Team OCEAN in the MBNMS

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Team OCEAN
(Ocean Conservation Education Action Network)

National Marine Sanctuaries Team Ocean unites programs across all sanctuaries that support three pillars of activism within our ocean parks: Science, Education and Conservation. We provide programs that bring the public into research, monitoring, education and stewardship initiatives and make science accessible to a broader audience. The ability to frame and deliver environmental solutions fosters a sense of community within our staff and volunteer network while capturing consumer attention. We are in the business of creating wise environmental stewards and educated consumers. Volunteers and visitors to national marine sanctuaries are empowered to take action, be engaged and be purposeful.

In Monterey Bay, the Sanctuary's Team OCEAN Program puts trained, knowledgeable naturalists out on the water in sanctuary kayaks, to greet and interact with fellow day kayakers. The naturalists serve as docents for the marine sanctuary, promote respectful wildlife viewing, and protect marine mammals from disturbance. A large percentage of ocean kayakers are visitors to the area and unaware of or undereducated about the sanctuary's existence and sensitive wildlife. Team OCEAN has proven to be a successful program with thousands of contacts per year. Team OCEAN volunteers can be found in Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing and along the kelp beds off Cannery Row in Monterey.

Since 2000 the staff and volunteers with Team OCEAN have spoken with 43,601 people along Cannery Row in Monterey and 54,642 people in Elkhorn Slough. All the while Team OCEAN staff and volunteers have prevented a minimum of 1,542 disturbances to harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions and birds. A link to our yearly reporting of interactions and disturbances can be found on this page

If you are interested in donating equipment, funds, or your time to become a Team OCEAN Volunteer, please visit our calendar of events or contact Lisa Emanuelson, Team OCEAN Coordinator, at lisa.emanuelson@noaa.gov, or by phone at (831) 647-4227.

• 2019 Team OCEAN and Bay Net Flyer (190K PDF)

MBNMS Team OCEAN Reports:

Team OCEAN Compiled Data 2000-2016
Click here to download and view the data report (307K PDF)
Team OCEAN Wildlife Cards
Seal Card (click on image or text for full size-569KB)	Otter Card (click on image or text for full size-618KB)

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