Our magnificent blue planet has again taken another turn around the sun to find us on “Ocean Day;” a moment to pause and consider the body of water that is the Mother of All Life on Earth. Today I will be especially grateful, knowing that this day is nested in an “Ocean Week,” which is in turn nested in an “Ocean Month,” which you might say is also nested in the year we just rounded.
When I look over the transom of the work we do – my ocean conservation colleagues and myself, it is hard to imagine segregating the sea from any other concerns. The climate, the elections, the economy, the unfolding of civilization, and the lives of the animals in the field. It all hinges on the health of our relationship with the ocean. I know we must be kind and respectful of her gifts and humbled by her power. I worry when we are not.
In the end – if there ever is such a thing, it will be found that long after our visit to this planet has faded from easy evidence, the ocean will still be the font of life. For if there is one urge that meets the power of the ocean, it is the impulse of life. Today I sing out loud “Long Live The Ocean!”