Weekly News Digest from Mote

It may be Friday the 13th, but you're in luck: Check out these great upcoming events from Mote Marine Laboratory!

Siesta Key Crystal Classic Tickets, Sponsorships and Donation Ops Online • Register Now for Youth Ocean Conservation Summit • Mote Announces Fall Education Programs • Sept. 29: National Plug In Day to "Electrify the Island" at Mote • This Month: Good Eats, Great Cause at Columbia • Sept. 20-21: Charlotte Harbor Photo Release Fishing Tournament • Oct. 18: Mote's Night of Fish, Fun and Fright 

Sponsorships, Tickets and Donation Opportunities Available Online for
Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition

Sponsorships, tickets and donation opportunities are now available online for the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition taking place on Nov. 15-18 at Siesta Beach. Sponsors will receive: high visibility before and during the event, the opportunity to participate in a collaborative community event and a way to visibly support the cultural arts and our beautiful Siesta Beach. All proceeds will benefit Mote Marine Laboratory's Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.

Visit www.SiestaKeyCrystalClassic.com to:

• Purchase four-day admission tickets for $10
• Purchase four-day VIP parking permits for $49
• Purchase a sponsorship package starting at $100
• Donate any amount.
  

For full information about sponsorships or donations, visit the Web site or contact Chastanna Niemann at the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce at 941-349-3800.

For more information about Mote Marine Laboratory, please visit www.mote.org or contact Hayley Rutger, Public Relations Coordinator, at 941-388-4441, ext. 365, cell: 941-374-0081 or hrutger@mote.org

Mote Announces Fall Education Programs

Learn your A-B-Seas, explore Sarasota Bay by kayak or get your feet wet in marine science through a special program for home schoolers during Mote Marine Laboratory’s new lineup of fall education programs. Mote, a world-class marine research institution, offers informal science education programs to help people of all ages become more ocean literate.

Register now for programs from this month into December 2013:

Mommy and Me

• Mommy and Me at Mote
  Kids and their favorite adults learn together through marine-themed crafts, games, songs, stories, role playing and a special guided visit to a Mote exhibit. For ages 2-5 with adult. 10-11 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Dec. 19.

• Mommy and Me: Exploring the Bay 
  Explore coastal habitats by wading in the water and collecting marine animals with dip nets. Ages 2-5 with adult. 10-11 a.m. on Tuesdays through Oct. 29.

Details and registration: www.mote.org/mommyandme

Kayaking with Mote

Kayak Sarasota Bay to discover the marine animals and plants that thrive in Florida's coastal waters, and learn how Mote's scientists study this unique environment. Ages 11 and older welcome.

• Sunrise Paddles: 7:30-9 a.m. on Sept. 28, Oct. 12, Nov. 23 and Dec. 14
  
  
• Morning Paddles: 10-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, Nov. 9 and Dec. 7
  
  
• Full-Moon Paddles: 6:30-8 p.m. on Sept. 19, Nov. 17 and Dec. 17

Details and registration: www.mote.org/kayak

Home School Days

Each month, home-schooled students and their families are invited to an exciting day of age-appropriate, ocean-themed learning experiences led by Mote’s professional marine science educators. Each Home School Day takes place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Oct. 9 or 11: One Fish, Two Fish: Biodiversity of the Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico

• Nov. 6 or 8: Those Magnificent Mangroves: Exploring our Salt Tolerant Neighbor

• Dec. 11 or 13: Whale of a Tale: Conservation and Adaptations of the Giants in the Sea

Details and registration at www.mote.org/homeschool

National Plug in Day to "Electrify the Island" at Mote
Sept. 29 celebration will feature electric vehicles, sustainable technology, discount Mote admission

Electric vehicles and other eco-friendly technologies will show their power during “Electrify the Island”: the Sarasota-based festival for the nationwide celebration National Plug In Day. 

This free event will take place from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, on the grounds of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium on City Island, Sarasota. Mote is a world-class marine science and education institution that launched a Sustainable Energy Initiative in 2012 to enhance the Lab’s environmentally sound practices.

Electrify the Island will feature a plug-in electric vehicle (EV) expo, ride-and-drive sessions that allow visitors to test some of the sleekest EVs around, including cars from Tesla, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan, along with vendors focused on sustainability and energy efficiency, educational booths, great food and a special discount at The Aquarium at Mote.

• For full details for the public and news media, read Mote's press release.
  
• For questions about the event, contact Nigel Mould at 941-400-0548, nmould@verizon.net or contact Chris Sharek at 941-915-6003, chris.sharek@atkinsglobal.com
• To RSVP your EV for display and/or a post-event rally (drive to a local beach restaurant), contact Larry Chanin at lfchanin@verizon.net

Electrify the Island is possible thanks to national partners Plug In America, Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association, along with local partners City of Sarasota, Sarasota County and Mote. Event organizers thank sponsors from Tesla, Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan and Region Solar.

