A group of marine educators from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and northwest Florida gathered for a weekend of marine debris education, comradery and business at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab during the Southern Association of Marine Educators (SAME) annual conference in November.  SAME is a regional chapter of the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA).  

DISL"s Caitlin Wessel, the guest speaker, shared captivating information about her past and current research and valuable resources from NOAA’s Marine Debris program.

The weekend provided SAME attendees with gorgeous weather for the activities planned such as wrack-line micro-plastic sampling on the beach, a trip to the Shell Mounds to look at ancient marine debris and a sunset beach clean-up walk on Dauphin Island’s public beach.  

Holding the conference at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab offered a perfect opportunity for these fellow educators to review the year past, plan for the next and share stories of their passion for marine education and the northern Gulf of Mexico.