January 2008 - Photographer Franklin Viola, a Gulf of Mexico Foundation volunteer for many years, was awarded first place in the Pro Division of the National Wildlife Magazine Photo Contest in November 2007. He has received numerous national and international awards for his underwater photography over the past two decades.

Since 1965, water has influenced every step of Viola’s life -- swimming in it, surfing on it, diving under it, sailing over it. After receiving a BS in Marine Science & Marine Transportation at Texas A&M University at Galveston in 1982, Viola served four years in the U.S. Merchant Marine, sailing aboard huge cargo ships as a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Third Mate (Unlimited Tonnage).

Returning to terra firma (“the beach”) in 1986, he focused his love of water -- salt or fresh, ocean or pond, river or lake -- through the optics of a camera. Viola produces still photography and digital video for clients who use water to tell their story or to sell their product. His clients include Audubon, National Geographic, Travel Holiday, Islands, Discovery Channel Online, Sport Diver, The Nature Conservancy, American Express, Epson, BP Oil & Gas, Turner Broadcasting, Hitachi and Delta Airlines.

In it, on it, under it or over it, water is Franklin Viola’s studio. To see more of Franklin’s photography visit www.violaphoto.com. Click on "Unplugged" to sign up to receive via email his "Photo of the Day" which features a recent photo he has taken which range in subject matter from an exotic location to his own backyard.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX,  September 2007 - T. Jay Collins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering International, Inc.,, stated “We are delighted to join the Gulf of Mexico Foundation as part of our global commitment to protect the environments, including the world’s bodies of water, in which we work. As a provider of services and products used in the exploration and development of the Gulf of Mexico’s oil and gas reserves, we are very much a part of the Gulf States community. Consequently, we recognize the importance of protecting the environment as a prerequisite to the continued success of our operations and maintaining a quality of life for all who reside there.”

GMF sponsors culinary, wine festival
View photos from premiere event

The Southern Breeze Wine + Culinary Festival blends premium wines, gourmet food, and Gulf coast culture into a sophisticated, educational and entertaining weekend-long event. Each year the festival visits several Gulf coast cities, celebrating the lifestyle and culture of this unique region.

“The Southern Breeze Wine + Culinary Festival is unique among food and wine events because it incorporates a variety of new and exciting experiences over the span of several days in a unique coastal setting,” said Southern Breeze Publisher and Compass Marketing President J. Gary Ellis, who is also a GMF board member.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation's Executive Director, Dr. Quenton Dokken, left, joined Compass Marketing President J. Gary Ellis (and GMF board member) to kick off the Wine+Culinary Festival in Oct 2005.

Workshop unites Gulf restoration efforts
Governors' Action Plans spur cooperation

GMF's Executive Director Quenton Dokken and staff members Kathryn Tunnell and Bobbi Reed participated in the workshop, which included than 50 attendees, including eight representatives from Mexico. The conference focused on restoration and preservation activities in Texas, on preservation and coastal and habitat restoration efforts in Mexico, and on ways to implement the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors’ Action Plan as it relates to restoration efforts. The team is looking at ways to integrate activities and efforts between Mexico and the U.S. The next state-led RRCT workshop is scheduled for the week of August 20 in St. Petersburg, Florida..

The long-term goal of the team is to facilitate restoration of coastal habitats throughout the Gulf of Mexico through increased cooperation between the individual governing units, natural resource agencies and non-governmental organizations.

Governors’ Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts
• Spanish version (ms word)      • English version (pdf)

State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit
brings 400 distinguished leaders to table

The State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit held March 28-30, 2006, in Corpus Christi, Texas, brought together about 400 top leaders in science, business and government to focus attention on the state of the Gulf of Mexico. As a VIP event, governors from several of the gulf states of the US and Mexico anchored the participant list, including Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Mexican governors Eugenio Hernandez from Tamaulipas and Fidel Herrera from Veracruz. Other guests included CEOs of international industries, academic institutions, government agencies, and conservation organizations joined them to present a vision of the current and future status of the Gulf of Mexico.

The summit's purpose included:

1. Insert the state of the Gulf of Mexico into the international spotlight.
2. Expand awareness of the socioeconomic and ecological value of the Gulf of Mexico and its importance to a sustainable desired quality of life.
3. Build partnerships for proactive management.
4. Establish a strategy for ensuring the ecological and socioeconomic health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico.

