th, we will most likely spend the night. We plan on taking a tour of the lab and going out on the R/V to check out the gulf as well as many other activities. Expenses will be taken care of and we will most likely carpool up there in a rented minivan or something similar. Email me if you plan on going: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Take care!~AMI

Report: Seafood faces collapse by 2048

2006-11-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Report: Seafood faces collapse by 2048
POSTED: 12:46 p.m. EST, November 3, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Clambakes, crabcakes, swordfish steaks and even humble fish sticks could be little more than a fond memory in a few decades.

If current trends of overfishing and pollution continue, the populations of just about all seafood face collapse by 2048, a team of ecologists and economists warns in a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems," said the lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Watch how the seafood on your plate may become a thing of the past -- 3:10)

"I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are -- beyond anything we suspected," Worm said.

While the study focused on the oceans, concerns have been expressed by ecologists about threats to fish in the Great Lakes and other lakes, rivers and freshwaters, too.

Worm and an international team spent four years analyzing 32 controlled experiments, other studies from 48 marine protected areas and global catch data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's database of all fish and invertebrates worldwide from 1950 to 2003.

The scientists also looked at a 1,000-year time series for 12 coastal regions, drawing on data from archives, fishery records, sediment cores and archaeological data.

"At this point 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," Worm said. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."

"It looks grim and the projection of the trend into the future looks even grimmer," he said. "But it's not too late to turn this around. It can be done, but it must be done soon. We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it."

The researchers called for new marine reserves, better management to prevent overfishing and tighter controls on pollution.

In the 48 areas worldwide that have been protected to improve marine biodiversity, they found, "diversity of species recovered dramatically, and with it the ecosystem's productivity and stability."

While seafood forms a crucial concern in their study, the researchers were analyzing overall biodiversity of the oceans. The more species in the oceans, the better each can handle exploitation.

"Even bugs and weeds make clear, measurable contributions to ecosystems," said co-author J. Emmett Duffy of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.

The National Fisheries Institute, a trade association for the seafood industry, does not share the researchers alarm.

"Fish stocks naturally fluctuate in population," the institute said in a statement. "By developing new technologies that capture target species more efficiently and result in less impact on other species or the environment, we are helping to ensure our industry does not adversely affect surrounding ecosystems or damage native species.

Seafood has become a growing part of Americans' diet in recent years. Consumption totaled 16.6 pounds per person in 2004, the most recent data available, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That compares with 15.2 pounds in 2000.

Joshua Reichert, head of the private Pew Charitable Trusts' environment program, pointed out that worldwide fishing provides $80 billion in revenue and 200 million people depend on it for their livelihoods. For more than 1 billion people, many of whom are poor, fish is their main source of protein, he said.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation's National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis.

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting News 10/30/06

2006-10-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, hope you all had a great Halloween weekend. I want to thank those who helped out with the canoe cleanup. Next time, we will most likely aim for a later
time :) Overall, it went well. Today's meeting will be cancelled due to needing more time for event research. Next Monday, we will be discussing and voting on outreach and volunteer options for the month of November. Also, if anyone would like to volunteer to help out with the outreach coordinator position, please email me: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
I am also talking to Ken about setting up a trip to UTMSI on November 18, so we will be discussing that as well. Take care and let me know if you have any questions or ideas before next Monday.~AMI

2006-10-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Zilker Park Canoe Rentals: This is where we will be meeting on Sunday 10/29 for our cleanup.

S.A.F.E.Oceans Event Update!!

