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Living Ocean Legacy Wall

Recently, a group of 50 first graders from Wailuku School visited the Ocean Science Discovery Center with their teachers, ready to participate in a program called “Coral Reef Communities."

When the students walked through our doors, I wish you could have seen their bright, happy and inquisitive faces! They were all eager to learn about the inhabitants of our island's reefs and view the marine life in our new tidepool exhibit.

Generous contributions have made it possible for these students to learn about the marine environment at the Ocean Science Discovery Center.

On behalf of our staff and those who will be served by this wonderful new educational facility, I wish to thank everyone for their kind and generous donations to the Ocean Legacy Wall fund.

As 2004 draws to a close, I am writing to ask visitors to this site to remember the Ocean Science Discovery Center for any "end of the year" charitable donations that you may be considering. While much has been accomplished, there is still much that we must do to complete this new 4,000 square foot educational facility.

Through careful purchasing, we've been able to outfit our two Discovery Lab classrooms with basic laboratory equipment. More is needed, including marine life models, video microscopes for the entire class to view and learn about microscopic organisms, and audio visual equipment to present dynamic presentations on marine life in both classrooms. While our tidepool exhibit is nearly complete, we need to raise additional funding to complete all of the interactive displays in our new Interpretive Center.

With nearly two million people coming to Maui each year -- many of them interacting with the marine environment for the first time -- the Ocean Science Discovery Center will play a key role in helping visitors understand and protect our island’s fragile tidepools, coral reefs and endangered species.

People have been able to enjoy out twice-daily, free multimedia presentation, “Why Whales Do That!”, along with our free lectures and film showings on topics ranging from the invasive crown of thorns sea star to the comparative ecosystems of reefs in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. There's a great demand for more programs of this type, including more open public forums on pressing ocean-related issues.

The heart of the Ocean Science Discovery Center is our program for school children. In this era of declining science test scores, there is an urgent need to promote science-based inquiry and learning for our island students. View a PDF file of our School Program Guide to see our exciting range of dynamic marine science programs and field trips for classes from kindergarten through high school. Our goal is to serve every child that wants to use our new facility.

What we can accomplish tomorrow depends on our friends and supporters today. Thank you again for all that you've done to open the Ocean Science Discovery Center. We also thank you in advance for any additional support that you can provide during the next few weeks. Working together, we can make a difference for the ocean environment, for children, visitors and the community.

Kecia Joy
Senior Marine Education Specialist, Ocean Science Discovery Center

Do you have friends or family members who might be interested in having their names displayed on the Ocean Legacy Wall? We have reserved spaces for future donors of $100, $250 or more. Because the Ocean Science Discovery Center is a project of the nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation, contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. To arrange for a contribution to the Ocean Legacy Wall, please call us at 1-800-942-5311 or use our online donation form. Thank you again for your support!