Often, student projects serve the function of earning a grade and then disappearing.  Fortunately, my class work over the years has entered into the service of the people in my role as GIS implementor for the county.  So I enjoy, and am good at, spreading my materials far and wide.  In that regard, I presented "The Coastal Ecology Language and Learning System (CELLS)" at the National Marine Educator's Association national meeting on July 18, 2006.  Personal circumstances delayed the development of the final project, but fortunately, the technology has developed and others have stepped into the void and developed interactive mapping tools with the data and software that I could not.

However, I have not been idle.  I have volunteered for the Riverhead Foundation, serving varied roles in educational outreach.  On Seal Cruises, I answered questions about the ecosystem, the seals, and the role of the foundation in the community.  Similarly, at regional fairs and the aquarium, I served the role of front line outreach presenter.  During these times, I wished that I had access to the tools that I use professionally to show the range of environmental science in the community.  It is my goal for this project to get the interactive tools of mapping up and running with the goal of answering the questions of geography as they pertain to the Riverhead Foundation's mission.  If they like what I do, they will use it.

Similarly, the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center hosts Seal Walks out of their facility at Jones Beach.  By putting together a mapping system the presents the issues interactively, I will be adding to their repertoire of tools to help educate the public.  

In addition, I am working with the South Shore Audubon Society on a watershed project that would have an environmental science tie-in to this mission.  Further upstream, the Hempstead Plains provides the fresh rain water that feeds into the estuary in which the seals live and eat.  A loose tie-in, but one which extends the end user market.  Finally, Nassau BOCES, a contributor on the original grant application with this author, already has a link to the globalscience portion of my work.  I am excited to upgrade that website to something spectacular!

Each different venue has a particular set of limitations that I am addressing, and the goal is to extend all of this research and development into full use.