Our Planet

Friday on the Beach

April 24, 2015 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

Randy and I are on the beach, attending the wedding of the daughter of our close friends. Tonight the events begin…a cruise for a rehearsal dinner, the wedding tomorrow, and a brunch on Sunday.

I will be out of the sun today as I am practically purple with sunburn. I spent the day on the beach yesterday, and since I am usually diving or in a wet suit I didn’t sunscreen as much as I should have. Ouch!

I did find some interesting critters on the beach. And fab food!

Randy found another heart for me! A cool colony of tunicates!

2015 cb sea bird2 — Mine….Mine…Mine from Finding Nemo!

2015 cb sea pork2 — Sea Pork…colonial tunicates….living zooids forming rubbery, solid lumps. Under the rubbery substance it is hard.

2015 cb shell pen2 — A beautiful Shell Pen.

2015 cb whelk egg case — I love egg cases! This is a Whelk egg case.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to watch the film, REVOLUTION, available above this post!

EARTH DAY: REVOLUTION

April 21, 2015 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

We don’t think about it every day, but let’s think about this on Earth Day: our planet is in ICU, in critical condition. Watch REVOLUTION, a film by Rob Stewart, which explores the dire consequences the human race will face in the next 40 years. REVOLUTION follows up Rob Stewart’s first film in 2007, SHARKWATER, which brought attention to the fact that shark species had declined by 90%.

Revolution is a feature documentary about opening your eyes, changing the world and fighting for something. A true life adventure following director Rob Stewart in the follow up to his hit Sharkwater, Revolution is an epic adventure into the evolution of life on earth and the revolution to save us. Discovering that there’s more in jeopardy than sharks, Stewart uncovers a grave secret threatening our own survival as a species, and embarks on a life-threatening adventure through 4 years and 15 countries into the greatest battle ever waged. Bringing you some of the most incredible wildlife spectacles ever recorded, audiences are brought face to face with sharks and cuddly lemurs…the journey reveals a massive opportunity, as activists and individuals all over the world are winning the battle to save the ecosystems we depend on for survival. Presenting the most important information on human survival and inspiring people all over the world to fight for life, Revolution is essential viewing for everyone. Startling, beautiful, and provocative, Revolution inspires audiences across the globe to join the biggest movement in history that’s rising to the challenge of saving our world. Revolution premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has already gone on to win ten awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Atlantic Film Festival, Most Popular Environmental Film Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Victoria Film Festival and the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Celebrate the Earth by watching REVOLUTION for less than $5.00. Find out what YOU can do…we have to do something, and soon.

Fab Photos Friday: Extinction is looming

April 15, 2015 By Tam Warner 11 Comments

There are only 6 Northern White Rhinos left on our planet. One is a male. They are all being guarded by rangers, and the horns have been removed so there is no point for poachers to kill them. I do not understand why our species is so cruel to every other species! There is evidence now that the Black Rhino is “officially” extinct in the wild. Humans seem to think we are special, somehow “above” the other life on our planet. If things continue the way they are going, in the next 50 years we will have no reefs, no apex predators in the ocean so very few fish, no rhinos, no sharks, and water rising everywhere. At that point will we wise up? I hope we wise up much sooner than that. Conservation means saving our own species…once we ruin all of the ecosystems that support life on this planet, we won’t last long, either. Today’s photographs are of animals headed toward extinction. Let’s not let it happen. Everyone….listen to Jane Goodall:

“If all of us would go through our lives thinking about the little choices we make each day as to what we buy, what we eat, what we wear – and how those choices might impact the environment, might impact child slave labor in other countries, might impact cruelty towards animals, we start making small changes… Billions of small changes around the world can lead to the kind of change we need if we care about future generations.” – Jane Goodall (http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/jane-goodall/photos/jane-goodall-birthday/)

Please. Start small, but start!

13-640x456 — A beautiful Manta Ray in Socorro, Mexico. Endangered.

chobe 09 Red Lechwe — A tiny Red Lechwe in Botswana…endangered.

3850104428_ac20cab293_b — The Red Lechwe is so pretty!

chobe 09 sable antelope2 — A majestic Giant Sable Antelope male….critically endangered. Chobe, Botswana.

Rhino Mother. Randy Minton — The White Rhino (not the northern). Endangered. Sabi Sands, Kruger, South Africa.

The Asian elephants use tools! And they are critically endangered. There are only about 2,000 left.

ew 14 taking a breath — Asian elephants love to bathe!

tan 12 sg lion on tree — Lion populations are down 80% in most parts of Africa. Serengeti.