2006-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...our meeting this past Monday went well and we decided on the logistics of Sunday's event. We will be meeting this Sunday(10/29) at the Zilker Park canoe rentals at 9:00am. We will conduct the cleanup from 9-12:00pm and then head over to Chuy's for lunch. I have already spoken to Keep Austin Beautiful and they are supplying us with all the necessary materials we need for the cleanup. The weather is actually supposed to be clear and sunny that day too, so we are in luck and should not freeze on the water :) We also discussed ideas for upcoming projects such as getting our own t-shirts made, as well as stickers, calendars, etc... We also discussed making t-shirts to sell or hand out advertising our group and an outreach issue. I think hte next thing we need to do is design a flyer about our organization that we can hand out or post up somewhere. I had a number of people come up to me last week asking if we had a flyer. So we can discuss that at our next Monday meeting. Attention officers: please have your outreach, volunteer and social ideas ready for the next meeting (10/30). We will be hearing them and hopefully deciding that day as well. Other than that, I think that is it.

Volunteer Event:

When: Sunday 10/29
Time: 9am-12:00pm
Where: Zilker Park Canoe Rentals

All Future Organization Meetings

When: Mondays
Time: 6:00-7:00pm
Where: The Union---Rm. 4.118

In the meantime, feel free to check out this article on the state of coral reefs: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10/25/coral.threat.ap/index.html

Take care!
~AMI

Meeting Room change!

2006-10-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, I hope everyone had a great week. Today we will be meeting at our normal time, 6:00pm. I have changed the meeting place from the turtle pond to the Union-Rm. 4.118. This is also called the Board of Directors Room. Just look for the room number, it's easier. Today we will be finalizing details for our volunteer event next Sunday as well as lunch afterwards. I also have some other volunteer news to run by members to see if you guys are interested. I would like to say that I think we've had a pretty good first month and I am excited to to hear what you guys think as well, so today will definitely involve feedback from you all as well. I hope you can make it. Email me: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu if you have any questions. See you there.~AMI

"Tabling" Update!

2006-10-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it's pretty cold and windy today, so I am going to hold off on today's "tabling" efforts and do it tomorrow instead. I will probably be out there tomorrow from 2-3:30pm. We will be having our normal meeting on Monday. I will post details about that one this weekend. We will most likely be meeting in the Union because of weather, so check the website before Monday's meeting. Take care and have a good weekend!~AMI

S.A.F.E.Oceans Outreach

2006-10-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

This week, we will be "tabling" at the west mall to get the word out about overfishing. We will be out on Tuesday from 2-4:00pm and also Thursday from 1-4:00pm. Feel free to come by or email me if you would like to work the table during different times. Once again, I apologize for the cancellation of today's guest speaker. I know you gus were excited. Hopefully Bill can still come by when he feels better. In the meantime, I will search for others to come talk to us. Have a great night and email me if you have any questions.~AMI

Meeting Cancelled today!!

2006-10-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Important!! The S.A.F.E.Oceans meeting will be cancelled today because our guest speaker is sick. Sorry for the late notice; I just heard myself. Our meeting will be cancelled and we will meet up next Monday, same time, same place unless it's raining. Check the website again tonight for details on where and when we will be "tabling" this week!~AMI

Guest Speaker Bill Blome Today!!!

2006-10-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there, hope everyone had a good weekend. Today we will be having a guest speaker instead of our regular meeting. Bill Blome from the Ocean Conservancy will be talking to us about overfishing. Bill travels all over the nation attending meetings involving NOAA, and representatives of the Marine Fisheries groups. He is very knowledgeable about this subject and cares deeply about overfishing, in particular red snapper. Our meeting will be held in the Union in room 4.118(Board of Directors room). Please send me an email: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu to let me know you are coming so I can tell him how many to expect. I am really excited to have him come and hope you all can make it.

Today
Union-Rm 4.118
6:00-7:00pm

2006-10-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

It's hard to imagine there being anything left!

Outreach and Volunteer Projects

2006-10-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hola! Hope everyone is doing well. We have decided which projects we are going to tackle this month.

1. Outreach Project: Overfishing: We will be "tabling" at the West Mall on Fri.(10-13) from 11am-1pm and also next Mon. and Fri. from 11am-1pm as well. Please come by to help if you can and you can also let me know if you want to help out during any other times.

2. Volunteer Project: Town Lake Canoe CleanUp: We will meet on Sun.(10-29) at Zilker Park to clean up Town Lake from 9am-12:00pm. This should be free...I will make sure to go by and talk to the guy face to face this weekend just to make sure. Supplies will be provided. Make sure to bring your own sunscreen, hats, etc...
We will then be going to lunch at Chuy's and putt-putt golf afterwards to reward our hard work. I do not know if funds can be used for this, so please bring money to cover any costs. ($20) should be good.

Please RSVP by emailing me: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
to let me know if you will be participating in the Town Lake cleanup...we need to get estimates to let the places know that we are coming. Please respond by next Fri.(10-20).

That's about it...don't forget, we will be at the West Mall this Friday helping to get the word out! Hope to see you there. Take care!
~AMI

Meeting Today

2006-10-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, hope you guys had a great weekend! Today we are having our regular meeting at the turtle pond, 6pm. We will be discussing ways to do our outreach project which is now looking like it will be: overfishing. I will give the members who show up today another chance to make a final vote. We will also be discussing when we will be doing our volunteer project as well as our social event. We are official now so I will be wanting to start our work by next week. There are a lot of tests this week, so I understand some may not be available. Otherwise, everything is looking good. We will be receiving funding very soon and I will tell you all more about that. I would like to be able to make things expressing our interests, i.e. stickers, buttons, shirts, etc...We can talk about all those things as well. Other than that, feel free to bring up any questions, concerns or ideas...we like ideas! Also remember to bring your dues today: $10/semester. Thanks and I will see you this afternoon!

2006-10-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Storm drain marking is one of our volunteer options. Find out more at: http://www.cityofaustin.org/watershed/wq_stormdrain.htm

S.A.F.E.Oceans Voting

2006-10-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Ocean Peeps! Sorry again for missing the meeting yesterday. I have been sick the past couple of days but I do have all the info. needed to get started on our first project. We need your vote on our outreach activity and also our volunteer event for this month. Descriptions of both are listed below:

Options for Outreach Activity:

1. Bottom Trawling: Bottom trawling is a practice used by shrimp fishermen that is destroying enormous amounts of marine life and their habitat as well. For every 1 lb. of shrimp gathered, up to 15 lbs. of bycatch are destroyed. Some ways of helping: Getting the word out, we could make a phamplet to hand out to inform others. We could join up with the engineering organizations and also other marine conservation organizations in the area to see who could come up with a better design/method for reducing bycatch in nets; kind of like a contest.

2. Overfishing: This is a big problem around the world and especially in the Gulf of Mexico. Red Snapper, along with other fish species (tuna, salmon, red drum, etc…) are being fished at unsustainable levels. If something isn’t done, the entire fish stock is in danger of collapsing beyond repair. It is within our control now to bring more attention to the issue and raise awareness. Some ways of helping include: tabling(handing out literature, signing petitions (we can set a petition out at the table and have people sign it if they are concerned about the issue) We can make t-shirts/buttons/stickers that advertise our position. We could handwrite letters to the people involved in reforming the bill about fishery management

Options for Volunteer Event:

1. Storm Drain Marking: This consists of volunteers going out into neighborhoods and marking storm drain inlets with tiles saying, "No Dumping, Drains to Creek"

2. Adopt a Creek CleanUp: As part of the SAFEOceans program, we are already going to adopt part of Waller Creek. If you guys want to go ahead and do our first creek cleanup this month, this would be the option to pick. Supplies will be provided and everyone will be assigned a portion of the creek to clean.

3. Town Lake Canoe CleanUp: This consists of groups of two going out in canoes to pick up trash along the sides of Town Lake. It would take roughly 4 hours and would also be free.

These need to be decided on no later than next Monday. I would prefer that we decided this week so we can actually get started next week. Please choose one option from the outreach event and one from the volunteer choices and email me your vote this week: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

Rob will also be giving us info on our social event at the next meeting, feel free to bring any ideas for that as well. That's it for now. Dues of $10/semester are due at the next meeting as well, October 9, 2006.

