[Coral-List] Can sex sell coral reefs?
Paula Morgan
thompaula_2000 at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 10 17:31:58 EST 2006
As a scriptwriter and filmmaker, and as a former teacher-leader of a mid school and high school program called The Planet Ocean Ranger Project and The Reef Ranger Project, I want to declare that the current discussion on the coral list seems inane.
Poltical education in life is a key, and I tell my students that knowing how political systems work is a key to coral reef protection. It has to start at a community level and expand outwards, to involving congresspeople, senators, and governors--not sexy scientists.
Nothing is more important than coral reef scientists who are willing to talk to classrooms in their own community. Sylvia Earle is a reef hero already.
Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson and Pierce Brosnan are outstanding spokespeople for the aquatic realm. These people helped award The Reef Ranger Project's students a handsome prize though Seaworld's Environmental Excellence Awards.
Hiring show people just because they appear sexy is a mistake. Thinking of hiring a marketing agency to sell the public on coral reel ecology would be expensive and less impactful than allotting money to teacher's professional development, and a push toward marine education into the K-12 curriculum.
Sincerely,
Ms. Paula Morgan
THE PLANET OCEAN RANGER PROJECT
The River Rangers in New Mexico ><> <><The Reef Rangers in the Virgin Islands
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