1989

Through the Years | Conferences | Presidents | Awards | Stegner Lecture | The Pike

14th NMEA Conference

July 24-28, Miami Florida (University of Miami,Coral Gables)
Theme: Florida’s Fragile Paradise

Executive Committee

President: Rosanne Fortner (OH) (1988-89)
President-Elect: Valerie Chase (MD)
Membership Secretary: Jim Lanier (NC)
Treasurer: Quinton White (FL)
Secretary: Sharon Walker (MS)
Editor of Current: Nora Deans (CA)
Editor of NMEA news: Lindy Millman

Board of Directors:

(1986-89:) Karen Aspinwall (MD), Gloria Snively (BC), Lundie Spence (NC),
(1987-90): Wendy Allen (SC), Margaret Philbrick (WA), Craig Strang (CA),
(1988-91): Dianne Baxter (CA), Pam Sears (OH), Bruce Stewart (TX), Eugene Williamson (OR),
(1989-92): Karen Blyler (FL), Mary K. Masterson (NJ), J. Philip McLaren (MA)

Chapter Representatives:

• CAMEO (Consortium of Aquatic and Marine Educators of Ohio): Pam Sears (OH)

• FMEA (Florida Marine Education Association): John Booker (FL)

• GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators): Mary Watkins (GA)

• GOMMEA (Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association): Sharon Meeker (NH)

• MAMEA (Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association): Bill Martin (VA)

• MME (Massachusetts Marine Educators): Clive K. Tucceri (MA)

• NAME (Northwest Association of Marine Educators): Gene Williamson (OR)

• NJMEA (New Jersey Marine Education Association): Mary K. Masterson (NJ)

• NYSMEA (New York State Marine Education Association): Joel Teret (NY)

• OCEANIA: Barbara Klemm (HI)

• SAME (Southeastern Association of Marine Educators): Leslie C. Bruce (MS)

• SENEME (Southeastern New England Marine Educators): Sandra Ryack-Bell (RI)

• SWMEA (Southwest Marine Education Association: Linda Hagelin (CA)

• TMEA (Texas Marine Education Association): Jack Clason (TX)

Committees:

• Awards: Jim Lanier (NC)

• Chapters: Joel Teret (NY)

• Computer Education: L. W. “Skip” McLamb

• Conservation: Craig Strang (CA)

• International: Jeff Sandler (ME)

• Membership: Wendy Allen (SC) & Rick Tinnin (TX)

• Nominating: Gene Williamson (OR) & Mary Masterson (NJ)

• Professional Development: John Dindo (AL)

• Publications: Nora L. Dean (CA)

• Research: Rosanne Fortner (OH)

• World of Water Awards Chair: Karen Aspinwall (MD)

Awards:

James Centorino Award: Vicki Clark (VA)
Outstanding Teacher Award: Jack Crowley (MA)
Marine Education Award: Eugene Kaplan (NY)
President’s Award: Jim Lanier (NC) and Vic Mayer (OH)

Conference Highlights:

This conference, hosted by The Florida Marine Science Education Association, was well-organized and co-chaired by Karen M. Blyer and Alison C. Rials. Artist Pieter Folkiens produced a beautiful conference poster featuring Sirenia. As usual, the day preceding the arrival of most NMEA members was reserved for the all-day Board of Directors Meeting.

At the Board Meeting, Bruce Stewart chaired the long-range planning sessions. Working groups reported that (1) a membership survey had been developed for distribution to all national and chapter members in 1989, and a chapter membership-contest would be conducted in 1989-1990; (2) the Conference Handbook was taking shape: and (3) annual reports of organizational activities would be published each year in Current: The Journal of Marine Education. In other action relating to the Long-Range Plan, a mechanism was developed for continually updating and extending NMEA goals. During annual or semi-annual reviews of the goals and accomplishments, Board Members will acknowledge completed goals and establish new objectives.

Two new committees were established: Research Committee and International Committee. (Historian's note: Although the formation of an International Committee was stated in Board notes, an International Committee had already been in existence since 1985. Jeff Sandler (ME) was Chair of that committee.)

Board Members also proposed affiliation with AREC and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS.) Extending the Long-Range Plan, Board Members identified a new goal of embracing and enhancing special education, and established a Committee on special needs groups. Further NMEA objectives included updating the by-laws, developing firm funding for the journal, exploring possibilities for electronic networking, and developing a curriculum materials list.

Upon arrival, each conference participant received a conference program (right), which listed the conference events and concurrent sessions, and a copy of the proceedings of the conference (left), which included abstracts of the conference presentations. Photograph by Susan Leach Snyder.

Day one of the actual conference featured a Florida Video Extravaganza, and a Taste of Calle Ocho welcome banquet. At the banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Fish performed another “punny” skit, this time about Hugh Manatee and accompanied with a “catchy” dugong song. Jean-Michel Cousteau, world-famous underwater explorer and film producer, presented slides of the Alaskan oil spill and shared his observations of the tragedy. Jean-Michel emphasized the importance of each person becoming involved in protecting the environment.

