Commercial Ship Vessel Fouling Outreach A grant-funded project under the West Coast Ballast Outreach Project Alisha Dahlstrom, Jodi Cassell, and Annie Pierpoint

Project Goals  Improve awareness of and interest in commercial vessel fouling and AIS among the maritime industry and California general public  Improve public capacity for critical scientific thought about commercial vessel fouling, AIS, and other environmental issues to build support for AIS funding  Build regional partnerships to learn from existing AIS education programs in other states  Provide regional and national presentations about the exhibit and project findings to increase the potential for extending exhibit use to other coastal regions

Components of Project 1. A 1-pg insert for WCBOP brochure; 2. Exhibit at informal science education facilities (ISEFs), including aquaria, visitor’s centers, and museums; and 3. Interactive classroom curriculum and activities

Brochure Insert  Design: use artwork from the original brochure to create an insert that fits graphically with the original brochure.  Content: focus on vessel fouling aspects particularly relevant to the maritime industry and policy makers – e.g., new regulations and research, respectively.  Distribution: via the WCBOP newsletter’s mailing list (over 2200 domestic members and 350 international members), and included in all future brochure distribution.

Hull Fouling Exhibit  Design: The ISEF display’s design will be modeled after an exhibit from the successful Oregon Sea Grant education program, "Invasion of the Habitat-Snatchers," a multi-media exhibit about AIS issues that targets multi-age learners, ranging from six years to adult. The interactive exhibit, “Wheel of Misfortune”, consists of a moveable wheel with fouling species along the edge that correlates with a PowerPoint slide and real image of that species in both juvenile and adult form.  Content: The exhibit will contain information on common fouling specimens from the West Coast, including preserved specimens, images of various life stages, and a PPT slide on each.  Distribution: Aquarium of the Bay (San Francisco), Seymour Marine Discovery Center (Long Marine Laboratory, UC Santa Cruz), Bay Model Visitor Center (Sausalito), Hatfield Marine Science Center (Oregon State University), Lawrence Hall of Science (UC Berkeley), and Ty Warner Sea Center (Santa Barbara)…others?

Wheel of Misfortune

Classroom Curriculum  Design: The classroom curriculum activities will be developed by WCBOP Education Coordinator, Annie Pierpoint, for youth at levels middle school and higher, with re-usable multimedia kits for each classroom.  Content: The curriculum activities will be adapted from the exhibit content in a way that engages the students to understand vessel fouling/AIS issues in a more tangible manner.  Distribution: The WCBOP staff will train teachers and informal educators, including 4-H youth leaders, non-profit groups, and other interested parties how to use the kits, which will be transferred from class to class, as teachers finish the vessel fouling curriculum.

Evaluation  Design: VFOP will adapt methodologies used by Oregon Sea Grant staff throughout the project and evaluation process.  Content: To determine whether the objectives have been met, evaluation will be completed both (1) on the materials themselves and (2) the knowledge the materials produce.  Distribution: Initial evaluation of the project itself will be performed via focus groups comprised of volunteers and groups associated with the project and advisory committee; final evaluation will analyze our target audience’s knowledge.

Questions? Input?