Event partners:

Columbia Restaurant is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 365 days a year at 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota.

Other Columbia locations participating in Community Harvest will include: Tampa’s Historic Ybor City, the Historic District in St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida's town of Celebration, the Columbia Café on the Riverwalk in Tampa and the Columbia Restaurant Café at Tampa International Airport. For more information about the Community Harvest program, including a list of participating nonprofits and restaurant locations, visit www.columbiarestaurant.org or contact Columbia Restaurant in Sarasota at 941-388-3987.

Mote needs your help to continue our mission of advancing marine science, education, and outreach. Visit www.mote.org for more food for thought.

The Charlotte Harbor Photo Release Fishing Tournament will take place Sept. 20 and 21 at Laishley Crab House, 50 Laishley Court in Punta Gorda.

Beyond Borders Outfitters and the C.A.R.E. Auxiliary Society are partnering to present this inaugural fishing event officiated by Captain Rhett Morris. The tournament will benefit victims of violent crimes receiving shelter and services at The Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies, Inc. and will promote awareness about conservation and protection of the harbor fishery. 

Tournament winners will be judged on an Inshore Slam, with the largest combined snook, redfish and trout, as well as a winner for the largest of each species. This is a photo release tournament with catch-and-release fishing only. Photos will be broadcast throughout the Crab House during the event. Spectators and anglers may participate in the auction and raffle.

Proceeds from the tournament will be used to help victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault and to fund preventive education focused on creating healthy relationships and life choices.  At the same time, anglers on the harbor will keep sport fishing alive while highlighting the need to preserve nature’s balance with clean and healthy ecosystems on our waterways.

To support sustainable fisheries, scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory will assist with collecting and managing data about fish caught and released during this tournament, and they will contribute tournament prizes and share knowledge about their research and conservation activities with participating captains. Mote scientists study snook, tarpon, sharks and other key species in Charlotte Harbor, often working in collaboration with anglers.

The C.A.R.E. Auxiliary Society provides fundraising support for C.A.R.E. which is a 501 (3) (c) organization.  Beyond Borders Outfitters offers world class saltwater fishing trips in Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass.

Event contacts:
Kim Fender, C.A.R.E. Auxiliary Volunteer: 863-990-1765 (cell), carequeen1@gmail.com, www.carefl.org

Buoys and ghouls of all ages are invited to dress up in costume for a Night of Fish, Fun and Fright from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

Discover creatures from the deep in a safe and fun trick-or-treating zone and explore “Dr. Frankin-Fish's Icky-ology Lab" (recommended for children 8 and older).

Unearth shark teeth in “Coffin Creek”, enjoy deep sea delights in the “Diner of the Dead" and take part in an education program geared toward ages 2-5. And don’t miss our signature underwater pumpkin carving in our spooktacular shark tank!

Tickets are available for $6 per person online through Oct. 16. Tickets at the door are $8 per person for Mote Members or $10 per person for nonmembers. (Children age 3 and younger are admitted free.) More information: www.mote.org/halloween

Register Today: Youth Ocean Conservation Summit
Nov. 15 Public Film Festival • Nov. 16 Summit for Students

Oceans worldwide are threatened by human impacts — how can our younger generation help?

Students interested in ocean conservation can take part in the 2013 Youth Ocean Conservation Summit from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 at Mote Marine Laboratory. The event will take place in Mote’s Keating Marine Education Center, 1599 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island, Sarasota.

• Registration is open until Oct. 19. To learn more and register, visit www.yocs.org

This annual Summit, led by the Stow It-Don’t Throw It marine debris prevention project, was created to give youth participants the opportunity to learn from marine scientists and conservationists about local and global threats facing marine ecosystems. Participants can learn how other youth are currently working to protect marine ecosystems, and then work with their peers to develop action plans for their own ocean conservation projects. Workshops at the summit focus on developing skills to implement conservation projects, on career opportunities in marine conservation and on ways to participate in helping our planet's oceans and their inhabitants.

Public Film Festival on Nov. 15

Get your ticket today for the 2013 Youth Ocean Conservation Film Festival. The festival takes place starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 in the Immersion Cinema at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth 18 and under.

• Tickets are available now at www.yocs.org

This event will feature a screening of the film "Operation: Blue Pride," which tells how three severely wounded combat veterans are fighting to save our oceans and sharks, and in doing so, are saving themselves. The event will also showcase student-created short films about ocean conservation and exhibits highlighting youth-driven ocean conservation projects.

Special guests will include: Justin Riney, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Mother Ocean, who will share his experiences leading Expedition Florida 500 — a 365 day exploration of Florida’s coastline, waterways and aquatic ecosystems, along with Jim Abernethy and George C. Schellenger of Operation: Blue Pride.