Weekly News Digest from Mote

Surprise Honor for Mote President at Record-Setting Volunteer Ceremony

Mote Marine Laboratory volunteers surprise Mote President and CEO Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, who will become Mote's President Emeritus in May, with a special tribute on Thursday, April 11, during an annual awards ceremony that honored a record 431 Mote volunteers. (Photo credit: Mote Marine Laboratory)

• Media: High-res photos are available.  Please contact Hayley Rutger at 941-374-0081 or hrutger@mote.org
  
• Click here for the full list of honorees in Mote's Volunteer Awards Ceremony.
  

Volunteers surprised Mote Marine Laboratory’s President and CEO Dr. Kumar Mahadevan with a special tribute Thursday evening during an annual ceremony that Mote holds to honor our volunteers.  

At Mote’s Volunteer Awards Ceremony, which recognized a record 431 volunteers and filled the Immersion Cinema in The Aquarium at Mote to capacity, Mahadevan congratulated the hardworking men and women who have shown exceptional dedication to our oceans through volunteerism. This year’s ceremony, which included volunteers from Sarasota and Manatee counties and Charlotte Harbor, as well as seasonal residents from as far away as Canada and Greece, honored volunteers who have reached milestones from one year to an outstanding 35 years.

Mahadevan, who will become President Emeritus in May, has worked at Mote for nearly 35 years and has led the Lab for 27 years, working closely with volunteers and thanking them often for their service. During Thursday’s Ceremony, the volunteers returned this gratitude.

After the opening remarks, Mote’s Volunteer Board Chair Sue Stolberg asked Mahadevan to come to the podium. “The volunteers, as a group, want to recognize you for all you have done,” Stover said, quipping: “There’s not a crew here who wouldn’t have you as their volunteer.”

Each volunteer held up signs with pictures of Dr. Mahadevan as Stolberg presented him with a certificate establishing the new “Dr. Kumar Mahadevan Undergraduate Research Award.” The Mahadevan Award will be presented annually to a second-year or higher student from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) who is studying marine biology as part of the new Mote-USFSM education partnership. (More information below).

According to the certificate, the Mahadevan Award is “established by the Volunteer Corps to honor an extraordinary leader whose 27 years as President and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory led to groundbreaking marine science, conservation and education while carrying forward the visionary work of Mote's Founding Director, Dr. Eugenie Clark.”

“This is a real surprise, and I’m very moved by the affection of the volunteers,” Mahadevan said. “Creating a research award for a USF student was a great idea, and a nice contribution to the educational partnership between Mote and USF Sarasota-Manatee. I’ve always been a proponent of helping young people along in their education.”

“This is my last official Volunteer Ceremony as President,” Mahadevan said. “It’s been wonderful for me to see our volunteers go from three people (when he started at Mote in 1978) to 1,660 today.”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Mote, assisting with the Lab’s world-class marine research, education and animal care, serving as docents in our public Aquarium and much more. In 2012 alone, Mote volunteers donated 212,500 service hours, for a value of $4.6 million.

The volunteers’ new tribute, the Dr. Kumar Mahadevan Undergraduate Research Award, will provide funding support to allow one USFSM student taking marine biology coursework to conduct independent research under the mentorship of a Mote scientist.

• The public can help this important award continue into the future by making a donation. Please contact Susan May at 941-388-4441, ext. 392 or smay@mote.org

Sunday
Coconut Castaways Hosting Fundraiser for Mote in Key West
Go coco-nuts for coral reefs during a fundraiser hosted by the Southernmost Coconut Castaways and benefiting Mote Marine Laboratory. The fundraiser runs from 2-5 p.m. this Sunday, April 14 in the Smokin' Tuna Saloon at 4 Charles Street, Key West. 

Guests can take part in a 50/50 raffle and other prize drawings that may include T-shirts, art, music CDs, gift certificates for food and drinks and more. Raffle tickets will be available at the event and prizes will be awarded at about 4 p.m. Raffle ticket prices are: one ticket for $1; six tickets for $5; 12 tickets for $10; 25 tickets for $20.