A gorgeous, endangered Hawksbill Turtle, a fairly common sight on Cozumel. — A gorgeous, endangered Hawksbill Turtle. All sea turtles are critically endangered…Hawksbills were hit hard by the BP spill.

Whale Watching in Monterey Bay — Whales are on the endangered list. Monterey Bay

Volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Asia.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Watching an endangered manta.

Sea Turtles are so awesome, dude! And so endangered. This is a green sea turtle. Ecuador.

A lucky Green Sea Turtle, rescued from a fishing net. A sad end for many sea animals.

A dead baby hammerhead, entangled in fishing net, WITHIN the Machallila National Park. Photo by Larry. Endangered species.

You can clearly see the net. — You can clearly see the net that this humpback adult is fighting…our group could not save this endangered animal.

This manta was extremely friendly and checked me out for quite a while. Ahhh!!! Look at the eye!!!!!!!!

gws 10 zapata again — Ah, the famous Zapata of Guadalupe Island, Mexico. See the two tags on his dorsal fin? Great Whites are endangered.

The fabulous Scalloped Hammerhead! Endangered.

can 11 ws ran tam shark2 — Randy and I with a magnificent Whale Shark off of the Yucatan. Endangered…their fins bring a fortune in Asia.

A Whale "blow" and a fluke! — A Whale “blow” and a fluke!

We need to wake up to the danger we are in by putting these animals at risk, by stressing the planet and causing it to warm, to plastic trash everywhere….to cutting down rainforests, etc etc. Or we are lost.

Amazing Women: Dr Andrea Marshall, a Conservation Pioneer.

March 4, 2015 By Tam Warner 22 Comments

Dr. Andrea Marshall is one of the leading marine scientists and pioneers of our time. Growing up in California, she learned to dive at age 12, and like many marine enthusiasts, her first interest was in shark conservation. On a vacation to Mozambique Andrea discovered a stunning aggregation of manta rays off the eastern African coast. There had virtually been no research on these incredibly large and charismatic animals, and Andrea was fascinated by the friendly giants. She was the first person to earn a PhD by studying Manta Rays, and she has become a force to be reckoned with in her passion to study and to protect these animals. When she speaks, people listen, and they are beginning to act.

How could I begin to list her accomplishments? As I said, she was the first person to earn a PhD by studying Manta Rays. She also discovered that there were actually two species of Manta, Manta Birostris (the Giant Manta), and Manta Alfredi (the Reef Manta). In photographing and observing the mantas she began to discern identifying marks on their bellies. No two Mantas have the same spot pattern, so she kept a database with ID photos so the Mantas could be compared, and recognized. Those photos can be matched with other mantas anywhere on the planet by uploading them to Manta Matcher, an automated database of ID photos of Mantas. These ID’s give researchers data on the migratory patterns and behaviors of the mantas. After a BBC documentary on her work, she became known as The Queen of Mantas. As one of the founders of Marine Megafauna Foundation, and its CEO, Andrea continues to research and catalog her data on Manta Rays all over the globe. And I do mean, all over the globe. From Africa to the Maldives to Indonesia to Ecuador and Mexico….the list goes on and on.

The documentary about her work in Mozambique was compelling. I had seen Mantas from a distance, and had always been fascinated by them, but when I was little we were called out of the water so the Devil Fish wouldn’t swallow us whole (of course, they wouldn’t, they are so gentle). Her research on Mantas lingered in my mind, and when I had the opportunity to do a volunteer month in Tofo, Africa (with All Out Africa) to research Whale Sharks with her co-founder Dr Simon Pierce, I jumped at the chance.

Andrea working with Ocean GEMS, girls in science. Photo from http://ocean-gems.org/about-us/meet-team/

The coast along Mozambique is beautiful, and almost untouched. However, there were some harsh realities in Tofo I hadn’t prepared myself for. By the time I arrived in Tofo, 88 percent of the Mantas were gone, mostly due to unsustainable fishing practices. When heading out to dive, or coming in from a dive, our group often saw boatloads of sharks and rays being butchered right on the beach. The fins were being sold (and are being sold) to China, to end up in Chinese medicines and Shark Fin Soup (a really disgusting soup of chicken broth and fibers from shark fins.) Even though the Chinese government no longer serves Shark Fin soup at government dinners, the Chinese are still the number one consumers of endangered sharks and rays. I saw more dead sharks and rays on shore and in the square than I saw in the water. These experiences made me want to help, and I am a supporter of the Marine Megafauna Foundation in several ways. I have a Manta Ray in Mozambique I “adopted” (the funds go for research), and I named her Daenerys Targaryen, Stormborn, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, of the Rhoyne and the Seven Kingdoms, the Unburnt, and Mother of Dragons. Of course, I call her Daenerys and not by her full title (anyone who loves Game of Thrones knows what I am talking about). There are many ways to support the Marine Megafauna Foundation, so check it out!

