Free certification course offered to community and commercial marine tour operators.

Local environmental organizations on Maui are once again joining forces to offer a free Ocean Awareness Training (OAT) certification course to the community and commercial marine tour operators. Classes will be held at two concurrent locations from June 2 to June 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m.: Mondays and Wednesdays at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Education Center in Kihei; and Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Maui Community College Lahaina Education Center in Lahaina.

After completing all six sessions and one field day, participants will receive a C.O.R.A.L. (care of our Culture, Ocean, Reefs and Animal Life) certification card.

Nominated for the 2007 Living Reef Award, this course will provide a foundational knowledge base for those employed in the marine recreation industry, community volunteers, or anyone who wants to learn more about Hawai‘i’s marine environment.

Each workshop is designed to provide outreach tools and resources, and will cover the basics for anyone out on the water or onshore talking with visitors.

This spring’s OAT classes includes new topics and guest speakers: Hawaiian Culture with Kupuna Ed Lindsey; Coral Disease with Greta Aeby (Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology); Coral Reef Ecology and the Role of Herbivores with Darla White (DAR); Wetlands and Stream Ecology with Dale Bonar and Scott Fisher (Maui Coastal Land Trust); Water Quality with Megan Webster (ML&P) and Robin Knox (Water Quality Consulting); Maui Reef Status with John Mitchell and Russell Sparks (DAR); and Environmental Cultural Ecology—applying culture to everyday interpretation (speaker to be announced).

This spring’s session is especially significant, because 2008 is the International Year of the Reef (IYOR). The sanctuary’s team offers new and exciting ways to get involved and make a difference, and put knowledge and training to use in the community by including opportunities to participate in hands-on field activities.

Participants will be required to complete one field-day component to receive certification. Participants can choose from various activities including: a REEF Survey (June 7), Maui Coastal Land Trust restoration (June 13), and education and outreach at Honolua Bay (June 21), with more opportunities in the future. Opportunities will also be available to assist with education and outreach efforts for International Year of the Reef education stations in both Lahaina Harbor and Central Maui.

The OAT wrap-up party will coincide this year with the IYOR June event held at the Maui Ocean Center on June 22. Graduates will receive their C.O.R.A.L. certification cards at this community event. Discounted admission tickets will be available to those participants who completed all six sessions and the field-day component.

This certification will help participants meet the requirements for volunteer positions with the sanctuary’s Naturalist Corps Program and other islandwide volunteer opportunities with partner organizations.

Space is limited and registration is required; for more information or to register, contact Emily Carlson at 879-2818, ext.101 or emily.carlson@noaa.gov.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Education Center is located at 726 S. Kihei Road in Kihei. The Maui Community College Lahaina Education Center is located at 60 Kenui Street in Lahaina.

The course is jointly coordinated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, the Maui Ocean Center, Division of Aquatic Resources, Project S.E.A.-Link, Maui Reef Fund, Maui Community College Marine Option Program, Hawaii Eco-Nature Society, Hawaii Wildlife Fund, and the Coral Reef Alliance.