| "So many businesses are doing so many of the same things that this is a good way of setting themselves apart." | |
| Emily Carlson, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary |
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How do tourists know that the guide they are hiring to take them fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, or surfing is giving them accurate information about the area’s cultural and natural resources? If they are on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, they look for a guide who has received C.O.R.A.L. certification.
C.O.R.A.L. (Care of our Culture, Ocean, Reefs, and Animal Life) certification is earned by attending the Ocean Awareness Training program, a twice-a-year series of educational seminars and field exercises organized by area environmental organizations.
"So many businesses are doing so many of the same things that this is a good way of setting themselves apart," says Emily Carlson, volunteer programs and outreach coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and a coordinator of the Ocean Awareness Training program.
Carlson adds, "The people who are sharing their knowledge with visitors and the public should be the most knowledgeable about what they are talking about."
The free program is offered to those who regularly interact with visitors to Maui, such as marine tour operators, hotel concierges, and volunteers with sanctuary partner organizations. Experts from around the state provide the series of six lectures, which students must attend to receive certification. They must also pass an exam.
To ensure that every participant has a core understanding, the same training program is offered every fall, providing basic information on topics such as marine mammals, ocean etiquette and safety, coral reefs, basic Hawaiian culture, and sustainability. The spring seminars present new information and can cover subjects like water quality, watershed ecology, coral reef disease, and herbivorous fish.
The training sessions are offered concurrently in both Kihei and Lahaina. Carlson notes that last fall, 140 people attended the workshops, with about 75 receiving certification.
The program began three years ago, Carlson says, as a volunteer educational series for all the environmental organizations on the island. Since then, it has "grown and gotten so much credibility" that they have had to expand to two locations and offer sessions twice a year.
"What’s so crazy," she says, "is that we have no budget for this at all. It’s all staff time," with staff members from the sanctuary, Project S.E.A.-Link, Maui Reef Fund, and Hawaii’s Eco-Nature Society taking the lead organizational roles, and a number of other organizations participating.
"People rely on it now," Carlson says. "People are expecting and looking forward to the next one."
Carlson notes that they are working to offer coastal resource managers in other areas a "complete package" of information on how to do the training.
She adds, "I definitely think that other coastal managers could follow suit."
For more information on the Ocean Awareness Training program, point your browser to www.coralreefalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=530&Itemid=182. You may also contact Emily Carlson at (808) 879-2818, ext. 102, or Emily.Carlson@noaa.gov.
