Adam Steckley
4th Annual World Ocean Celebration
4th Annual World Ocean Celebration
Adam Steckley
Ocean Art Workshops
Ocean Art Workshops
Adam Steckley
Biscayne Immersion
Biscayne Immersion
Adam Steckley
That's A Wrap
That's A Wrap
Adam Steckley
Give Miami Day Appreciation
Give Miami Day Appreciation

#SaveBiscayneBay

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On July 14th, BAY STORE, in the Miami Design District, hosted a panel discussion the included Blue Scholars and addressed the issues affecting Biscayne Bay. Presented by Quinaz Studio and moderated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, Executive Director of ARTSail, the panelists included Irela Bagué, Chief Bay Officer; Andrew Otazo, environmental activist; Adam Steckley, Co-Founder/Director of Blue Scholars Initiative; Patrick Shearer, Project Engineer at E Sciences; and James Quinaz, Artist/Designer. While surrounded by one-of-a-kind art pieces designed using only materials sourced from Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, panelists provided an insightful conversation fueled by thoughtful questions from attendees. Follow the conversation HERE.

The exhibit runs through July 24th so be sure to stop by to see bay trash transformed into treasured furniture. 20% of all proceeds will benefit Blue Scholars Initiative and ARTSail.

World Ocean Celebration

The Blue Scholars World Ocean Weekend Celebration is officially in the books, and it was a huge success! In partnership with ARTSail and Faena Art, we coordinated the first annual zero-waste, ocean festival on June 12th & 13th in celebration of World Ocean Day. All activities were free and open to the public, bringing together South Florida youth and community members to enjoy, engage with, and protect our ONE World Ocean. An estimated 350 people attended the celebration on Saturday and Sunday, taking part in activities ranging from art, recreation and impact to science, education and entertainment. Highlights from the weekend are captured in the photographs below and include:

  • a 30-minute mile exhibition swim with 31 swimmers

  • a ceremonial paddle-out with 20+ paddlers

  • removal of 570 pounds of debris from the beach by 120 volunteers

  • removal of 20 cubic yards of invasive Scaevola taccada from the dune

  • a beehive of activity (with buzz) thanks to collaborators AMLgMATD, Dolphins & Rainbows, Merle The Mermaid, Surfrider Miami, PADL, Frost Science MUVE, Stream2Sea, Waterproof Miami, EarthEcho International, Xylem, Blue Water Task Force, VolunteerCleanup.Org, The International SeaKeepers Society, Clean Miami Beach, Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Elizabeth Wheaton, Lavazza and the International Ocean Film Festival

THANK YOU to all of the participants who made the First Annual World Ocean Celebration such a success. Special thanks also, to our sponsors, Boucher Brothers and TUUCI, not only for their financial support but also for their in-kind contributions to bring shade and art to the event. We can't wait to celebrate with everyone again in 2022!

Miami Beach Saturday Activation

Art Installation

The #SaveBiscayneBay flag installation reminded us all of the beauty and importance of our beloved Bay, and what led to the catastrophic fish kill of last summer.

by AMLgMATD (with support from Boucher Brothers)

Ocean Mile Swim

The day kicked off with a 30-minute mile challenge open water swim led by a group of 31 swimmers from the Dolphins & Rainbows and Blue Scholars families.

by the dynamic duo, Donald Lutton & Bubba Drody, and the Dolphins & Rainbows Swim Group

Ocean Paddle-Out

20+ surfers and paddlers, along with a few swimmers, participated in the ceremonial paddle-out remembering and honoring fallen peers and the ocean that sustains us all.

by the Miami Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation

Education & Art

The Frost Museum Volunteers for the Environment worked with kids of all ages to create artwork from ocean debris, Waterproof Miami shared postcards designed by Michele Oka Doner honoring Biscayne Bay marine life, and Stream2Sea featured their reef-safe body and hair products.

by Frost Science MUVE, Waterproof Miami and Stream2Sea

Water Quality Testing

Earth Echo International, Xylem and Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force explained the importance of water quality for humans and marine life alike, and taught us how to test it with portable kits.

