Dear Dauphin Island Sea Lab: I read the article in Discover Magazine about coral reefs and how they have been dying. I think the coral reefs have been dying because of pollution in the water so if you haven’t yet you should test the water. Also I would like to know how I could help keep the coral reef from dying. Sincerely, Irish Gishkin Tempe, AZ

(Editor’s note: Iris is referring to the January 2002 issue of Discover which featured the Top 100 Science Stories of 2001; the magazine mentioned Dr. Richard Aronson of the DISL [Vol. 23, No. 1, page 41]. She received the following hand-written note).

Dear Iris:
Thanks for your letter about coral reefs. There are a lot of reasons that reefs are in trouble these days, including pollution, which you mentioned, as well as outbreaks of disease, over fishing and global warming. We and other marine labs around the world are checking into all of these problems and looking for ways of controlling them.

I think the best thing you can do to help save reefs is to let other people know how serious the problem is and how concerned you are. If we all work on this together, we’ll make good progress.

Sincerely,
Rich Aronson
Marine Scientist

From Sandra Jones, a World of Water teacher participant in 2001:

Before arriving on Dauphin Island, I had the vision of sandy beaches, hotels and restaurants. As Dena and I arrived, my visions quickly faded away. However, as the week progressed, my disappointment turned into an appreciation and a concern for the island and the environment. My week on the island was an informational eye-opener about our state and coastal area. I never knew the tremendous relationship that existed between Alabama’s land and the coastal area. Without a doubt, people need to be educated on the environmental concerns so action can be taken. I am most certainly aware and will try to do my part here in North Alabama.

The entire staff at Dauphin Island [were] wonderful people to share the week with. Jenny and Grant made each day enjoyable and learning was fun. They were very knowledgeable and presented all the information in a laid-back manner on a level I understood. Thank you! Dr. John Dindo was intriguingly interesting, and his concerns and knowledge of the environment was very impressive.

I will recommend Dauphin Island to my friends and cohorts and I would like to return for future workshops.

(l-r) Dena Mayfield and Sandra Jones attended DHP's World of Water Workshop for teachers. This Title 2 program has been drastically reduced over the years, due to budget constraints. The program is typically oversubscribed, with about a 3:1 ratio of requests to available spaces.