I could not have asked for better people to dive with! The MMF Team is just incredible.

Larry, Andrea and Janneman, waiting for the whale to surface again. — Larry, Andrea and Janneman, waiting for a netted humpback whale to surface again in Ecuador..

I also went to Marine Megafauna Ecuador last year with Andrea and her team to photograph and observe Mantas. Marine Megafauna offers great expeditions so people like me can perform citizen science, and help in the conservation of marine life (or at the very least, to feel like I’m helping). Andrea and her husband, Janneman Conradie, are a friendly and unassuming couple, and working with them was easy and exciting. They are both focused on the conservation of these animals. (I have written blogs about my adventures in Ecuador, you can read them HERE.) I am scheduled to go on many more expeditions, and I wish I could go back to Ecuador this year. However, my daughter is getting married, so I’d better stick around for the wedding. It would be rather bad form to miss it!

Andrea is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer 2013, and has done an expedition with Ocean GEMS, GO EXPLORE MARINE SCIENCE, for girls. What a terrific role model for our young girls! Andrea proves the point eloquently that females can do anything they want to do. Her passion has inspired many to care about the fate of not only Mantas, but of sharks and other rays as well. In the quest to stop the eradication of the species, the MMF team were instrumental in helping pass CITES Appendix II, (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) “an unprecedented precautionary approach to avoid the over-exploitation of one of the world’s most exquisite marine animals”. In addition, Indonesia has been convinced that a manta ray is 2000 times more valuable alive than dead. To quote Andrea’s blog, “Realizing the non-consumptive and perpetual economic value of manta rays, Indonesia has now declared that manta rays will be protected in their waters. Not only has this country committed to a ban on the fishing of mantas throughout its entire exclusive economic zone, but at the same time they make history by creating the world’s largest sanctuary for the iconic rays, encompassing 6 million square kilometers.” Following on the heels of CITES and Indonesdia, The Convention for Migratory Species CoP in Quito, Ecuador protected several species of rays and sharks in September 2014. The tide is beginning to turn, and Indonesia has recently made its first 3 arrests of manta ray part traders! The enforcement of the Indonesian ban will be instrumental in showing the world that they are serious about protecting these valuable animals. This Amazing Woman has inspired a wave of conservation efforts in many parts of the world. Scuba Diver Life recently did a wonderful profile on Andrea and her life’s work, and there are several other profiles about Andrea and Marine Megafauna Foundation. As I am taking part in PRI and SheKnows Media’s campaign ACROSS WOMEN’S LIVES, Andrea sets a strong example of a woman living her life to the fullest.

For more information, check out Marine Megafauna Foundation, and see what you can do to help. I can tell you from experience that this group is a worthwhile investment.

In a rut? Do something EXTRAORDINARY.

February 10, 2015 By Tam Warner 27 Comments

The Zodiac...not easy to get into, or over the surf! — The Zodiac…not easy to get into, not easy to get over the surf!

A few years ago, I saw a BBC documentary that prompted a life reinvention. The documentary was about two marine biologists living in Tofo, Mozambique, studying Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. I was captivated by the Mantas…I had never seen one while diving or snorkeling before, only through binoculars on the surface of the water. Having already had some experience with Whale Sharks, I was also extremely interested in their ecology. The scientists, Dr. Andrea Marshall (aka Queen of Mantas) and Dr. Simon Pierce, were studying these species which at that time were so abundant in Mozambique waters. (Sadly, the populations are now significantly impacted by unsustainable fishing practices). Their organization is Marine Megafauna Foundation.

I began searching for dive trips where I could do some volunteer work, even to just do fish counts. All Out Africa (alloutafrica.com) had a program working with Whale Shark Identifications and fish population counting in Tofo, Mozambique….helping with the whale shark program I had seen on the documentary! I thought, why can’t I do that? It was for adults, not a high school or college program or a gap year, but for adults. My family had a few reasons they did not want me traipsing off to Africa by myself, and I suppose there were some good reasons among them, but I made the decision to go. I booked my trip.

Our washing machine...ourselves! — Our washing machine…ourselves!

