A Summer Day in Sanctuaries

Since we're here, let's get started at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachusetts...

Scientists, volunteers, and the vessel crew from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are out on the research vessel Auk for a day at sea, where they will safely capture and tag shearwaters, an Atlantic seabird that undertakes very long migrations each year. Summer is the busiest research season for sanctuary scientists as they and their partners undertake projects that range from monitoring water quality and coral recovery to studying the noises of whales and dolphins and the feeding behavior of sharks. The information that results from these kinds of  scientific endeavors  helps sanctuary managers make more informed decisions and contributes to our still modest knowledge of our ocean.

The folks on Auk have a long day of catching and tagging birds so let's leave them to it. Let's go see what's happening in Maryland, at Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary today...

Ten tandem kayaks make their way across a calm bay, pausing here and there to wave at anglers on shore, admire an osprey and a bald eagle, and study the remains of World War I-era shipwrecks protected by Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. The paddlers are here as part of the annual Pride Paddle, an outing celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month and one of a year-long series of offerings from the  Heritage of the Blue  project that celebrates the heritage months of the year. It’s also one of a number of projects used by the sanctuary system to help break down barriers of all kinds so that everyone can access and enjoy the outdoors.

That sure looks fun! We'd join the paddle but there's still so much to see! Let's head over and see what's up at the sanctuary system headquarters today...

The NOAA seagull logo can be seen from this park plaza on the NOAA campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. The headquarters office of the sanctuary system is in charge of representing the system nationally and internationally; coordinating national research, education, and management activities; planning for the future of the system; and overseeing administrative functions like contracting for vital services, allocating and tracking budgets, and purchasing equipment and vessels. Headquarters staff work every day with their colleagues stationed at regional offices and in sanctuary communities all over the country.

Still so much to see! Let's head south and see what's happening today at Monitor National Marine Sanctuary...

At The Mariners’ Museum, staff from Monitor National Marine Sanctuary work with experts from the museum to check the condition of artifacts recovered from the USS Monitor (a Civil War-era ironclad ship that sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1862) and being conserved in the Batten Conservation Laboratory Complex. This was the first national marine sanctuary and helped set the stage for other sanctuaries that protect  maritime heritage resources  like shipwrecks. The sanctuary also helped shape the relatively young field of marine archaeology and influenced the legal protections of maritime heritage resources and landscape/seascapes across the country. Today, sanctuary archaeologists and historians work across the system to study, share, and protect maritime heritage resources of all kinds.

We'd stay and visit The Mariner's Museum for more amazing stories about Monitor but there's still so much going on today! Let's see what the folks in Savannah are up to today at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary...

Staff from Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary join a public festival in Savannah dressed as the denizens of the reef: sharks, sea turtle, shrimp...where's the jellies? Because the sanctuary is so far offshore, the staff focus on sharing the sanctuary with shoreside communities through engagement opportunities such as public festivals, parades, speaking opportunities, and exhibits and visitor facilities. From tending information booths at public events to escorting participants in recreation events, and from riding sanctuary-themed floats in parades to cavorting in character costumes, our educators and outreach specialists undertake many  creative ways  to share the amazing places we protect.

We could spend all day with the Gray's Reef crew but we'd miss what the rest of the National Marine Sanctuary System is up to today! Onward to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary!

With Key West in the distance, the mooring buoy maintenance team of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are on board the research vessel Rachel Carson. They’ve already been out for several hours to beat the worst of the heat of a tropical summer day. These skilled professionals are responsible for maintaining the 900 buoys along the length of the archipelago and out to the Dry Tortugas, which allow boaters, divers, and anglers to safely enjoy a day on the water without having to drop an anchor on sensitive coral reefs. Mooring buoys were pioneered in the sanctuary more than 40 years ago, and are now used to protect reef systems around the world. They are also one of many innovations that the sanctuary system has used to protect the resources in its sites.

What a great job they're doing! Let's get out of their way and head across the Gulf of Mexico to see what's going on at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary...

Armed with a pole spear and dive bag to avoid the venomous spines of a lionfish, the divers in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary carefully remove lionfish one by one. Increasing populations of invasive lionfish in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean are a serious threat to coral reefs. The voracious predators have been found in four national marine sanctuaries: Gray's Reef, Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks, and Monitor. Sanctuary scientists and other experts employ a number of different methods to remove lionfish, including targeted removal during scientific dives, lionfish "derbies" involving teams of specially trained volunteers, and experimental lionfish traps that could help fishermen meet a growing demand for lionfish in the seafood market. It is painstaking but important work to help keep coral reefs, and the wildlife that depends on them as healthy as we can.

Let's leave these expert divers to their work and head north. There's something exciting happening up at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary that you just have to see...

Wow, look at them go! Alpena, Michigan’s annual Cardboard Boat Regatta is in full swing! Each year the regatta is sponsored by the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Participants race colorful cardboard boats of their own construction across the Thunder Bay River in Alpena. Cardboard boats are judged for design, seaworthiness, and sailors’ team spirit. The regatta is part of the Thunder Bay Maritime Festival, which may also include performances, arts and crafts for children, and sail boat and glass bottom boat rides. Friends groups, including the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, are important partners with the sanctuary system who can help raise external funds, host events, and conduct other activities in support of national marine sanctuaries.

They sure know how to have some fun in Michigan! But let's hop over to Lake Michigan and see what our newest sanctuary, Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary is up to...

