<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Tuesday, April 07, 2009</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Contacts</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">:</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Tanya Grady, PCCS:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>508-247-7665, <a href="mailto:tgrady@coastalstudies.org">tgrady@coastalstudies.org</a></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Carole Carlson, Dolphin Fleet:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>508-487-0374, <a href="mailto:science@whalewatch.com">science@whalewatch.com</a></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Regina Asmutis-Silvia, WDCS: 508-451-3853, <a href="mailto:regina.asmutis-silvia@wdcs.org">regina.asmutis-silvia@wdcs.org</a></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 26pt"><font face="Times New Roman">MARINE EDUCATION </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 26pt"><font face="Times New Roman">CONFERENCE SET</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">(PROVINCETOWN, CAPE COD, MA)</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> – The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in partnership with the Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, will host a 3-day marine education conference at the Hiebert Marine Laboratory in Provincetown, beginning at 9a.m., April 24 through April 26, 2009.</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">“Today’s naturalists understand that the most valuable aspect of whale watching is its potential to educate people of all ages and from all backgrounds to appreciate, value and understand marine mammals,” said Dr. Carole Carlson, of the Dolphin Fleet and adjunct scientist at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“The goal of our workshop is to help naturalists, through dedicated seminars and discussion, to translate the whale watch experience to a wider audience and to inspire greater involvement and follow-up activity from those who participated.”</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">The purpose of the conference is to educate naturalist/science educators, interns, volunteers, and those directly involved with whale watch tours or research in the Gulf of Maine region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The conference will include morning lectures that address the status of great whales and seals in the region, physical oceanography and current conservation concerns as well as afternoon workshops; Plankton and the Ecosystem, which includes lectures and hands-on identification of species; and Photo-Identification Catalogues, how to best use them as both a research and education tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Primary funding for the conference is made possible with support from the Wendy Joan Shadwell Fund for Whale Watch Naturalist Training and Education, created from a generous bequest from Wendy Joan Shadwell, a long time supporter of PCCS and devotee of whale watching aboard the Dolphin Fleet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The fund was established by PCCS to support ongoing education programs for whale watch naturalists.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Responsible whale watching literally saves whales, “according to WDCS Senior Biologist, Regina Asmutis-Silvia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“It is an economically viable alternative to whaling, a platform for research, and a means to educate millions of people about whales and the importance of the marine ecosystem.” </font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">The conference culminates on Sunday with a whale watch tour hosted by Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown, weather permitting. For more information, or to register for the conference, please contact Regina Asmutis-Silvia at <a href="mailto:regina.asmutis-silvia@wdcs.org">regina.asmutis-silvia@wdcs.org</a>.</font></span></p>
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<p><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS)</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving marine mammals and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine through research, education, public policy initiatives, and management strategies. PCCS played a key role in the federal designation of Stellwagen Bank as a national marine sanctuary and Cape Cod Bay as a critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale. To learn more about our work and our results, visit <a href="http://www.coastalstudies.org/"><span style="COLOR: windowtext">www.coastalstudies.org</span></a>.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Dolphin Fleet</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">of Provincetown</b>, locally-owned since 1975, is a commercial whale watch company dedicated to the promotion of responsible whale watching through education, science and high standard of vessel operation. The Dolphin Fleet is recognized world-wide as a leading example of high quality, sustainable whale watching, learn more at </span></font><a href="http://www.whalewatch.com/"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#800080" size="3">www.whalewatch.com</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">.<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></span></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (North America)</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Inc., (WDCS)</b> is the global voice for the protection of whales and dolphins and their environment. It is based in Plymouth, MA and is the US office of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, a charity registered in the United Kingdom. Among our programs, WDCS works to reduce the threat of vessel strikes and entanglements to whales and promote responsible whale watching world wide as an alternative to whaling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For further information on the extent and scope of the organization's work, or adopting a whale, please visit <a href="http://news.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20080220/%3ca"></a><a href="http://www.wdcs-na.org">www.wdcs-na.org</a>.</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Tanya L. Grady<br>Communications Coordinator<br>Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies<br>
P: 508-247-7665<br>E: <a href="mailto:tgrady@coastalstudies.org">tgrady@coastalstudies.org</a><br>W: <a href="http://www.coastalstudies.org">www.coastalstudies.org</a><br><br>