Dolphin Talk

Big Summer Plans? Enjoy your summer and do all those things that you have looked forward to during the hectic school year, but please take a few minutes to put these TMEA offerings on your calendar so they don’t slip up on you when school starts.

Call for Nominations: TMEA officers serve for a two-year term. If you are interested in running for one of these offices, or wish to nominate someone, please send your name or theirs and information to Nominating Committee Chair Mark Stamp at stampm@pearlandisd.org. Please be sure that the person nominated is willing to serve.

Welcome to NMEA 2009 One World Conserving One Ocean

Join us June 29-July 3, 2009 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. Bring your comfortable shoes and some layers! It may be sunny and warm or cool and foggy. This beautiful wooded site is only a block from the beach. We’ll be walking outside everyday between exciting sessions, outstanding speakers and special evening events as well as during our field-based workshops on Thursday.

Pre-registration is required.
Registrations will not be accepted after June 19 or at the conference.
Why Come to Central California for NMEA 2009?

The South West Marine Educators Association (SWMEA) invites you to spend a week on the scenic Monterey Peninsula this summer. Sleep, eat and learn at historic Asilomar where the first NMEA conference was held in 1976. Walk the beach at sunrise or sunset. Enjoy the beauty of the Monterey Bay while networking with friends and colleagues, old and new!

Come join the sea otters and sea lions in the pristine Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Watch their antics along the rocky shore, at Fisherman’s Wharf or from a kayak. Dive in a kelp forest or relax on a sailboat. Experience spectacular scenery, hike in the forests, play on the beach, spend time on a world famous golf course or learn the history of the City of Monterey, the first capital of California. You don’t want to miss this conference!

Attend one of the optional all-day professional development workshops on Monday or just arrive and check-in at Asilomar sometime that day. Listen to our first featured speaker, come to the Exhibitors Reception in the afternoon, and then relax around the bonfire after dinner that night.

Concurrent sessions begin on Tuesday. That evening, you can experience the weekly Farmer’s Market in downtown Monterey to sample the local produce and soak up the history of the area. Choose a strolling dinner while looking and nibbling, dine in one of our famous restaurants or take a cruise on the bay!

We’ll have lots more interesting sessions again on Wednesday, and then you’ll have a chance to buy some one-of-a-kind souvenirs at our fabulous annual auction. Our Thursday sessions will be held at a variety of outstanding field sites. During our final evening together, you can connect with colleagues and be inspired to conserve our ocean as you explore the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

Check-out Friday morning or book an optional field trip and play at one of many local sites. Maybe you’d like to observe marine mammals and learn the history of Pt. Lobos. Try kayaking, scuba diving, sailing, biking or whale watching on the Monterey Bay or go wine-tasting in Carmel Valley. Make a difference by participating in a habitat restoration. You’ll have so many choices that you just might want to extend your stay over the 4th of July weekend!

For more information take this link http://itconf.mbayaq.org/nmea2009/

The next workshop will take place in or near Austin on Sept. 25, 26, and 27, 2009
“A river runs through it”
The Colorado River and its tributaries
“What happens in Austin does not stay in Austin”

Join The Texas Marine Education Association in Austin for the second part of a multi-part workshop to study the movement of water through the Colorado River watershed system from its headwaters down to where it empties into Matagorda Bay. This workshop is designed to help teachers of all disciplines gain a better understanding of how we impact the world of water in many ways.
The second stop of this tour will develop an understanding of the ecology, history, usage, and problems of water in the Austin area. During the workshop the group, with the help of the Lower Colorado River Authority, will explore a dam on the Colorado River, and freshwater habitats in the area. To register, download the Registration Form from our website when it is posted this summer: http://statweb.org/TMEA/

Spring 2010-Explore the mouth of the Colorado River and Matagorda Bay- TBA

Summer vacation doesn’t have to end in August.
The Science Teachers Association of Texas invites you to get back to the beach this November.

Come cruise the currents of science with us in Galveston, November 5th-7th, 2009. We are offering three days of continuing education workshops, short courses, field trips and evening social events. Come network and share best practices with science teachers across the state.

Mark your calendar now and make sure your district knows that you simply cannot miss the largest state science conference in the nation!

CAST Housing is still available. The Moody Gardens is the host hotel which will house the exhibit hall. The San Luis Properties (The San Luis Resort, Hilton Galveston Island and Holiday Inn on the Beach) will host many of the workshops and short courses.