Aboard the research vessel, divers from Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary and the state of Wisconsin suit up for a trip beneath the surface of Lake Michigan. Their objectives today include taking photos of a wreck to create a  photogrammetric model  of the vessel and getting a closer look at a nearby area that some recreational divers believe may contain the remains of another shipwreck. While nearly every sanctuary has shipwrecks, a number of them were designated specifically to protect a single notable shipwreck (Monitor National Marine Sanctuary) or an important group of them (Thunder Bay and Mallows Bay-Potomac River national marine sanctuaries). Understanding the stories these shipwrecks have to tell us deepens our understanding of the history of the U.S. as a maritime nation.

We can't wait to see what discoveries are coming from this new sanctuary! But let's head cross country to the Pacific Northwest and see what the day is like in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary...

Some of our staff are at work along the shore of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, taking photos and recording video. Still images and videos have the ability to move us in ways that sometimes the written word can't, and it's a tool the National Marine Sanctuary System has used since its creation 50 years ago. Today, we use  photos and videos  in numerous ways, from sharing photos taken by our talented photographers with the public to hosting annual photo contests, from our  Stories From the Blue  films featuring sanctuary staff, volunteers, and partners telling their ocean stories to our immersive  Sanctuaries 360: Explore the Blue  virtual dives.

What a view - we're so lucky to work in such beautiful places! Speaking of, let's go down the coast and visit with Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary...

One of the intrepid volunteers from the Beach Watch program of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary has found the remains of a seabird on the beach. She notes the size and condition of the carcass, information that will be entered into a scientific database maintained by the sanctuary. Beach Watch is the oldest volunteer program in the sanctuary system, and one of the oldest modern ones in NOAA. Our volunteers had to slow down in the last couple years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but in 2019, almost 12,000 volunteers donated 119,000 hours worth $3 million (based on the estimated value of volunteer time of $27.20 per hour) to national marine sanctuaries. There are more than a dozen  volunteer programs across the system ; check  them  out for your opportunity to join in!

We love our volunteers and couldn't get our job done without them! Let's head down to see a different group of volunteers at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary...

A productive morning behind them, the  Sanctuary Advisory Council  for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary prepares to break for lunch. Sanctuary advisory councils are composed of community members who care about their waters and provide advice and input to the sanctuary superintendent on important management decisions and projects. Councils help revise management plans and regulations, provide input on education and research priorities, and assist the sanctuary in community projects. The presence of the councils, along with other volunteer programs, education programs, and visitors centers, have helped the sanctuary system earn a trusted reputation for its community outreach and engagement work.

Shhh, let's slip out quietly so we don't disrupt the meeting and head south to see what's happening at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary today...

Laughing and enjoying the day at the beach, students from a local elementary school, one of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Ocean Guardian Schools, prepare to plant native grasses at the shore. The  Ocean Guardian School  program pairs local schools with their sanctuaries to help build an ocean care ethic in communities through education programs and conservation projects like native plant restoration. It's only one of many education programs used by the sanctuary system to engage K-12 students and prepare them as stewards of our ocean planet in the coming years.

How exciting! It would be fun to stick around but you're going to want to see what's up in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary...

"Look, look, I see another one over there!" Shouts of excitement greet a pod of dolphins as they swim alongside a boat carrying visitors in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. This field trip is one of many  Get Into Your Sanctuary  events hosted across the system every year to get communities involved in their sanctuary. Every year, thousands of people explore tide pools and seagrass meadows, participate in a coastal or reef clean up, hop aboard a kayak or tour vessel to see seabirds, whales, and dolphins, or drop by a sanctuary visitor center or partner facility to learn more. A  photo contest  runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, inviting shutterbugs to send in their best snaps and gain national exposure for their winning entry. It's a great time for everyone and one of our favorite times of year!

We love interacting with members of our communities! And with visitors too! Our visitor centers are one way we help the public learn about the marvels just off their shore. Let's swing by a visitor center for Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary...

Check out those great banners! Visitors to Kauai Ocean Discovery are having fun as they learn about Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Visitor centers in sanctuary communities are one way we share the underwater parks that may be hard for people to reach so that everyone can explore and enjoy the ocean wonders we protect. Our  visitor centers  use exhibits, interactive kiosks and displays, banners, live demonstrations, interesting speakers, and docents to engage, delight, and educate visitors of all ages. Exhibits at partner institutions like zoos, museums, and aquariums allow us to reach even more people--and hopefully they have as much fun as these visitors here!

Let's head up the island chain to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and see what's going on in one of the largest marine protected areas on the planet...

There's the vessel! The blowing of the pū, the conch shell, announces the arrival of Hōkūle’a, a traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe, at Nihoa in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The monument uses cutting-edge science and management, but also incorporates traditional Hawaiian stewardship methods and concepts into its programs. Nature and culture are inseparable from one another and are protected, studied, and shared as a sacred whole. In 2010, the monument became the only World Heritage Site in the U.S. that was inscribed for both its cultural and natural values.

Our day is almost over but we've saved something really special for last! Let's set sail for National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa...

Science is cool! School might be out for the summer, but at National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, the Sanctuary Summer Science in the Village is in full swing with students getting hands-on knowledge of their sanctuary! This camp, geared toward communities adjacent to the sanctuary, helps empower students to understand and appreciate their local lands and waters. The camp uses a curriculum that integrates both marine science and traditional Samoan stewardship concepts. Fa’a Samoa, the traditional way of life in the islands, provides the context for all decision making, projects, and programs of the sanctuary. Traditional ways of life, ways of thinking, and traditional ecological knowledge are also important to other sanctuaries across the system including Native Hawaiian communities and Native American tribes.