Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2018 Offers Expanded Opportunities to Engage in Ocean and Great Lakes Policy   Washington, DC — The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (the Foundation) announced the opening of registration for Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) 2018, the nation’s premier ocean policy conference, bringing together global stakeholders to discuss ocean and Great Lakes…

Long-Term Monitoring Site to Benefit Public, Resource Managers, and Scientists Charles County, Maryland – The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (the Foundation) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced a five-year partnership to monitor water quality at Mallows Bay on the Potomac River, a site being considered for designation as a national marine sanctuary. The partnership plans…

Program cuts more than 80 tons of smog-forming emissions   SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The partners in an initiative to cut air pollution and protect whales today announced results from the 2017 program and publicly recognized the 11 shipping companies who participated, reducing speeds to 12 knots or less in two regions. For the first…

Wisconsin’s maritime heritage runs deep. Designating a national marine sanctuary would preserve Lake Michigan shipwrecks and cultural artifacts that represent the tenacity and entrepreneurial spirt of generations of Americans.  Wisconsin communities along the lakeshore worked together to nominate and support a Wisconsin-Lake Michigan to preserve our Nation’s history, to connect children to Great Lakes history…

Back in April, NOAA Office of Education partnered with the U.S. Department of Education and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (the Foundation) in a new program to bring environmental STEM experiences to students and educators all across the country. The NOAA-21st CCLC Watershed STEM Education Partnership grants program was issued by the Foundation to enable NOAA…

Anyone who has made the trip from Miami to the Florida Keys knows that it is one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in America. Driving down U.S. 1 South last month on my way to attend a meeting of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, I was not sure what to…

Silver Spring, MD – Today, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (the Foundation) announced over $140,000 in Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Awards to protect endangered species, engage children in science, and increase awareness about America’s treasured national marine sanctuaries. The Foundation selected five recipients for this year’s awards. Two projects –Space to Sea: A Photographic…

Winter is here, and as the temperature continues to drop, there are fewer opportunities for many of us to get out on–or into–the water. While we’re all waiting for this summer’s Get Into Your Sanctuary Day to get back to some of our favorite outdoor activities, here at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, every day…

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Interior announced its plans to open over 90 percent of America’s Outer Continental Shelf for offshore oil and gas exploration and development. As part of the development of the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024, the Administration’s plan proposes the largest number of lease sales in…

Happy holidays from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation! As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, we’re highlighting a favorite holiday-related shipwreck with a fascinating, over one-hundred year history: the Christmas Tree Ship. Found in the waters off the coast of the currently proposed Wisconsin — Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary, the…