Grant: 08-015E
Project Title: Barrier Island Center Education & Outreach Program
Project Manager: Leslie Sprague
Organization: Caribbean Conservation Corporation (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $28,980.00
Completion Date: 2009-05-29
Summary: The Barrier Island Center Education and Outreach Program will expand the diversity and quality of programming and materials available at the BIC. The goal will be to educate diverse stakeholders within the community about the ecology of sea turtles and the barrier island, and to develop a sense of stewardship for the Refuge and associated resources. The program will include the launching of an educational summer camp for regional school kids. The project also will establish an innovative multi-media public outreach program to be presented throughout Brevard and Indian River County schools. These expanded educational capabilities, along with improvements to existing printed educational resources, will help foster the kind of community support needed in order to properly manage and protect this important sea turtle nesting and developmental habitat. 
Results: Final tasks for the Barrier Island Center Education & Outreach Program are complete. The fabric backdrop created for our outreach program which has been used successfully in 3 presentations to date. Between May 2008 and April 2009, 1815 students have attended field trips at the Barrier Island Center; 146 students have participated in outreach programs; 48 students attended the Eco-Explorers summer program; and 15 children participated Turtle School (a sea turtle program for preschoolers and their adult). Included with this report is a final copy of the Educator's Guide and Modules and a schedule of events, outreach programs and field trips held at the BIC for 2009 to date. (Authors: Daniel Evans & Leslie Sprague)