CAST Registration rates are as follows:
Early bird registration (August to September 26): $110 Advance Registration (September 27 to October 22): $140 Regular Registration (October 22 to end of conference): $155. Registration opens in August, refer to the CAST website for more updates. For more information, please visit the CAST website: http://www.statweb.org/cast/

The San Angelo Workshop Was a Resounding Success!

TMEA’s teacher workshop in San Angelo exceeded all expectations by providing an excellent mixture of fieldtrip, power point presentations, tours and excellent weather for the first of our three-part examination of the Colorado River.

Friday highlights included a behind the scenes tour of the M.L. Leddy Boot Company with the founder's granddaughter (far right). She shared samples of alligator, stingray, kangaroo, elephant, iguana, and anaconda for our teachers to use with their classes. Dinner at Ms Hattie’s was great fun as we visited with old friends and met new members.

On Saturday, we had the distinct privilege of visiting the Head of the River Ranch and listened to the owner tell us the history of that area as we viewed the pristine springs found there.

We then went to the S. Concho River and took more water samples and compared water temperature and pH, using a Hydrolab Surveyor. The group collected aquatic adult and larval insects and other aquatic animals such as tadpoles and crayfish. We had hot dogs prepared by our host Tim C. Smith and just enjoyed being outside.

Next we visited the San Angelo Nature Center located on Lake Nasworthy and viewed an incredible collection of live animals, including: two bobcats, two coatis, a young alligator, and lots of snakes and lizards. Nearby, we visited the NOAA Weather Station for a presentation and talked with the meteorologists there. We ended the fieldtrip portion of the day at the Visitor's Center and toured the newly created river-walk. We returned to our "headquarters," the Upper Colorado River Authority facility, where Chuck Brown and Christy Youker presented lots of interesting information about their efforts in the San Angelo area. After a scrumptious fajita dinner, we had the distinct pleasure of hearing Dr. Rob Dean, a retired TAMU professor, and currently a Park Ranger at Big Bend National Park, speak about water, the essential and dwindling resource.

The workshop ended on Sunday with an overview and visit to an UCRA storm water retention project. Many thanks to TMEA member Tim C. Smith for setting up the workshop for us and Chuck Brown of the Upper Colorado River Authority.

Twenty-one participants, many of them new members, attended this “family friendly” workshop with kids and spouses taking part in several of the activities. Consensus of the participants: this was one of our best workshops ever!

Take the following link and download the PDF file Benthic Key for a great key to aquatic organisms of Central Texas. You will need to print it on legal sized paper.

Most of our members love to eat seafood. We have it at most of our TMEA workshops and especially at our national conferences. To be “Green,” it is recommended that we eat seafood that does the least damage to the species, its habitat, and is the most healthful. At our house we eat fresh wild caught Gulf shrimp, but we have recently seen Louisiana wild caught flash frozen shrimp at Walmart and Sam’s Club. Frozen, seasoned Alaskan wild caught salmon is also available at Sam’s, in addition to US farmed raised catfish that is rated a “Best Choice” by Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The following is a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch web page; http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx You may obtain and print a Pocket Guide for the South East US by clicking on Choose a Pocket Guide on the right side of the page.

The information below is from the Seafood Watch web site. Check out other seafood there.

Shrimp (US wild-caught) U.S. shrimp trawlers are required to use devices that allow sea turtles and other unwanted marine life to escape from their nets. Despite this, the discarded catch of small fishes remains quite high.

Consumer Note
The terms "shrimp" and "prawn" are used interchangeably. Shrimp is known as ebi when prepared for sushi.

Summary
Shrimp is the world’s most valuable seafood and one of the top seafood choices of U.S. consumers. U.S. shrimp trawlers must adhere to stricter environmental standards than those in other countries and this makes U.S. wild-caught shrimp a good alternative and imported shrimp a product to avoid.

Most U.S. shrimp is caught in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These shrimp species are short-lived and reproduce at high rates, and therefore they are somewhat resistant to intense fishing. These shrimp populations are healthy and abundant and the fisheries are well managed.

Wild shrimp are usually caught in trawl nets. These nets catch everything in their path, including endangered sea turtles, juvenile fish and other marine life. This unintended catch, called bycatch, is thrown overboard, dead or dying.

U.S. shrimp trawlers are required by law to use bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) to limit the amount of unwanted catch, and must carry a turtle excluder device (TED) to release sea turtles. However, juvenile fishes, such as red snapper are frequently caught in U.S. warm-water shrimp trawls, as are crabs, seahorses, shellfish and other invertebrates.