Other than that, everything is going well, let me know if you have any questions and good luck on tests this week!

S.A.F.E.Oceans Meeting Today

2006-10-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, we will be having our meeting today at the same time and place. We will be voting on our outreach issue as well as our volunteer event. We will also hear Rob's ideas on our social event. Feel free to bring up any ideas for the group as well. We have changed the name to S.A.F.E.Oceans also because someone had registered the old name in FL. No big deal though, I still feel we get our point across and the acronym is still included.(S.A.F.E. Student Action For the Environment). Officer info is now final and listed below:

President:April Idlett:oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Vice President/Volunteer Coordinator:Kandice Garibay:kandice_1113@yahoo.com
Treasurer:Rennan Pastana:dvillesokkerdude@mail.utexas.edu
Outreach Coordinator:Kyla Schuehle:texasangelkvs@hotmail.com
Social Coordinator:Rob Gross:robbygross@hotmail.com

That's it for now, please check back tonight for details on our outreach/volunteer decisions.
~AMI

Officer Information for OceanS.A.F.E.

2006-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, we have selected some of our officers...Kandice Garibay will serve as our Volunteer Coordinator and Robby Gross will be our Social Coordinator. We are still in need of a treasurer and an Outreach Coordinator. Please see below for descriptions of the needed officers:

III. Treasurer: The treasurer will be responsible for all financial aspects of the group. This includes obtaining funding, collection and turning in of dues, and keeping track of all expenses and filling out necessary paperwork for the group. There is also an orientation required for the treasurer to go through to understand all responsibilities of the org. Sources of funding include: Senate of College Councils(SSB 4.204) or call 471-3166.
IV. Outreach Coordinator: This person is responsible for bringing outreach ideas to the organization at our first of the month meetings. This person can choose to do their own research to gather ideas or solicit them from members of the org. The latter is considered the best idea. The OC will present a list of ideas at our first of the month meeting explaining ways in which we can support each of these and then the group will vote. It is imperative that whichever ideas are brought up have enough background for the group to understand how and if we can help.

Those of you who are interested in these positions, please email me and let me know: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu

If you want to pursue one of these positions, you have to plan on attending the meetings because that is when we will be discussing the options of the group. Robby suggested a co-chair option as well, which I think would be a great idea. So if there are multiple people interested in the positions, let me know and you both can head up that part and it would also make it more productive, I think. That being said, I am posting the other two positions below; if someone is interested in joining either one of these committees, let me know as well.

V. Volunteer Coordinator: This person is responsible for finding local/statewide sources of volunteer activities for the group. We will be participating in one volunteer activity at the end of each month. This person should research or solicit ideas for the group to participate in and coordinate date/time for the event to take place. It should be something relating to water in some way or rehabilitation of wildlife. These ideas should also be brought up at the first of the month meetings and no later than the second meeting of the month. This person is also responsible for coordinating with the staff of the volunteer location to let them know we are coming and want to participate.
VI. Social Coordinator: This person is responsible for our parties and will work closely with the volunteer coordinator. Parties or social gatherings should take place after the volunteer activity has been done and should be conducted in a safe manner for everyone. These can consist of anything form pool parties, IMAX movies, dinners, bowling, putt-putt…this is a way for the organization to be rewarded for doing outreach/volunteering activities and also to get to know one another better.

