New programs coming in 2012

January 2012 – We have left 2011 to history and kicked the door open on 2012 and the future.  2011 was a busy and productive year for the GMF.  I and my associates have been constantly involved in conservation, restoration and education efforts around the Gulf of Mexico perimeter and in the Caribbean.  In addition we assisted one of our partners, Marathon Oil, in establishing a fisheries program in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa.  We have been very active collaborators with scores of resource management agencies, other conservation organizations, businesses and corporations, and academic institutions.  Without question, in 2011 the Gulf of Mexico Foundation was productive and true to its mission!  We were a significant player.

2012 holds even greater opportunity and promise!  Watch for new developments including the Habitat Restoration Technology Training Center, the Master Teacher Program, the SeaWave Expedition, the Gulf Coastal Rangers, the Gulf of Mexico Wetland Nature Trail, and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Restoration Corps.  All of these new programs will come to life in 2012.  The Foundation’s tried and true programs, including the Down Under Out Yonder Coral Reef Ecology Program, the Intracoastal Waterway Wetland Expedition, and the Community-based Restoration Partnership, will continue to function and grow.

In 2012, we are also implementing our first Individual Membership program and expanding our partners in business and industry.  We will be expanding our partnerships with other conservation organizations working throughout the watershed states of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

And, as always, funding support is a key to today and tomorrow.  The Gulf of Mexico Foundation can only fulfill its mission if it is supported financially.  Our product – a healthy, productive, and sustainable environment – is not something that can be bought at the nearest shopping center neatly packaged.  Our product is produced through financial support, wise investment of funds and hard work seven days a week.  We cannot succeed without you.  So don’t be shy – jump on board and join the adventure.  Your grandchildren’s grandchildren are counting on you.

-Dr. Quenton Dokken
GMF President/CEO