Due to the remaining bycatch issues, U.S. wild-caught shrimp is a good alternative, with the exception of Oregon pink shrimp and British Columbia spot prawn. These fisheries have fewer environmental impacts and are therefore best choices. Recommendation at this time: avoid all imported wild-caught shrimp due to higher bycatch levels in warm water shrimp fisheries and trawl-related habitat damage.

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings
Atlantic Gulf Shrimp Seafood Watch Report
Shrimp Fact Card
Trawling & Traps and Pots Fact Cards

TMEA is an affiliate of NMEA and many of our members attend the conferences held in June/July. The next NMEA conference will be held June 29- July 3, 2009 • Monterrey Bay, California. With lectures from world-renowned experts, fieldtrips with the host chapter to the best places, and socials that give you an opportunity to enjoy new and old friends, this NMEA experience is not to be missed! Take the NMEA09 button on the TMEA web page to find out more about the 2009 conference.

Visit the TMEA Website http://www.statweb.org/TMEA/ See our newsletter and check out a photo album our recent activies. Check it out!

As a TMEA member, you will receive periodic updates from the TMEA News Google Group. Right now TMEAers are urged to look at the first draft of the proposed Science TEKS posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/scienceTEKS.html and submit their comments.

Do you have marine-related news or classroom activities that you are willing to share with other marine educators? Would you like to make comments or suggestions for improving the Dolphin Talk or TMEA? This is a joint effort, let us hear from you!

Please keep your membership current! Provide the following information and send with appropriate dues money to:

Membership Form -- TMEA and/or NMEA

City, State, Zip ________________________________________________________________

Which newsletter delivery do you prefer? ____ email notification/web-based ____ US mail copy

Your TMEA membership includes a quarterly newsletter, Dolphin Talk, meetings throughout the year, including an annual meeting at C.A.S.T., plus opportunities for tours, field trips, and workshops.

Your NMEA membership includes a subscription to Current, The Journal of Marine Education, a quarterly newsletter, and a national conference.

___ FAMILY: active members receiving only one set of mailings per household. 1 year--$65

Make check out to TMEA for TMEA membership only. A separate check made out to NMEA will be forwarded if national membership is desired. Mail with this form to:
Luz Tellez, TMEA Treasurer, 607 Beckman, Alice, TX 78332

If the date on your address label is highlighted, it is time to mail in your dues!

The Newsletter of the Texas Marine Education Association

Welcome to NMEA 2009 One World Conserving One Ocean

Pre-registration is required.
Registrations will not be accepted after June 19 or at the conference.
Why Come to Central California for NMEA 2009?

For more information take this link http://itconf.mbayaq.org/nmea2009/

The next workshop will take place in or near Austin on Sept. 25, 26, and 27, 2009
“A river runs through it”
The Colorado River and its tributaries
“What happens in Austin does not stay in Austin”

The first workshop took place in SAN ANGELO on MARCH 27, 28, & 29, 2009
“A river runs through it”
The Colorado River and its tributaries
“What happens in West Texas does not stay in West Texas”

The San Angelo Workshop Was a Resounding Success!

Membership Form -- TMEA and/or NMEA

The Newsletter of the Texas Marine Education Association

Welcome to NMEA 2009 One World Conserving One Ocean

Pre-registration is required. Registrations will not be accepted after June 19 or at the conference. Why Come to Central California for NMEA 2009?

For more information take this link http://itconf.mbayaq.org/nmea2009/

The next workshop will take place in or near Austin on Sept. 25, 26, and 27, 2009 “A river runs through it” The Colorado River and its tributaries “What happens in Austin does not stay in Austin”

The first workshop took place in SAN ANGELO on MARCH 27, 28, & 29, 2009 “A river runs through it” The Colorado River and its tributaries “What happens in West Texas does not stay in West Texas”

The San Angelo Workshop Was a Resounding Success!

Membership Form -- TMEA and/or NMEA

Pre-registration is required.
Registrations will not be accepted after June 19 or at the conference.
Why Come to Central California for NMEA 2009?

The next workshop will take place in or near Austin on Sept. 25, 26, and 27, 2009
“A river runs through it”
The Colorado River and its tributaries
“What happens in Austin does not stay in Austin”

The first workshop took place in SAN ANGELO on MARCH 27, 28, & 29, 2009
“A river runs through it”
The Colorado River and its tributaries
“What happens in West Texas does not stay in West Texas”