It appears crazy, absolutely nuts, to pick up and head off to Africa for 6 weeks by yourself, to live in an unpopulated area where there are no doctors, and the closest thing to a town, Inhambane, was at least an hour away. Was there a Decompression chamber in case of getting “the bends”, or decompression sickness? No. The closest one was in Johannesburg. Not a hop skip and a jump away. The message? Don’t get sick.

So off I went, a midlife woman with a passion for diving and animals, off on my very own adventure. It was the best gift I ever gave myself. I was tested physically (I’ve had two back surgeries and a few other physical limitations), and I was tested mentally… the experience empowered and helped me understand my abilities in an entirely different light. The trip was challenging, the environment both exhilarating and disturbing, and certainly the living standard was not what I was used to.

Diving in rough water was a new experience because the currents and surges off of Mozambique are strong. The water is cold. It took me a few dives to get comfortable, and my first two dives were pretty awful. But, I adapted. I learned. I stayed in a house of volunteers, sharing a bathroom with the house and a bedroom with a roommate, and ended up with some close friendships even though I was the oldest one there, most of the volunteers being Europeans in their twenties. I have seen these friends since the trip, we keep in touch, and we have enjoyed diving together in other locales. I also went on another “citizen science” trip just this year, to Ecuador. I can’t wait for the next one. There will be more “citizen science” trips in the future, count on it.

(I blogged about these experiences, you can find them in the categories “Adventures in Mozambique”, “Dive Adventures in Tofo” and “Diving Ecuador”. )

moz 12 cb baby — We entertained children from the orphanage at the beach.

Have you ever wanted to do something you thought was “out there”? Do you have a desire to get out into the world and make a difference? There are volunteer programs all over the world for adults. Most of them have nothing to do with scuba, and there are plenty of them on all continents. I have some advice for you: be bold. Why not look into it? Eco-tourism, volunteer tourism, will take you to places you’ve only dreamed of.

Let’s face it: if you dream of doing something, you’d better do it now. Tomorrow is promised to no one, and in midlife who knows what is coming next? Do something Extraordinary for yourself, you won’t believe how empowered it will make you feel!

For more stories in Public Radio International’s Across Womens Lives series check out http://www.pri.org/verticals-listing/across-womens-lives.

Philanthropy: 5 Worthy Organizations Who Need Your Help!

December 28, 2014 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

These organizations need you! And, hey, just before the end of 2014, which means you can write them off your taxes! These 5 groups, foundations, organizations, are always on my Giving List, and for very good reason!

It is thrilling to go on an MMF Expedition as a volunteer!

1. Marine Megafauna Foundation: “MMF specifically focuses on the research and conservation of threatened marine megafauna species. ‘Marine Megafauna’ are large marine species such as sharks, rays, marine mammals and turtles. These animals are key components of marine ecosystems but, as they are long-lived and have low reproductive rates, their populations are usually the first to be reduced by human pressures. Fortunately, they are also among the most charismatic animals on the planet and engender a high degree of public interest in their biology and conservation, making them useful ambassadors for the whole marine environment”. Adopt a Manta Ray or a Whale Shark! Or give in general, for their research. My favorite way to give? Participate in one of their many “expeditions” and do citizen science! I went to Ecuador this year with MMF and it was such a privilege to participate in their Manta Ray Research! Go here to donate! Join me in becoming a MMF Guardian, or adopt/sponsor an animal…there are many ways to support this group!

Genesis Shelter Donation for the Holidays

2. Give to a Women’s Shelter. I give yearly to Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas, Tx. Help support quality safety and support to battered women and their children, whatever your location! There are shelters everywhere who need your help.

3. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Heart and Lung Transplant Clinic. Our family certainly supports this group of world renowned Doctors and Nurses. My husband benefited from their expertise and world class facilities…he had a double lung transplant in September 2013. They saved his life. I cannot say enough about how incredible UT Southwestern is, they are certainly deserving of giving to support their research.

4. UN World Food Progam: From projects around the world to supporting school lunch programs, the UN’s WFP is attempting to eliminate hunger for the world’s children. A very worthy cause and a very hard fight. We can all help!

5. World Wildlife Fund: WWF works for conservation of our Endangered Species. Did you know we are down to 5 Rare White Rhinos in the entire world? Help fight extinction for these animals…which is being caused by humans. The list goes on and on…there are many people out there who are dedicated to saving lives, human and non-human. Give a little and get a tax break….but mostly give because only Giving (in whatever form you can or want) will change the world.

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