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2008 Official Explorer
Online Journal
Meet our Official Explorers and read about their latest adventures:
Our two Official Explorers are always up to something new when it comes to helping our oceans. Alexa Stafanko and Simon Willig are working with our staff and volunteers throughout 2008 to help families and kids engage more deeply in ocean conservation and explore at the Aquarium and beyond. Read about their latest adventures and efforts to save our seas.
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AGE: 12
HOMETOWN:
Burlingame, California
HOBBIES & INTERESTS:
I love climbing, snorkeling, swimming, bird watching, and reading. I want to be a marine biologist and specialize in animal communication in the seas.
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AGE: 12
HOMETOWN:
Redwood City, California
HOBBIES & INTERESTS:
I love drawing, painting, sports (especially soccer and badminton), acting, math, zoology, botany and gardening (I have an orchid and carnivorous plant collection), and of course conserving our vast, beautiful oceans.
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Alexa Stefanko
August 14, 2008
Jellies galore - by Alexa
When MBARI celebrated their 20th birthday in 2007, they created a list of the top 20 most important accomplishments since their founding. The number ten accomplishment was discovering that one third of the oceanic biomass is made up of JELLY!!!!!!!!!! That’s right, gelatinous animals made up about 1/3 of the oceanic biomass in marine food webs!
The coolest part of that announcement; jelly-ish animals happen to be my favorite creatures in the whole world! To all of you who are laughing at that pronouncement, I’m sure that by the end of the blog you too will agree with me.
I’m sorry, I bet some of you have no idea what MBARI is. MBARI stands for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. It is a center dedicated to the research and preservation of the ocean. Research also involves discovering amazing new species!
“Every time we dive below 2,000 meters, we see species that are new to science” said MBARI researcher Steve Haddock. It would take a few years to tell you all of the new animals, so I’m only going to mention a few here. But if you want more information about MBARI and their wonderful accomplishments go to http://www.mbari.org, or if you specifically interested in jellies, check this page.
One of my favorite discoveries is a species of sea butterfly, like the one shown at the top of this blog. Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? I bet you won’t believe that it’s related to a common garden snail! Some species even have a shell inside of them. Go to the MBARI website to see more jellies like red bulbous jellies, bumpy jellies and jellies that use glowing red lures to attract lunch. They are remarkable!
- Alexa Stefanko - 2008 Official Explorer
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Alexa Stefanko
Simon Willig
July 23, 2008
Think OCEAN
 At the recent World Ocean Day event, Ayla Besemer (2007 official explorer), Alexa and I (this year's official explorers) had a booth about saving the oceans. At the booth we had wrap-n-mats, which are plastic coated cloths that are a reusable substitute for plastic bags. We also had reusable water bottles, reusable lunch bags, and cloth napkins. These things make up a zero waste lunch.
We showed the public how they could take part in saving the oceans. We passed out Seafood Watch pocket guides and "Think OCEAN" cards. Think OCEAN lists 15 super easy things you can do to conserve the oceans starting today. On the list are simple things like recycling, carpooling, and changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs. While talking with aquarium-goers we referred to the presentation Save Our Seas, which is about ocean conservation. We explained that you could learn three main things from the presentation: what the ocean gives us, why the ocean is in trouble, and most importantly, what you can do to help.
 Ayla and I presented Save Our Seas at Trinity and Oak Knoll Schools in Menlo Park, Bear Creek Elementary in Boulder, CO and at World Ocean Day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We quizzed the audience on their knowledge of the ocean by asking them questions about the pacific trash vortex, the age of the ocean, bottom trawling, and a lot more. In the first section we showed the audience why we should conserve the oceans. We explained that the ocean gives us a lot of things like food, a mode of transportation, and a place to have fun. Next, we went over major topics like overfishing, all types of pollution, and global warming. In the final section we talked about recycling, eating sustainable seafood, and other ways to save the ocean. Ayla and I had a blast giving this presentation to more than 150 people in the aquarium's auditorium that day!
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Simon Willig
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