Dear OCR Community and Friends,
If there is a sentiment that carries us through the autumn it is gratitude. In taking account of, and “putting by” the harvest of our labors we get an opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are.
It came up on me as a bit of a surprise five years back; after years of supporting the efforts of a number of environmental organizations I was dropped into a field of my own decisions through the founding of OCR. I own a debt of gratitude for the ongoing support of many of the folks on this “mail list.” Because of your encouragement we have grown a presence and built a momentum that continues to mark significant progress in the discussion of how the noise of human enterprise affects the creatures that inhabit the sea.
While some of the new data are troubling, we are also witnessing proactive concern and flexibility on the part of those who are making most of the noise. Although we are far from being “done” on this issue, we are headed in the right direction.
Of course I say “we” because none of this would be possible without the dedicated work and concern of many others. The focused efforts of Gwynn Dandridge-Perry, our digital assets manager who has completely reformatted our website and outreach strategies − and fed tens-of-thousands of netizens our messages; the math wizardry of Tom Reuterdahl; the research assistance of Libby Horn, Gail Hurley, and Mark LaBelle; the media production skills of Lauren Arrow, and the operational support of Scott Leiby.
But I also feel grateful for various entities that just a few years back were inimical to our work but who are now participating in finding solutions: The US Navy “Environmental Preparedness Group,” The Oil and Gas Producers “Joint Industry Program,” and various researchers from academe and industry.
Increasingly is seems that we have been, and can actually solve some of these problems. For this I am grateful.
I am also deeply grateful for your ongoing support, which has made so much of these advances possible – allowing us to reach deeper into the inquiry, further out into the community, and build working relationships with stakeholders and “noise-makers” alike.
Please join us this year in supporting our ongoing efforts to understand and find solutions to the continuing challenges associated with human generated noise in the sea.
The contribution links below and above open on to the “Ocean Conservation Research” page of “The Ocean Foundation” (TOF), our fiscal sponsor, so your donations are tax-deductible.
Or if you prefer to mail in a check, make it out to: “TOF-OCR Fund” and send it to:
Ocean Conservation Research
P.O. Box 559
Lagunitas, CA 94938
Either way, your donations are tax-deductable under TOF tax identification # 71-0863908
Thanks for your support and concern for the health of our oceans!
Sincerely,
Michael Stocker
Director
P.S. If you would like more detail on our progress this year you can find information about our projects under the “Projects” tab at www.OCR.org. (You can also see the great web work done by Gwynn!)
There is also an ongoing narrative under our blog site: www.ocean-noise.com/blog
…and a “bullet point” list of 2012 progress and accomplishments at: http://ocr.org/about/2012-progress-report/