by EarthEcho International, Xylem and Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force

Beach Cleanup

Three of Miami’s leading community cleanup organizations joined forces for a cleanup on the beach, along the shore and in the parking lot between 35th and 36th Streets. 570 pounds of debris was collected and prevented from entering our ocean.

by VolunteerCleanup.Org, The International SeaKeepers Society and Clean Miami Beach

Dune Restoration

Surfrider Miami led a group-effort to clean and restore the dunes that protect our communities from storm surges and coastal erosion. 20 cubic yards of invasive Scaevola taccada was removed from the dune system clearing the way for native vegetation.

Faena Theater Sunday engagement

ocean talks

Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles, RSMAS, gave an impassioned speech about the importance of coral reefs and what is threatening their very existence. Elizabeth Wheaton, MBRA, discussed what the City of Miami Beach is doing to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change and man-made pollution, including what we can all do to make a difference. Special guest, Merle Liivand, shared her love for the ocean and what led her to merge her athletic prowess with activism.

by Nikki Traylor-Knowles & Elizabeth Wheaton, with special guest, Merle Liivand

International ocean films

The celebration weekend concluded with an inspiring program of ocean-focused films, spanning from short documentary to animation, organized in collaboration with the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival. We were thrilled to welcome its Executive Director, Ana Blanco, who joined us for the evening.

by Ana Blanco, Executive Director of the International Ocean Film Festival

Photos by Blue Scholars Initiative, ARTSail and Faena Art

- Special thanks to our -

sponsors:

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partners:

 

OCEAN HERO Challenge

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Here’s your chance to be a hero for our world’s ocean and help educate others about the importance of being a steward for the seas. Put on your creative cap and make a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about how people can protect our world oceans.

Maybe you want to talk about your favorite marine animal or do an ad for recycling, or even make a commercial all about reducing your use of single use plastics - THE SKY’S THE LIMIT! Whatever it is, get creative and have fun doing your project. Read below for our guidelines should you choose to accept the heroic challenge, which we hope you will.

DEADLINE: MAY 20, 2021

Video Format Guidelines:

  • Max time for presentation = 60 seconds

  • If using a phone or tablet, photograph/film in the horizontal position

  • Find a quiet place to speak, and speak loud and clear so we can hear your message

  • Introduce yourself with “Hello my name is (first name only) and I’m a Blue Scholar...”

Send all electronic submissions to mbass@bluescholars.org, with the subject line:

OCEAN HERO CHALLENGE - (student’s first/last name)

If you are creating print media, please hand in to your teacher or mail your submission to:

Meredith Bass, 8445 SW 120 Street, Miami, FL 33156

** Please include your name, email, grade and school **

Have Questions?

email mbass@bluescholars.org

Earth Day(s) 2021

What an incredible Earth Week! We spent the days with some amazing ocean-minded students at Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School teaching both virtually and hands-on about Biscayne Bay ecosystems and the watershed, and how our actions on land directly affects the health of our ocean. We brainstormed on changing behaviors, communicating our message to others, and the need to act NOW! These Blue Scholars know that the future of our Blue Planet lies in their hands.

Special thanks to the teachers and schools for inviting us in to share our program, and of course, to our Blue Scholars.

Biscayne Bay Ecosystems virtual program

South Pointe Elementary, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade Classes

Hands-on Watershed program

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School, 5th grade class

Coral Estates Park Tree Planting

One Tree Planted & Million Trees Miami

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We concluded our Earth Week with a native tree and shrub planting (~100) alongside One Tree Planted and Million Trees Miami. While our focus is on the bay and ocean, providing marine science education with four quarterly cleanups a year, it was nice to switch gears to address the impacts of climate change by helping to reforest our urban landscape - a holistic approach to ocean stewardship.