Information for current officers is as follows:

President: April Idlett; oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
Vice President/Volunteer Coordinator: Kandice Garibay; kandice_1113@yahoo.com
Social Coordinator: Robby Gross; robbygross@hotmail.com

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Next Monday we will be discussing our outreach project, volunteer event and our first social outing. See you then. ~AMI

OceanS.A.F.E. meeting today

2006-09-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today we are having our meeting at the turtle pond at 6pm. We will be discussing officer positions and discussing the first task our our group. For those of you who had trouble finding us last time. I have dark hair and am wearing a light blue t shirt with a red hoodie. I will be under the tree probably with my laptop open. If you are interested in being an officer, please try to make the meeting so we can meet you and you can find out more about the duties. Thanks, see you at 6pm. ~AMI

OceanS.A.F.E. News for 9/21/06

2006-09-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all, due to an overwhelming response of members requesting Mondays, I have decided to keep our Monday meeting time. I apologize to those of you who preferred Tuesdays...you can always check the website or email me if you want to know what is going on. That being said, our second meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 25 @6pm at the turtle pond. We will be discussing officer positions, so if you are interested in being an officer, it is important to try and make this meeting. We will also be discussing membership and funding for the group. I have a meeting with The Ocean Conservancy next week for ideas for our group as well which we will be talking about at the first October meeting. That's it for now, everyone have a great weekend and have fun at the game if you're going. I will see you on Monday!!
-AMI

Meeting Details from 9/18/06

2006-09-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, yesterday we had our first OceanS.A.F.E. meeting. We met some of the members and discussed ways to increase our membership. We currently have 28 members on the email list and are looking to expand this number greatly. The next meeting we will be discussing membership and officer descriptions. If you are intersted in being an officer, please attend the next meeting to find out more. After that, the first meeting of every month, we will be voting on our outreach event of the month as well as our volunteer activity. Outreach events consist of issues such as overfishing, pollution, captivity issues, etc... and will involve the group getting info. out about these concerns. Our volunteer activity will be more hands on and will include things like canoe cleanups, adopt a creek cleanups, Barton Springs outreach, etc...the volunteer event will always take place at the end of the month. The two meetings in between outreach voting and our volunteer activity will be focused on making resources to educate the public...t-shirts, signs, buttons, etc...and also guest speakers. So everything went well and we hope to see everyone at the next meeting.

First Meeting Today...Sept. 18th

2006-09-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, don't forget that our first meeting will be held today at 6pm at the turtle pond. I was going to change the location because of the rain, but it looks like it will be nice for the rest of the day. Hope you all had a good weekend...my friends and I were successful with the beach cleanup and Padre was great as usual. I am excited for our first meeting and hope to see you there.

Event News as of 9/11/06

2006-09-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ok...so the Padre event is still going on. Don't worry about not being able to make the first event...we will be planning another trip down later in the year when everyone gets adjusted and not on ACL weekend :) The Padre meeting was changed today because of weather. If anyone still wants to go, be sure to call me (408-644-6702) before Wednesday so I can take care of the room for you, unless you're making your own plans. Reminder, we will have our first meeting next Monday...and will be discussing more upcoming events if you would like to participate. Have a great week...also if the weather looks bad on Monday, be sure to check this site for location changes.

2006-09-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

A "Padre meeting" will take place here at the turtle pond...Mon. 9/11/06 at 6pm. We will discuss transportation and work out any reservation issues that need to be handled. All who wish to go, please attend. If you can't make it, call me.

Event News as of 9/7/06

2006-09-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all, everything is going well so far. We have 5 people expressing interest about the trip. News on the motel update. Earlier we quoted $60/per person based on 4 person occupancy. Today we found that the Super 8 has cheaper prices and it would actually run $30/per person. That is a lot cheaper and leaves more money for food and recreation. We will be holding a short meeting @6pm next Monday (9/11) at the turtle pond for those of you who want to go. It will be a chance for all the Padre people to get together and meet and coordinate any travel arrangements that need to be taken care of. I will also offer my two carpool spots if anyone still needs a ride. I turned in our paperwork today and we are official...also our organization advisor is Dr. Mike Raney...most of you know him as your Marine/Freshwater Bio. advisor as well. We discussed getting professors from UTMSI to stick around on Wed. and offer mini-lectures to our org., so that is something else in the works. Hopefully, this post clears up any confusion on the trip and otherwise. If you can't make the "Padre meeting" give me a call and I can take down your info. so we can get you set up with transportation. Members, my phone number is 408-644-6702...call me for any reason. I can help clear up any issues and take care of arrangements if need be.~AMI

2006-09-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

South Padre Beach CleanUp---Sat., Sept. 16 @ 9:00am. Join OceanS.A.F.E. for its kickoff event!!