To advance public awareness, media was invited to report on the proceedings and perhaps broadcast some of the program live across the United States and Mexico. A published report on the State of the Gulf of Mexico will be crafted for broad distribution. An action agenda for future efforts will be issued. Area newspapers, TV stations and other local media filed reports throughout the event.

Hosted by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, co-hosts included state governors, private industry, state and federal government agencies, conservation organizations and academic institutions. Representatives from the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, including Dr. Quenton Dokken, Kendal Keyes, Bobbi Reed, Gail Sutton, Richard Gonzales and Carrie Robertson also attended and assisted in various aspects of planning and coordinating the event.

For more information, visit: http://stateofthegulf.org/

Rowan, BP donate to GMF programs

HOUSTON, TX - Representatives from both BP and Rowan Companies donated funds to the Gulf of Mexico Foundation during a reception hosted by Rowan Companies at Houston's Petroleum Club on Nov 2, 2005.

Nov 2005 - GMF President John LaRue accepts a check from BP's Hugh Depland (left) at a recent reception. Rowan's Paul Kelly (right) also presented a check. Richard Gonzales photo

Hugh DePland of BP presented a check for $30,000 to be used for education program development, while Rowan Company's Paul Kelly presented a check for $25,000 earmarked for program support during the GMF's fall reception in Houston.

Six months later, in May 2006, Rowan presented GMF's Executive Director Quenton Dokken with a second check for $25,000 during a meeting at Rowan's Houston headquarters.

Paul Kelly of Rowan, who is also a member of the GMF board, explains the company's dedication to the Gulf. "As a leading offshore drilling contractor in the Gulf of Mexico, Rowan feels very much a part of the Gulf States community and further recognizes that environmental sustainability and economic sustainability must go hand in hand during the 21st century if we are to maintain a good quality of life for all our citizens, including our employees," he said.

May 2006 - Rowan's CEO Danny McNease presents Dr. Quenton Dokken, GMF's Executive Director, with a check for $25,000 during a meeting at Rowan's headquarters.

Kelly continued, "Rowan's management and board of directors is very impressed with the projects of the GMF and wants to encourage the Foundation's growth. We also wish to be an example to the private sector that the institutions now forming an alliance to sustain the Gulf's future must include the various industries that depend on the Gulf's resources for their business."

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation would like to extend its thanks to partners such as BP and Rowan for their generous support.

GMF's efforts recognized in magazine
TCEQ newsletter touts partnerships in Gulf of Mexico

Excerpt from article in Fall 2004 issue of Natural Outlook, newsletter of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Another important partner in the network is the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, a private, nonprofit in Corpus Christi that supports restoration projects in all five Gulf states. Bahia Grande is one of 18 habitat restoration projects that the foundation has supported since 2002.

Quenton Dokken, the foundation's executive director, explained the significance of the Gulf network: "If it was the Gulf of Mexico Program by itself, NOAA by itself, or any individual organization by itself, habitat restoration along the Gulf would be a small program. But by leveraging funds and resources, we have been able to get more than $2 million invested over the last two years. None of us working alone would have been able to do that."

To read the rest of this article, click here: TCEQ.

 back to top 

Foundation supports documentary 'Living Waters' profiles Florida's Aquatic Preserves

GMF subject of film produced by
Teaching Learning Network partnership
Voices of Vision profiles Gulf of Mexico Foundation

The production crew from the Teaching Learning Network recently returned from Texas, where they shot an episode highlighting the Gulf of Mexico Foundation’s Down Under, Out Yonder educational program. The GMF's Dr. Quenton Dokken assisted with the film project, working on a script and storyboard for the video filming. The film crew took footage offshore and also filmed the GMF's Science & Spanish Clubs.

The program is designed for teachers and includes workshops as well as three days at sea, scuba diving off a 120-foot-long vessel. The purpose of the program is to give educators a “hands-on” experience, so they may encourage an interest in and conservation of these important habitats.

The television show is in the final stages of post-production and can be seen nationally on local public television stations this fall (check local listings). For more information, visit the Teaching Learning Network website.

 back to top 

Gulf of Mexico Foundation
PMB 51, 5403 Everhart • Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(800) 884-4175 toll free • (361) 882-3939 phone • (361) 882-1262 fax
e-mail: info@gulfmex.org  • website: gulfmex.org
webmaster: Carrie Robertson