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CACS
Celebrating Years of Education and Stewardship in Kachemak Bay
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Inc.
Connecting You to the Nature of Alaska since 1982
2O11 ANNUAL REPORT CONNECTIONS with the Community
For
the second year in a row, CACS reached over eleven thousand people with education and stewardship programs, presentations, and outreach to the community. We continue to serve a large and diverse audience. Our partnerships in 2011 included family and special programs with local organizations like the Kachemak Bay Environmental Education Alliance (KBEEA), the Kachemak Currents weekly radio program on KBBI, the City of Homer, the Seldovia Native Association, the Seldovia Village Tribe, AGEYA Wilderness Education; the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Kasitsna Bay Lab, and the U.S. Forest Service. Partnerships are key to providing effective program services, with limited resources, to people of all ages.
CONNECTIONS with Families and Youth
CACS
offers numerous programs to youth and families at our Peterson Bay Field Station, the Wynn Nature Center, the Yurt on the Spit, and our Headquarters locations. These quality sciencebased environmental education programs provide opportunities to get outside and connect with nature all year round and promote learning about our natural environment. Our goal is to offer programs that connect youth and adults to the outdoors and promote learning about our natural environment. Programs range from a preschool story hour, to art & nature programs, to beach clean-ups, to snowshoeing during the winter for all age groups. Our vision is to cultivate environmental stewards who will preserve the natural world for future generations.
CONNECTIONS with the Environment
CACS
has conducted the Kachemak Bay CoastWalk program since 1984. 2011 marked the 27th year of connecting students, citizens, and families to the stewardship of our coastal and ocean resources. The program’s success is due in large part to the contribution of thousands of hours of volunteer effort. During 2011 we administered 10 Challenge Grants funded by a NOAA Community Marine Debris Grant to communities throughout the state to conduct grassroots community based cleanups resulting in over 13,000 pounds of marine debris collected. We also began a 3-year marine debris outreach and education program funded by the EVOS Trustee Council in partnership with Gulf of Alaska Keeper which will include a partnership with the Washed Ashore Project, based out of Oregon, and the construction of multiple large scale marine debris art sculptures.
The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies fosters responsible interactions with our natural surroundings and generates knowledge of the unique marine and coastal ecosystems of Kachemak Bay through science-based environmental education and stewardship.