Weekly News Digest from Mote

New Education Programs Start this Month in Charlotte Harbor
Discover how Mote got its start on Charlotte Harbor's coast and learn why "go fish" is serious business for anglers and dolphins alike during Mote's brand new education programs starting this month in Charlotte Harbor:

• Jan. 17:
  Special Lecture: Mote Marine Laboratory — Past, Present and Future
  7 p.m. check in and 7:30 p.m. lecture on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
  PGI Civic Association, 2001 Shreve Street, Punta Gorda
  Join us for a special lecture by Dr. Michael Crosby, Senior Vice President for Research at Mote, who will share how Mote was founded in 1955 as a one-room lab in Placida and will reveal the latest developments at the Lab, now a world-class marine research institution based in Sarasota and hosting exciting new programs in its original home, Charlotte Harbor.
• Jan. 30:
  Science Café: Go Fish!  A Discussion About How Dolphins and Humans Hunt for Fish
  6 p.m. check in and 6:30 p.m. talk on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013
  Laishley Crab House, 150 East Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda
  “Go fish” is much more than a game for devoted anglers and for dolphins catching prey. Learn about the skills needed to make the catch from Kim Hull, Senior Biologist in the Dolphin Research Program at Mote, and from Charlotte Harbor angler Josh Olive, Publisher of WaterLine Weekly Magazine. This Science Café allows guests to join the discussion. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

RSVP to Rachael Kraemer at 941-205-3970, ext. 103

In 2012, Mote had the opportunity to create new education programs in Charlotte Harbor thanks to a donation from Regions Bank, which provides an office in Punta Gorda, and a grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District and Charlotte County to support our new educators. Programs beginning in 2013 include Mommy and Me (ages 2-5 with a favorite adult), Behind the Science (6 and older), Summer Camps (grades 1-4), Lecture Series (high school and older) and Science Cafés (college and older).

More Information: www.mote.org/charlotteharbor

Jan. 14 - March 11
Support Mote During Special at Michael’s On East
Raise your glass to marine life during a (very) Happy Hour special at Michael’s on East.
From from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. each Monday from Jan. 14 through March 11, Michael's on East will donate a percentage of beverage sales in the restaurant's Lounge to Mote Marine Laboratory, home to world-class marine research, outreach, education and marine animal care. 

Michael’s Happy Hour prices extend throughout their evening hours during this special promotion, allowing guests to enjoy a $5 vintage or well cocktail, domestic beer or glass of Michael’s private label wine until 10 p.m. each Monday. Be sure to try one of five fabulous $5 Lounge Bites.

During this promotion, Mote supporters dining in the Lounge can receive complimentary membership in the Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club — a special rewards program by the The Klauber-Mancini family of restaurants and shops. Simply tell Michael’s mixologists you’d like to support Mote with your new Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club membership. Members will receive points toward rewards when they dine or shop at participating venues, and 5 percent of proceeds from Mote supporters' purchases will go to Mote.

• Learn more about the Connoisseur Club and start your membership online as a Mote supporter: www.florida-hospitality.com/mote

From Water Bears to Whale Sharks…and Everything In Between: Mote’s Special Lecture Series

• Get tickets now for lectures in February and March 2013
  

If learning something new is your resolution for 2013, then Mote has just what you need. Enjoy a Special Lecture Series featuring top scientists and explorers who have studied extreme little creatures called water bears, piloted amazing submersibles, led international efforts to conserve marine mammals and trekked along the famous Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Lectures start at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) each Monday from Feb. 4 through March 11 in the Immersion Cinema at The Aquarium at Mote, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. Lecture details below.

Tickets are $15 per person per lecture ($12 for Mote Members). Tickets are on sale now and will be available until 3 p.m. on the day of each lecture, or until sold out. Tickets must be purchased in advance to guarantee your seat.

• Purchase tickets at www.mote.org/lecture
  Students, teachers and Mote volunteers can get $12 tickets by contacting Mote at lecture@mote.org or 941-388-4441, ext. 348.

For questions, please call 941-388-4441, ext. 691, or e-mail lecture@mote.org.

Lecture Summaries:

• Feb. 4: “From Water Bears to Whale Sharks” by Dr. Diane Nelson, Professor Emerita, Dept. of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University & Dr. Eugenie Clark, Founding Director, Mote Marine Laboratory
  Lecturers will delve into fascinating features of marine animals, “dissecting” a six-foot great white shark (model), illustrating the difference between seals and sea lions, showing slides of other marine life and introducing the microscopic world of water bears — tiny animals that can survive the extreme conditions of deserts, glaciers and even space. Mote thanks Caldwell Trust for sponsoring this lecture.
  
• Feb. 11: “The Undersea Life of a former U.S. Nuclear Attack Submarine Commander” by Capt. Alfred Scott McLaren, Senior Pilot of the Super Aviator submersible
  McLaren will share his 50-year undersea life of exploration and scientific research, reveal how it led him to become Senior Pilot of the revolutionary deep-diving Super Aviator submersible and share the major areas of exploration and scientific research where it could prove useful in the context of climate change.
• Feb. 18: “Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition” by Carlton Ward, Photographer
  Ward will share his journey during the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition — a 1,000-mile journey through the Florida wilderness to raise awareness for the opportunity to protect an important corridor of connected lands and waters.
• Feb. 25: “Sick and tired of being sick and tired: How Diseases are Devastating our Coral Reefs” by Dr. Erinn Muller, Mote Postdoctoral Fellow, Mote Marine Laboratory
  Muller will reveal how disease outbreaks have devastated coral reefs around the world, especially within the Caribbean, and discuss the possible reasons for higher prevalence of coral diseases, different types of diseases occurring within our reefs and higher numbers of coral disease outbreaks. She will focus on the influence of environmental stressors, such as warm water temperature and pollution, and describe how those stressors impact the immune system of corals and the virulence of pathogens, and she will provide insight into how people can reduce the threat of coral diseases.
• March 4: “Harmful algal blooms (“red tides”) in the Gulf of Maine: From Climatology to Forecasting” by Dr. Dennis McGillicuddy, Senior Scientist in the Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  McGillicuddy will reveal how harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a serious economic and public health problem throughout coastal oceans. In New England, the most serious HAB issue is paralytic shellfish poisoning, a potentially fatal illness that occurs when humans eat shellfish that have accumulated certain toxins from the harmful alga Alexandrium fundyense. McGillicuddy will reveal this organism’s complex life cycle, share observations and models to expose the underlying dynamics of these algal blooms, and describe a bloom forecasting system. Mote thanks PNC Wealth Management for sponsoring this lecture.
  
• March 11: “Conservation of Marine Mammals: What It Is and What It Isn’t.  A Case Study for Manatees and Dugongs” by Dr. John Reynolds, Director of the International Consortium for Marine Conservation and Manager of the Manatee Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory
  Reynolds will speak about the conservation of manatees and related species called dugongs to provide pragmatic steps for successfully conserving wildlife and natural environments. He will reveal why successful conservation must involve other disciplines that ultimately are likely to have a greater impact on the future of our world than the natural sciences, although the sciences should ideally play a key role in informing decisions. As Director of the Mote-sponsored International Consortium for Marine Conservation, Reynolds hopes to focus strengths at Mote and elsewhere on clear conservation achievements.