Virtual Board Meeting Recap

Big plans in the works for Blue Scholars Initiative! We’re gearing up for a fun #earthweek and planning an incredible campaign and celebration for World Ocean Day. Thank you to everyone who joined our Blue Scholars and World Oceans update last night. We are so appreciative of our BOD and Advisory Board. If you weren't able to make it, we've got you covered. Here are the action items, meeting summary and a link to the video session.


ACTION ITEMS

  1. Get on Blue Scholars social media and follow, like, share and comment on our posts. Also, tag us when you post relevant content. FB / IG / TW / YT / LI

  2. Identify businesses to sponsor our World Oceans Campaign ("One Ocean Day") and Celebration ("Ocean Hero").

  3. Activate your kids to create an Ocean PSA that Blue Scholars can highlight in advance of our campaign start on June 1st.

  4. Participate in our celebration event on June 12th and spread the word to your friends and family members. More details coming soon.

Special thanks to Valeria (@valeriasketches) for her illustration summarizing our meeting. She's got mad skills!

Breakthrough Miami

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Prior to the pandemic, Blue Scholars worked to develop a partnership with Breakthrough Miami (BTM) to offer on the water programming to their Summer 2020 scholars. Needless to say, in-person programs ceased but as of February, Blue Scholars began virtual "field trips" on Saturdays with Breakthrough Scholars. Since then, over 200-5th grade students have been served at each of the five BTM sites, and 50-60 more are scheduled to be served this month.

“I really loved the video. I think that the live interaction, even though we’re not live and interacting, was amazing! We appreciate everything that you all have done and all the hard work that goes into this.”
— Jake Verdin, Breakthrough Miami Site Director

Blue Scholars is pleased to partner with BTM and looks forward to providing hands-on marine science education to their scholars on Biscayne Bay when it is safe and appropriate to do so. No doubt, everyone is equally excited!

Q1-2021 Cleanups

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107 volunteers and partner organizations helped Blue Scholars remove over 900 pounds of debris from Miami-Dade County beaches, parks and waterways in the first three months of the year. In January and February, Blue Scholars partnered with Clean Miami Beach and The International SeaKeepers Society to coordinate cleanups on Miami Beach with middle schoolers and on Virginia Key with both beach-goers and paddlers. In March, members of Hungry Harvest and Temple Beth Am joined Blue Scholars for back to back cleanups at Peacock Park and Matheson Hammock Park.

Through it all, participants witnessed first-hand the devastating problem facing our ocean and gained a better understanding of where the pollution is coming from and how, as consumers, they have the power to create change. Even though marine debris will return with the changing tides and shifting currents, their overall effort and contribution to citizen science makes a big impact. For that, we are grateful!

Photo: Tanya Manfrediz

Bay Experience

On Saturday, December 12th, the final day of Giving Bay Day + The 12 Days of Biscayne Bay, Blue Scholars Initiative and The International SeaKeepers Society partnered together to celebrate the beauty of Biscayne Bay with a full bay experience. 11 paddle enthusiasts and 51 cleanup volunteers participated, respectively, in a 7+ mile paddle around Virginia Key and a shoreline cleanup along Hobie Beach.

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Launching just after sunrise, the 3.5 hour paddle flowed with the tide out Bear Cut and past Historic Virginia Key Beach. Along the way, paddlers observed a variety of marine life including rays, dolphins, manatees, jellies, seabirds and schooling fish. From a distance, thriving red mangrove and seagrass habitats in the Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area of the island's NW coastline were also observed. Excited but exhausted, paddle participants expensed their remaining energy against the tide and turbulence under the Rickenbacker bridge to safely return to the sandy shoreline of Hobie Beach.

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Special thanks to our support boat crew: Don Kerr, Scott Mullin and Tim Brigham

Photos courtesy of Scott Mullin, Doug Brown, Adam Steckley and Meredith Bass

To all of the volunteers who came out to celebrate and protect Biscayne Bay, including Boy Scout Troop 83, Blue Scholars and SeaKeepers thanks you from the bottom of our ocean. Your collective effort helped to remove a total of 107 pounds of debris from Hobie Beach. Way to go!

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