Guests can also enjoy food and drink specials, including limited free appetizers provided by Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, along with the music of singer/songwriter Scott Kirby.

All proceeds will benefit the Protect Our Reefs program administered by Mote, which supports science, restoration and education by Mote and others, focusing on Florida’s coral reef tract — the only barrier reef in the continental U.S. and the third largest in the world. Funds are also raised through sales of the Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate (learn more at www.reefplate.com).

Reefs around the world face multiple threats ranging from climate change and ocean acidification to pollution and disease. To help reefs recover, Mote has been working to understand, protect and restore reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for more than a decade through efforts based at its Tropical Research Laboratory on Summerland Key.

During Sunday’s fundraiser, visitors can meet members of the Southernmost Coconut Castaways and learn more about this nonprofit organization, which is an official nationwide "friend" club of Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band and is also a community service group. Learn more at http://www.southernmostcoconutcastaways.com/

April 17
Wine Tasting for Our Oceans at Harry’s on Longboat Key

Guests can sample wines from two different vendors and enjoy scrumptious passed hors d’oeuvres and a display of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. Admission includes a Harry’s coupon as well as a Govino wine glass. This event is suitable for ages 21 and older.

Reservations recommended. Please call Harry’s at 941-383-0777.

• April 17:  Sea Turtles, "Ridley Riddles Unravel in Florida,” Dr. Tony Tucker, manager of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program
• April 24:  Sharks, Dr. Robert Hueter, associate vice president for research in Mote’s Directorate of Marine Biology and Conservation
• April 29: Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Strandings: Gretchen Lovewell, manager of Mote's Stranding Investigations Program
  
• May 9: Florida Red Tide, Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick, manager of Mote’s Environmental Health Program

April 18
Snook and Tarpon Spotlighted in Mote’s Boca Grande Lecture Series
Learn about snook and tarpon from Mote Marine Laboratory scientists on April 18 during the final lecture in Mote’s Boca Grande Lecture Series.

When: 2 p.m. April 18
Where: Boca Grande Community Center, 131 First Street West, Boca Grande
Cost: Free
Lecture topic: Snook & Tarpon Stock Enhancement and Habitat Protection Initiative: Replenishing Fish and Protecting the Places They Live
Speakers: Dr. Ken Leber, associate vice president for research in Mote’s Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture
and Dr. Kevan Main, manager of the Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture Research Program at Mote.

About the Mote-Boca Grande Partnership
Mote Marine Laboratory, based in Sarasota, Fla., recently opened a new satellite office in Boca Grande to help engage the community and region in tarpon and other marine research undertaken by Mote in Charlotte Harbor — the Lab’s original home — and  Southwest Florida in general. The office is also designed to highlight new research directions designed to support conservation of area fisheries and habitat. The office was opened under the auspices of a community-wide grassroots committee to increase knowledge of — and support for — the region’s important marine environment and the conservation of it.

Mote’s Boca Grande Office address: 480 East Railroad Ave., Unit 7, Railroad Plaza, Boca Grande (Note: The lecture series takes place at the Boca Grande Community Center, not Mote’s Office.)

 Founded in 1955, Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 research organization based in Sarasota, Fla., with field stations in eastern Sarasota County, Charlotte Harbor and the Florida Keys. Donations to Mote are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Mote is dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans with an emphasis on world-class research relevant to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources. Research programs include studies of human cancer using marine models, the effects of man-made and natural toxins on humans and on the environment, the health of wild fisheries, developing sustainable and successful fish restocking techniques and food production technologies and the development of ocean technology to help us better understand the health of the environment. Mote research programs also focus on understanding the population dynamics of manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and coral reefs and on conservation and restoration efforts related to these species and ecosystems. Mote’s vision includes positively impacting public policy through science-based outreach and education. Showcasing this research is The Aquarium at Mote, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 365 days a year. Learn more at www.mote.org.

Contact: Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236. (941) 388-4441 or info@mote.org.