GMF Deputy Director Ryan Fikes is currently participating in a meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coordination Team in Biloxi, MS.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – February 7, 2012 - The Gulf of Mexico Foundation (GMF) took part in Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s (DCH) Annual Fiesta De Los Ninos celebration at the American Bank Center on February 3. The Foundation donated a $75 annual Individual Membership along with a beautiful Texas Coral Reefs coffee table book by Jesse Cancelmo and two aluminum water bottles.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – January 30, 2012 - The Gulf of Mexico Foundation presented a new, yellow Ocean Kayak to the winner of a promotion it held recently as part of a membership drive. The lucky winner of the random drawing was Ray Allen, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP) in Corpus Christi, who is one of the many people who have signed up for the GMF’s new Individual Membership Program

WASHINGTON / HOUSTON / CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – January 10, 2012 – Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank today announced a $1.163 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the Gulf of Mexico Foundation to build and establish the Gulf of Mexico Habitat Restoration Technology Training Center (HRTTC) in Galveston, Texas.

December 21, 2012 – GMF’s Deputy Director Ryan Fikes received a four-year appointment to serve on the Texas Sea Grant (TXSG) Advisory Committee, which identifies needs, opportunities and priorities for TXSG programs. He will also help develop new partnerships and the group’s strategic plan, educate decision-makers and provide input to the TXSG review and monitoring processes.

December 16, 2011 – WASHINGTON DC – GMF’s President/CEO Dr. Quenton Dokken gave the keynote presentation today during an investment summit in Washington DC called the “African Leadership Awards” and sponsored by the Nigerian Embassy. His presentation discussed how to advance habitat restoration and conservation in the Niger Delta and its potential as a job training program.

December 10, 2011 – CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – About 100 middle school and high school students participated in an educational event organized that was sponsored and run by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation today. The annual event, called the “Youth Leadership and Stewardship Conference,” is part of the GMF’s Multicultural Education Program and was held at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC).

HOUSTON, TX – December 2011 – Gulf of Mexico Foundation and Harte Research Institute co-hosted the State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit December 4-8 in Corpus Christi. Speakers during the event included EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, former first lady Laura Bush and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s CEO Dr. Alan Thornhill.

November 2011 – Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) is featuring Gulf of Mexico Foundation Deputy Director Ryan Fikes on its website this month as an “Outstanding Islander.” Fikes graduated with a Master of Science in Marine Biology in 2008 from TAMUCC, the “Island University.” The article focuses on Fikes’ commitment to Gulf conservation.

November 2011 – The Gulf of Mexico Foundation will take part in the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) in Dallas this month. The annual statewide meeting of the Science Teachers Association of Texas is commonly regarded as the largest and best regional science teaching convention in the United States.

GALVESTON, Texas – November 2, 2011 – The Gulf of Mexico Foundation’s President/CEO Dr. Quenton Dokken presented the opening remarks at the Texas Marine Recreation Community Workshop hosted by the National Geographic Society in Galveston, Texas, today. His presentation, “The Gulf of Mexico – Richness, Diversity, Value and Threats to its Productivity,” set the tone for a day-long discussion among the 80 participants.

October 2011 – Want to win an Ocean Kayak? Become a GMF member by making your donation online before October 31, 2011, and you will automatically be entered in our drawing that will take place in November. You can help protect and conserve the Gulf of Mexico for as little as $25 a year and aid in the protection and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico’s vibrant and diverse ecosystem and its surrounding coastal areas.

August 2011 – The GMF staff is in New Orleans this week, taking part in a joint meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and the Hypoxia Task Force, identifying ways to reduce nutrient pollution within the Mississippi River Basin and to mitigate Gulf hypoxia. This year’s meeting is especially important because of the challenges caused by potential “Dead Zone” increases in the Gulf due to flooding in the Mississippi River.

July 2011 – The GMF’s 15th annual coral reef educational workshop for teachers, Down Under Out Yonder, was held July 9-13 this year, taking teachers into the Gulf of Mexico to explore the coral reefs of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The five-day annual workshop, sponsored by ConocoPhillips, includes two days of on-land coral reef education, followed by three days of scuba diving aboard a live-aboard vessel.

June 2011 – GMF President/CEO Dr. Quenton Dokken has been active on the speakers’ circuit lately. The one-year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill on April 20 brought the event back into the media’s spotlight, prompting reporters to seek out the marine science community for answers. They report Dokken’s voice as one that speaks not of doom and gloom but of the Gulf’s ability to rebound from the disaster. He’s spreading the message that the answer is not to stop drilling oil in the Gulf of Mexico but to develop better and safer prevention and response technology.

May 2011 – With more than 1,000 people attending, the Offshore Technology Conference’s inaugural dinner on May 1 raised $200,000 for the Gulf of Mexico Foundation (GMF). During the event, industry leaders learned about GMF’s mission and its programs. Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection.

May 2011 – The Gulf of Mexico Foundation (GMF) is proud to announce that it is the recipient of the 2011 US EPA Environmental Quality Award for their efforts in the Caribbean. This award is the highest recognition presented to the public by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This award is the highest recognition presented to the public by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each year, EPA searches for those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to protecting and enhancing environmental quality and public health.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation’s Bobbi Reed serves as Executive Secretary for the South Texas Coastal Zone Area Committee (STCZAC), a group that maintains a response plan for oil spills or chemical releases in the Coastal Bend.

February 2011 – In collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Habitat Conservation & Restoration Team, GMF has contracted with PBS&J to conduct a regional sediment management (RSM) plan for West Galveston Bay on the Texas coast. This effort will complement a recently completed plan conducted by Moffat & Nichol for the US Army Corps of Engineers by focusing on the western portion of the bay. One of the main causes of erosion of salt marshes and other habitats is the lack of natural sediment supply. Modifications to these natural systems have resulted in changes in the distribution and amount of sediment flowing into West Galveston Bay.

January 2011 – GMF President/CEO Dr. Quenton Dokken has accepted a reappointment from Steven Chu, the Secretary of Energy, to serve a third term on the Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee (UDAC). The committee was established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and its goal is to provide advice to the Secretary on the development and implementation of activities related to ultra-deepwater natural gas and other petroleum resources.