Video: State of the Oceans Forum: A Call to Action

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A Special ExpeditionCasts Presentation: State of the Oceans : A Call to Action. With its growing focus on conservation, the Explorers Club hosted its first-ever State of the Oceans Forum, featuring a panel of ocean explorers/scientists offering a range of perspectives on the state of our oceans today and the actions we must take in order to restore and sustain them. The panel was held on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at the Explorers Club’s World Center for Exploration in New York City. (You can watch this video below or on your iPod or compatible MP3/video player by subscribing free to ExpeditionCasts in iTunes.)
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Cuba Loses its Mother Ocean

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Dr. Maria Elena Ibarra Martin

Cuba has lost its Mother Ocean. Dr. María Elena Ibarra Martín, director of the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, CIM) since 1981, passed away yesterday afternoon after a month-long struggle following heart surgery. CIM is the only academic institution in Cuba where marine biologists are trained, and her loss is mourned by hundreds of her students, many of whom grew up to become her colleagues — and friends. Her selfless, tireless dedication goes far beyond words, and the impact she has made on education, conservation, and her unique model of personal integrity will no doubt endure for centuries to come. When I last saw Doctora in February, she was as busy as ever, wrestling mountains of paperwork on her desk while never letting go of her visionary perspective about conservation and education. Nor did she ever let go of her special fondness for sea turtles and her love for and dedication to her students.

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