Blue Ocean, as you know, is dear to my heart! We travel to schools with our 65' inflatable whale to teach children about marine animals, we collect data and chat with passengers on whale watch boats, we organize volunteers and events to clean up the beaches we love, we study marine debris, and we do it all for love of our community and our environment! If you are able to contribute to the wonderful work we do, please do! Your contributions are greatly appreciated and well used! Thank you!
Run for the Ocean 5K, presented by The Beach Plum
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education and inspiring action. We are hosting a World Oceans Day Celebration at Hampton Beach on Saturday, June 3, 2016. This fun event will kick off with a 5K race on the beach and boardwalk, followed by a beach cleanup. Attendees are also invited to participate in family-friendly activities at our Blue Ocean Discovery Center at Hampton Beach.
World Oceans Day is the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. People all over our blue planet organize celebrations on or around June 8th to support action to protect the ocean. Thank you so much for registering for the Run for the Ocean. We invite you to raise additional funds through your PledgeReg page - there will be prizes for most funds raised by individuals and teams!
Funds raised at this event will help us protect local marine life through studying the biology and behavior of local whales, removing harmful debris from their habitat and inspiring change by educating thousands of people about the importance of the ocean.
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation's mission is to protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education and inspiring action. We were founded officially in 2001, but have been doing whale research since the late 1990's.
Our vision is of thriving marine life in the Gulf of Maine with citizens committed to environmental stewardship.
Our primary programs include: studying local whale species, conducting marine debris research and cleanup through documenting and removing thousands of pounds of litter from our beaches each year, providing volunteer opportunities through our volunteer and internship programs, and educating thousands each year through our hands-on educational programs which include beach cleanups, school programs, whale watches, and our Blue Ocean Discovery Center in Hampton Beach.
- Each year, we conduct education and research aboard whale watch trips in Rye, NH. During these trips, we educate thousands of passengers and document hundreds of individual whales. This work allows us to monitor population health, habitat usage, and risks including entanglement and ship strikes. This year, we’ve been working on transitioning our data collection to a state-of-the-art, electronic system.
- Our long-term database of the whales near Jeffreys Ledge is the only one of its kind. It allows us to learn about this unique habitat- a place important for whales and other marine life to feed, along with several human uses such as whale watching, fishing and boating.
- In 2019, we conducted 268 beach cleanups along the coastline from southern Maine to northern Massachusetts. This resulted in the removal of over 6,700 pounds (and 118,082 pieces!!) of litter from the coast.
- In 2013, we established the first marine education facility in Hampton Beach, NH. Our Blue Ocean Discovery Center has welcomed more than 116,000 visitors since it opened. We also offer hands-on educational programs to over 5,000 students each year in schools throughout New England.
- As the only New Hampshire-based marine mammal internship program, we have hosted more than 140 student interns since 2002 and provided a crucial step in these students’ career paths.
Visit www.blueoceansociety.org, call 603-431-0260 or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube.