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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns
= "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:date Month="8" Day="15"
Year="2006"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Tuesday, August 15,
2006</FONT></B></st1:date><B><BR><BR><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Media
Release 8.4<BR>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR>Theresa M. Barbo: 774.263.4219<BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"></FONT></B><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">Spirit of </SPAN></B><st1:State><st1:place><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">Massachusetts</SPAN></B></st1:place></st1:State><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"> Sails into Nantucket Sound </SPAN></B></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><BR><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">Marine Education
Programs with </FONT></B></SPAN><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:place><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">Nantucket</SPAN></B></st1:place><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"> Soundkeeper </SPAN></B></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><BR><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">Aug. 18 –
30</FONT></B></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><BR><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>(</FONT></B><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><st1:City><st1:place><B>Provincetown</B></st1:place></st1:City><B>,
</B><st1:place><st1:City><B>Cape Cod</B></st1:City><B>,
</B><st1:State><B>MA</B></st1:State></st1:place><B>) </B>– Spirit of
<st1:State><st1:place>Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State> begins a MassSail
program with Nantucket Soundkeeper to <st1:place>Cape Cod</st1:place>,
<st1:place>Martha’s Vineyard</st1:place> and <st1:place>Nantucket</st1:place>
August 18 -30. <BR><BR>MassSail is a joint venture of the
<st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Provincetown</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType>Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and
the Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF,) with a mission to foster stewardship and
understanding of <st1:State><st1:place>Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>’
marine coastal environment. <BR><BR>Unique to MassSail is the opportunity
for students to study marine ecosystems, marine mammals, and seafaring skills
that take a student’s hands and mind beyond the limits of traditional
classrooms. During its stay, Spirit will host 20 middle- and high-school
teachers from the <st1:place>Cape</st1:place> on a marine science training sail,
sponsored by Nantucket Soundkeeper.<BR> <BR>Twenty students,
ages 13-15, from the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod and Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Cape Cod will take part in a separate four-day Soundkeeper Sail Camp
that will take them from Hyannis to Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands. <BR>In
a third sail, young people from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Martha’s
Vineyard will take a classroom day sail aboard the Spirit of Massachusetts from
Vineyard Haven to <st1:City><st1:place>Hyannis</st1:place></st1:City>.
[Hy-Line Cruises has generously donated ferry tickets that will enable the young
sailors to return to <st1:place>Martha’s Vineyard</st1:place> from
<st1:City><st1:place>Hyannis</st1:place></st1:City> the same day.]
<BR> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B>Free public open
houses to tour the 125-foot Spirit are as scheduled:
</B><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><B>• Nantucket: Straight Wharf, August
25, 1-4 p.m. (Co-sponsored by the Nantucket Island Chamber of
Commerce);<BR>• Hyannis: Hyannis Marina, August 26, 5:30-7:30
p.m. (Co-sponsored by the Hyannis Area Chamber of
Commerce);<BR>• Woods Hole: NOAA National Marine Fisheries
Service dock, August 29, 8:30-11:30 a.m. (Co-sponsored by the Falmouth Chamber
of Commerce and the Woods Hole Business
Association);<BR>• Vineyard Haven, Tisbury Wharf, August 30,
8:30-11 a.m.</B><BR><BR><B>Protection and Preservation Goals</B><BR>“This
magnificent sailing ship enables people to experience Nantucket Sound and marine
heritage up-close and personal,” said Susan Nickerson, Nantucket Soundkeeper and
Executive Director of its parent, the
<st1:City><st1:place>Alliance</st1:place></st1:City> to Protect Nantucket Sound.
“The ship’s visit will enable us to advance our long-term goals of protection
and preservation of the Sound in a highly-visible way at peak season for the
region.”<BR> <BR>In support of the program, PCCS’s Executive
Director Peter Borrelli said, “Protecting water quality, preserving habitat for
wildlife, protecting local fisheries and stewardship of the Sound are all vital
to the survival of the Sound. Connecting people to the water in this way
furthers those goals.” <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Constructed in 1984 at the Charlestown Navy Shipyard,
Spirit of Massachusetts is a 125-foot long authentic schooner modeled after the
late 19th century fishing vessel, the Fredonia, designed by Edward Burgess,
which sailed to the <st1:place>North Atlantic</st1:place> fishing grounds for
cod. Since MassSail’s inaugural season that launched in May 2005, hundreds
of students – aged 13 thru college – have crossed the Spirit’s decks for an
odyssey in experiential education. <BR>All curricula options are aligned
with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and/or Social Sciences,
or Science and Technology and Engineering. Students will be full
participants in the operation of the ship, working with the vessel’s
professional crew to learn the skills and arts of traditional seafaring,
studying cetaceans in the Gulf of Maine, including humpback and the
critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales, and marine ecosystems.
<BR><BR>This personal and authentic experience of the ocean world forms a
uniquely powerful context for education. Lessons learned, achievements
made, insights gained are internalized and retained, because students are
invested in the process. Their studies will
include:<BR>• Charts and the Art of
Navigation<BR>• Cetaceans – Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A
Biological and Historical Perspective<BR>• Fishing ¬–
Fisheries, Species, History and Management<BR>• Weather for
the Mariner<BR>• Geology and Land-Sea
Interactions<BR>• Sea Birds – Species, Feeding, Distribution
and Abundance<BR>• Whaling – Modern and
Historic<BR>• Phytoplankton and
Zooplankton<BR>• Conservation Biology – Entanglements and Ship
strikes<BR>• Sea Turtles – Natural History, Population and
Conservation Biology<BR>• Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses –
Natural History, Population and Conservation Biology<BR>•
Sharks, Rays and Skates – Natural History, Population and Conservation
Biology<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B>’30 Years of Discovery
& Commitment’</B><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Provincetown</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType>Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> for Coastal Studies [</FONT><A
href="http://www.coastalstudies.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
www.coastalstudies.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> ] is
a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education and conservation of
the marine and coastal environments through applied science and education
programs. PCCS is internationally renowned for its whale research
and rescue activities, and is a leading authority in science-based resource
management policies in
<st1:State><st1:place>Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The Ocean Classroom Foundation [</FONT><A
href="http://www.oceanclassroom.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
www.oceanclassroom.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> ] is
a non-profit organization that provides programs of sea education and adventure
for the youth of
<st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> aboard
the schooners Westward, Harvey Gamage, and Spirit of Massachusetts.
OCF is a leader in experiential education, with award-winning programs sailing
from the Canadian Maritimes to the <st1:place>Caribbean
Sea</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">**<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Nantucket Soundkeeper is a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an
international environmental group that champions clean water (see </FONT><A
href="http://www.Waterkeeper.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>www.Waterkeeper.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">
). It was founded more than 20 years ago by Robert F. Kennedy,
Jr.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>**<BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><BR><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>PCCS Contacts<BR>Theresa M. Barbo<BR>Director of
Communications<BR>508.487.3622 x103
(office)<BR>774.263.4219
(mobile)<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> <BR> <BR>Joanne M. Jarzobski<BR>Marine Education
Director<BR>508.487.3623 x108<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:masssail@coastalstudies.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>masssail@coastalstudies.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> <BR> <BR>OCF Contact<BR>Laura Hunt<BR>Communications
Coordinator<BR>800.724.7245 ext. 100<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:lhundt@oceanclassroom.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>lhundt@oceanclassroom.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
<BR><BR>Nantucket Soundkeeper Contacts<BR>Susan
Nickerson<BR>508.775.9767<BR><BR>Chip Bishop<BR>508.398.1997<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:Chip@chipbishop.com"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Chip@chipbishop.com</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>
</FONT><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR
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