Thanksgiving 2012: taking the glass beyond half full

In the U.S. we are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday.  It commemorates a moment when early Pilgrim settlers chose to give thanks for what they had at that moment, even when they knew they still were facing formidable obstacles.  That is the power of optimism coupled with a strong sense of reality.  The glass is half-full but we won't stop until it's over the rim.

Conservation and environmental issues have taken a pretty good beating over the past few years.  Since the two depend so heavily on "the kindness of strangers" (as Blanche DuBois once said) or on a benevolent or generous government, funding and government allocations have diminished as nation after nation endures a prolonged depressed economic situation.

And that can lead to the biggest threat of all: apathy.  The oceans face many perils, the consequences of which may be many years away but, to gain the upper hand, they need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.  Climate change, acidification, overfishing, pollution - they all loom large but they become even more threatening if government officials, policy makers and the everyday individual choose to take their eye off the ball.  Distraction leads to disinterest which leads to apathy.  Only a crisis can snap us out of it but by then it may be too late.

So that is the biggest challenge we face in filling that glass to the rim.  But with that said, we still have a tremendous amount to be thankful for.  We continue to achieve significant victories that speak to our optimistic side and fuel our desire to achieve more.  Whether it be the growth of substantial marine protected areas, more and stronger legislation regarding shark conservation, forward strides in seafood sustainability through better managed ocean harvesting, or technological innovations in alternative energy - each step is bringing us just that much closer to the kind of stewardship of the planet that will help sustain it . . . and us.

Search through the blogosphere, through social media, or simply type in "ocean conservation victories" in Google.  The list is long, it is encouraging, and it reaffirms that what we have done, what we are doing, and what we hope to accomplish is feasible, reasonable, and righteous.

Give thanks today and always.  

Oceana.org: new web site keeps score of accomplishments

There are many conservation organizations vying for our attention and support. I subscribe to several to get the latest updates on what is happening in the world of conservation. Typically each organization has a particular strategy that best maximizes their available resources: some focus on legal action, others go after illegal trade in threatened species, while others focus on general public awareness.

Oceana is one of the larger and more prominent organizations involved in ocean conservation. They approach a wide range of issues and have international reach. They recently revised their web site and I think it's worth a look. While sprucing up a web site with the latest technology in look and feel is common today, what I found noteworthy with Oceana's new web site was some of the information it provides.

In particular, the web site explores various issues and lists what Oceana's involvement is, what they are doing regarding, say, overfishing, ocean acidification, or shark conservation. And then, most importantly, they list their victories. This is critical when you are considering whether an organization is worthy of your support, particularly your financial support: what are they doing and what have they DONE.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of well-intentioned groups out there with worthwhile agendas but, in the end, its what they accomplish that really matters. So it's good to see Oceana providing that kind of information.

The web site also contains information on a long list of various species that are endangered or threatened with extinction. And there is information on many of their ongoing scientific research projects and expeditions, which are of considerable interest to me (I'm always interested in what is going on out in the field and how these results are being communicated to the decision-makers and general public).

Oceana is among my top A-list of committed ocean conservation organizations. Check out their new web site at www.oceana.org.