1. Conference on Ocean Literacy (CoOL) Regional Approaches To Ocean Literacy Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) Washington, D.C. June 8, 2006 Presented by: Sharon H. Walker, Ph.D. The University of Southern Mississippi’s Scott Aquarium and MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium

2. GOMA Priorities: Identifying Habitats Improving Water Quality Reducing Nutrient-Loading Restoring Wetlands Increasing Environmental Education Efforts

3. Environmental Education & Outreach (E&O) Goals Goal 1: Galvanize local communities through targeted educational efforts to protect their GOM. Action Items: · Coordinate E&O efforts to ensure access to materials and programs that address the GOMA priorities and · Translate, communicate, and disseminate scientific data to the public.

4. Environmental Education & Outreach (E&O) Goals Goal 2: Conduct a GOM public awareness campaign. Action Items: · Produce an environmental literate citizenry who is aware & understands the relevance of the GOM & its watersheds and coasts to their everyday lives and · Encourage and increase environmental stewardship in the practices and activities of GOM local governments and businesses.

5. Where are we now? The GOMA has:. obtained funding for an E&O environmental Coordinator;. developed two E&O goals with achievable action items; and. continued its process of implementing the USCOP education recommendations.

6. The greatest challenge–as a network–is remaining focused educationally and maintaining communications with other ocean sciences efforts.

7. Why are the GOMA – E&O efforts relevant? To ensure a healthy GOM, formal and informal educators, decision-makers, the media, resource managers, and the general public MUST be more aware and better understand its relevance to their everyday lives.

8. How do we move the national ocean sciences agenda forward? To move forward nationally, we must also move forward locally & regionally with a focused ocean sciences education agenda.