An ocean of fun! The Banana Slug String Band is committed to educational entertainment for children and families through interactive music and performance. Their Only One Ocean CD is 14 rockin’ songs designed to inspire youngens (in age and at heart) and their families to learn about and care for the ocean. Only One Ocean was produced with support from the National Marine Educators Association, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence, the NOAA Office of Exploration, Lawrence Hall of Science and the College of Exploration. We invite you to watch this fun video podcast with fun song clips!

For a limited time, enjoy a FREE song download from the Only One Ocean CD when you visit the Thank You Ocean website.  You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

The Ocean Protection Council’s (OPC) March 27 meeting in Sacramento addressed topics including an updated Sea Level Rise Guidance document, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia and the State of the Central Coast Symposium on California’s Marine Protected Areas. The highlights of our meeting are below (click on “more” tab). For further information, we encourage you to visit our meetings page to access the meeting minutes and the webcast.

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California Ocean Science Trust (OST) releases CalOST Progress Report, covering October 2009 through September 2012.  The OST invites you to review the report and learn more about their work, impact, and ongoing partnerships.

To request a hard copy please contact Emily Knight of the OST.

To learn more about the partnership between the Ocean Protection Council and the Ocean Science Trust, please click on the “‘more” tab:

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The North Coast Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Baseline Program Request for Proposals is now available on the California Sea Grant website. The North Coast MPA Baseline Program is a collaborative effort among the California Ocean Protection Council, the MPA Monitoring Enterprise, a program of the California Ocean Science Trust (OST), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), and California Sea Grant. Members of the North Coast community, including North Coast tribes, elected officials, scientists, ocean users, and interested members of the public, informed the development of this RFP. As in the other three regions (i.e., North Central Coast, Central Coast, South Coast), the OPC has authorized $4 million to support the North Coast MPA Baseline Program. (more…)

The first major study of California’s marine protected areas shows they are on track to help to improve ocean health. Scientists, fishermen, resource managers and environmentalists gathered recently to share results from the first five years of monitoring in the Central Coast region. We spoke with Liz Whiteman, Director of the MPA Monitoring Enterprise program at California Ocean Science Trust, who says monitoring is showing promising results for marine life and the ocean economy.