Before and after lunch on the second day, participants attended symposia and concurrent sessions, many of which dealt with coastal issues, including the preservation of coral reefs and the renourishment of eroding shorelines. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, well-known author of The Everglades: A River of Grass and Voice of the River, inspired the group with her love of the Everglades. She shared that, “Education is a most important tool at hand in the continuing battle to save, not only Florida’s paradise, but the Earth we share. “ Sea Swap and a NMEA mixer topped off the evening.

Photographs that had been entered in the photo contest were displayed with their ribbons in the exhibit area on Tuesday afternoon. (Photograph by Susan Leach Snyder)

Day three was filled with more concurrent sessions. The Stegner Memorial Lecture was presented by Dale and Linda Crider, Florida environmental troubadours, who sang songs about Florida’s coastal wilderness. The annual membership meeting was followed by dinner and the auction. More than 250 items were donated for the auction and the auction brought in more than $5,000. THE PIKE, although not actually present at the auction, was bought by SWMEA. (THE PIKE had been lost on route to the Florida conference. Later, United Parcel Service found it and returned it to Karen Travers of MAMEA, who then shipped it to Craig Strang, President of SWMEA.)

At the membership meeting, an orchid was passed out to each person as the 1990 slide-show-conference teaser was presented. It was announced that in 1990, we would be meeting on the Big Island of Hawaii. (Photograph by Susan Leach Snyder)

The fourth day of the conference was designated for field trips. Participants chose full and half day trips to such locations as Key Largo/Pennekamp Park, Charles Deering Estate, Biscayne National Park, and Everglades National Park. The evening was topped off with a Seafest Farewell at the Miami Seaquarium.

When all the numbers were counted, over 350 marine educators, including one hundred and ten new members, had attended the conference.

Additional Highlights of 1989:

NMEA recognized 14 chapters of record in 1988-89 and welcomed the South Carolina Marine Educators Association as a new chapter.

In 1988-89, NMEA had approximately 1,000 members. The basic membership was $20.00.

The Membership Committee, headed by Co-Chairs Wendy Allen (SC) and Rick Tinnin (TX), came up with a scheme to increase NMEA memberships and get the chapters involved. A new NMEA Membership Competition was begun. A chapter showing the greatest percentage increase in NMEA members over the year (beginning September 1, 1989) would become guardian-for-a-year of a beautiful teak ship’s wheel and would be recognized in a special ceremony at the NMEA membership meeting in Hawaii in 1990. The beautiful wheel was donated by Wendy Allen and Rhett Wilson. Engraved in brass, the winning chapter’s name was to permanently decorate one of the wheel spokes.

Each chapter could also compete for “PIKE POINTS”-points that could be applied to the purchase of the infamous and very valuable stuffed pike. For each new NMEA member, a chapter would earn one “PIKE POINT.” Each “PIKE POINT” equaled a dollar at auction time, so 50 “PIKE POINTS” would give a chapter a credit of $50 towards the purchase of THE PIKE.

The mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors was held at the annual meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in Seattle, Washington on April 6, 1989. During the mid-year meeting, various working groups were to report on their progress toward the goals they had identified in 1988. Only the Organizational Structure group noted progress. Chaired by Craig Strang, this group presented a set of proposed job descriptions and committee responsibilities along with changes in the constitution and by-laws that would allow for these new documents to take effect. (Members at the 1989 conference voted to adopt the new materials).

A new Conservation Committee, chaired by Craig Strang (CA) was created.

Ten chapters participated in the World of Water Awards by advertising the competition, screening applicants within their regions, and forwarding the winners’ applications to Karen Aspinwall for national judging. Judges on the national level selected four winners. Two tied for first place and two for third place. The winners received cash awards as well as plaques. Their teachers also received plaques. Each regional winner and teacher received a certificate of award and recognition at the annual conference. Eleven teachers of winning students received one-year memberships in NMEA.

NMEA had a new Research Committee with purposes to : 1) identify the pertinent research and make it known to the membership; 2) synthesize and interpret the research for members and for professionals in related fields; 3) identify research in related fields that we could be interpreted for use in aquatic education. The committee made a start by doing an ERIC search and inviting members of the Board to send copies of research in which they have participated.

NMEA, under the direction of John Dindo (AL), was organizing a curriculum guide for marine materials. John encouraged the membership to submit any materials that they had published and that they felt would benefit other marine educators. The curriculum guide was to be compiled and made available to all educators.

The Annual Report for 1988-89 was published in Current, Volume 9, Number 3, 1989. In the report, President Rosanne Fortner stated, “The National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) was established in 1976 (originally under the name of the National Marine Education Association). As we complete our thirteenth year of organizational activities, we’ve broadened our mission, developed a long-range plan, stabilized publication of our journal, and have a budget that more than covers annual operations. Active committees and regional chapters have taken steps to improve organizational functions, offer a variety of member services, and expand the visibility of NMEA beyond its members. We can see the promise of achieving our goal of being a professionally valuable, diversified and stable organization that makes vital contributions to global environmental concerns.”

In 1989, NMEA published four issues of Current: The Journal of Marine Education. The first was titled, “New Waves in Marine Education.” It contained a description of the 1988 Conference, and included abstracts from the conference’s Marine Science Symposium. The second was titled “Plastics in the Ocean;” the third was a general issue and the fourth was the Annual Report for 1988-89. NMEA news, the organization’s newsletter, was published four times, concluding with the “Academic Year Opportunities” issue in the fall.