First Meeting and Event Coming Up!!

2006-09-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Marine Bio Students! OceanS.A.F.E.'s first meeting will be held September 18, @ 6pm at the turtle pond (next to the Biology greenhouse and the FAC). We will be discussing the logistics of the group as well as planning upcoming events and volunteer projects for the group. We will also be discussing items of concern that need our attention (i.e. overfishing, pollution, sea animals in captivity, etc...) We will focus on one issue per month and devote our time and energy into bringing awareness to that issue as well as doing what it takes to help remedy the issues. Very similar to the marine science seminar, we will try to bring speakers to the group that can help to shed light on certain issues and let us know what we can do to help. I want to get a friend of mine from The Ocean Conservancy to do our first topic...which would be overfishing in the gulf. I want to also announce our FIRST EVENT! We are going to South Padre on Sept. 16 to participate in a 4 hour beach clean up. My self and some other people are leaving Fri. night and planning on coming back Sun. afternoon. Hotel for the weekend is $238.00. That includes a room on the beach with two queen beds. I suggest 4 people to a room which would make the cost of lodging $60.00 for the entire weekend. Obviously you would have to bring your own spending money. For those of you who do not have transportation, I can take two people in my car (first come, first serve). You can also carpool with each other. I am more than willing to take care of hotel arrangements for everyone, that would require a definite YES on your part that you're going. Otherwise I have to pay a cancellation fee and I don't want to do that. Details of the weekend are as follows: Sat. morning @ 9am meet at Travelodge hotel on the gulf side. We will start from there and do cleanup for 4 hours...afterwards we will have lunch at this great tiki restaurant on the beach. Then we can go surfing, body boarding, swimming, etc...There are also dolphin watches available as well as the Sea turtle rescue center located across the street from the hotel. If you want to go for sure, please send me an email confirming...remember I can take two in my car, basically the first two people who respond get the spots. I would love for everyone to be able to go...I think this is a great way to kick off our group and also a good way for us to get to know each other. Please send me an email: oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
if you want to go. Otherwise, I will see the rest of you at the first meeting! Have a good week and remember to bookmark this website, so you can reference it easier. It will updated every other day with news about the org! ~AMI

Introducing OceanS.A.F.E.

2006-09-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce the new student organization, OceanS.A.F.E. This organization is currently open to University of Texas/Austin students that are interested in marine conservation. We will be having our first meeting on Septemeber 18th at 6pm at the turtle pond. If we have bad weather, I will update this site with a new location. This is the offical website of the organization. All anouncements and meeting times will be posted here. I am planning a trip to South Padre to participate in a coastal cleanup the weekend of Sept. 16, 2006. My friends and I will most likely be camping and will be cleaning up the beach for 4 hours on Sat. The rest of the weekend will be left to you to spend as you like. There are dolphin watches, sea turtle rescue centers, surfing, body boarding and live music. There is also no UT home game this weekend, I checked:. This will be the first event coming up. I do volunteer work with The Ocean Conservancy and will work on getting one of the members to come speak at one of our meetings in the coming month. This organization will be participating in many exciting events. Some include: Town Lake canoe cleanups, Adopt-A-Creek programs, Barton Springs outreach, local diving (if certified), field trips to UTMSI, beach trips to learn about animal rescue,outreach seminars. We will be addressing important conservation issues and doing our part to get the word out and offer support. We will also have round table discussions of marine science topics to relay information to students. Notice to members or interested students, please post all inquiries about the organization to this website, via the comment link or send them to oceanadventurer@mail.utexas.edu
I am looking forward to getting this organization up and running and also to meeting all of you. Thanks. ~AMI