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WORKING TOGETHER WITH BRYAN ADAMS FOUNDATION TO FUND A HIGH SCHOOL & CONSERVATION PROJECT IN HAITI

The Bryan Adams Foundation is a charitable organization created by musician and photographer Bryan Adams. As it is written on his website, www.bryanadamsfoundation.com,“The Foundation seeks to protect the most vulnerable or disadvantaged individuals in society.  It aims particularly to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide, believing that an education is the best gift that a child can be given.”

In Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, very few parents can afford even the most modest tuition at a private school.  Although public education is free in Haiti, the cost is still quite high for Haitian families who must pay for uniforms, textbooks, supplies and other inputs.

“As some of my classmates are from Haiti, I have learned about the country and all of its problems,”  said Plantation High senior Rahsul Shaw, who is also on the advisory committee for Pier2Pier.  “In addition to the extreme poverty and lack of educational opportunities, Haiti also has major problems involving the environment which has negatively affected all the marine life.”  

Haiti is home to a variety of marine life including dolphins, whales and manatees.  The dolphin species found in Haiti are the Clymene dolphin, Atlantic Spotted dolphin, Spinner dolphin, Fraser’s dolphin, Risso’s dolphin and Pilot Whale.  Although the numbers are small, Haiti is also home to the endangered West Indian Manatee.  As we believe the youth of Haiti should be educated about these marine mammals that share their waters, the high school in Haiti will also feature a marine science and conservation program.

We will be working with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to create an outreach program whereby Haitian students can learn from leading environmentalists as well as take field trips to view areas in Haiti where wild dolphins and manatees exist.

More information can be found at www.bryanadamsfoundation.com

RECYLING PROGRAM

Recycle that Fishing Line! 

One of the biggest threats to wild dolphins, manatees and other marine life in Florida waters is entanglement in fishing line.  Often, fishing gear is discarded, either intentionally or accidentally, and becomes a hazard to marine life where it can be ingested or wrapped around animals’ fins and flippers.

Monofilament wraps around an animal and slows its movements which exhausts it, inhibits feeding and makes it easy prey for predators. Lines can amputate a limb or flipper. When monofilament cuts into the skin it can cause fatal infections. When eaten, the plastics and chemicals that make up monofilament can be poisonous.  When ingested, monofilament can induce a false sense of fullness and causes an animal to starve to death by obstructing normal digestive tract functions.

Monofilament line is another name for single-strand, high-density, nylon fishing line that is used on fishing reels and in the manufacturing of fishing nets. Monofilament line is persistent, and  can last hundreds of years in the environment where it entangles wildlife, is eaten by animals including birds, fish, manatees and sea turtles, and is hazardous to boaters and swimmers.

The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program (MRRP) is a statewide effort to educate the public on the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations, and to conduct volunteer monofilament line cleanup events.  MRRP strives to decrease the negative impacts of monofilament fishing line left in the environment by conducting regular cleanups and by encouraging anglers to recycle their used fishing line at tackle shops and outdoor bins.

Pier2Pier is excited to partner with this program that was initiated with funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Advisory Council for Environmental Education and involves partnerships as the key to its success.

Click here to view the monofilament recycling program brochure or for more information visit the The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program
website - www.fishinglinerecycling.com

DINNER FOR THE DOLPHINS Fundraiser

Please join us on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 for our first annual Dinner for the Dolphins fundraiser at Hurricane Grill & Wings from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.  The restaurant is located at 1905 Pine Island Road in Plantation, Florida.   The phone number is (954) 475-8815.  The restaurant is donating 15% of all food and drinks sold at the event which features live music and a silent auction.

HEARTS TOGETHER FOR HAITI
TO HELP WITH SCHOOL IN HAITI

We are working with a Canadian based charity named Hearts Together for Haiti who will assist us in the planning and organization of the high school that we are funding in Haiti. 

Click here for more information about Hearts Together for Haiti.

JOIN THE TEAM…..LEARN HOW TO RESCUE STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS

The waters off the Florida Keys are home to a variety of whale and dolphin species including sperm whales, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins and rough-toothed dolphins.  If these marine mammals are sick, injured, or disoriented, they may strand on a beach.  Human-related activities associated with strandings include boat collisions, entanglement in commercial and recreational fishing gear and ingestion of marine debris.  Naturally occurring toxins such as red tide have also contributed to a large number of strandings.

The Florida Keys Marine Mammal Rescue Team (FKMMRT) is a registered 501 ©(3) non-profit, volunteer based organization that responds to stranded whales and dolphins in the Florida Keys from Key West to Grassy Key.  Founded in 2001, FKMMRT has the authority to respond to marine mammal strandings in Monroe County, Florida through a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VOLUNTEER….

Training classes are taught to provide volunteers and staff with knowledge and guidance that will improve the capacity to respond to rescue, and treat live stranded marine mammals in both a single and mass stranding event. 

Although you must be 18 years of age to become a volunteer, you are never too young to learn about why marine mammals become stranded and how to identify a marine mammal in distress.

TAKING INITIATIVE IN GLOBAL COMPETITIONS

Nine students involved with Pier2Pier are competing in international environmental competitions sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program and the U.S. Department of State.
         
VOLVO ADVENTURE
In partnership with the United Nations Environment Program, Volvo Adventure is an educational program that rewards environmental activities among the decision makers of the future.  Environmental projects are undertaken by young people to improve their local environment.  The projects are published on the Volvo Adventure website and the best projects will be selected for an all expenses paid trip to Sweden.

Plantation High students Shawna Clark, Adam Baroni, Ismeray Lopez, Shanika Lewis and Supriya Sethi are one of 11 groups from the United States selected to participate in the competition.

More information on the Volvo Adventure can be found at www.volvoadventure.org

DOORS TO DIPLOMACY
 The U.S. Department of State sponsors the “Doors to Diplomacy” educational challenge – to encourage middle and high school students around the world to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy.
 
Representing Pier2Pier in the competition are Plantation High students Rahsul Shaw, Frank Brown, Ron Radice and Fred Clermont.  The Pier2Pier entry was submitted in the category of Health and Environmental Awareness.

To view bibliography, click here and link to the bibliography.

To view the project narrative, click here.

For more information on the competition, log on to the website – www.globalschoolnet.org/gsndoors/index.cfm