Year Of The Reef Gets An Official Launch

I know I'm a couple of days late on this post, but I wanted to be sure to comment on the official launch of International Year of the Reef (IYOR) at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC last Friday, January 25. Following welcoming remarks by Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, a mini-symposium was conducted where guest speakers outlined international activities to highlight and celebrate IYOR throughout the next year. Yours truly presented a flashback of our activities during the first IYOR in 1997 as well as a forecast of the next 12 months of coral reef conservation activities that will link to public education and outreach.

Want to find out how to celebrate IYOR where you live? Then click over to the awesome IYOR 2008 website to find a calendar of events and ways to get involved. And while there, be sure to pause a moment to mentally thank the incredible efforts of Francis Staub, IYOR 2008 coordinator for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Thanks for all your work, Francis!

On other IYOR fronts, Angelo Villagomez sent me this photo from Saipan of himself (looking great in a CORAL shirt) while posing with CNMI Division of Environmental Quality Manager Fran Castro--Point of Contact for the US Coral Reef Initiative--with CNMI Lt. Governor Tim Villagomez on the day that 2008 was declared the International Year of the Reef in the CNMI.


And from Hawaii, CORAL Field Manager Liz Foote sent this photo of Kuhea Paracuelles, Environmental Coordinator with the Office of the Mayor, and Maui Ocean Center's Kate Zolezzi from the Maui County IYOR launch. Liz was there as well and got to showcase a brand new set of educational signage which CORAL helped design and fund and will soon be installed at snorkel destinations and hotels throughout the island.