Dr. Sylvia Earle and Texas Event

[Guba]

Okay, this is covered more thoroughly in the "Texas Swamp Divers" forum, but it's too good not to share with others.

On Wednesday (Mar. 26) Fox7 News (Austin/San Antonio) sponsored an event at Aquarena Center in San Marcos, Texas. This unique spring spews millions of gallons of crystal clear water per day and creates Spring Lake as well as the San Marcos River. The Texas River Institute is based there and the lake is home for about a half dozen endangered species. Fox7 donated a webcam and tech director Shawn O'Shea worked out the process of installing it. To make matters even more interesting, famed marine scientist/explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle was on hand to "unveil" the webcam in a special dedication. The Center manages a program of "science divers" who volunteer to maintain the lake and springs. Therefore, volunteer divers were on hand to provide assistance, footage, photos, and to "pose" (underwater, naturally) for the news crews and onlookers in the glass-bottomed boats that cruised overhead. (Personally, I had a blast serving as the underwater videographer.)
The real treat, though, was for Dr. Earle to be on hand. She toured the facility and lake, spoke to the people assembled, and visited with the divers. She was warm and gracious and even allowed us all to have photos made with her, she autographed books and pictures, and some of us lucky divers even got her signature as our "honorary dive partner" on our dive logs! What a great event and what a way to attract attention to the issues concerning freshwater management and marine science as well. It also attracted a lot of attention into what diving is all about.
For more info including video segments and even access to the webcam itself, go to MyFox Austin | News Home and check out the links. Also check out the thread in the Texas Swamp Divers Forum.

 

[drbill]

Sylvia truly is an amazing person. I worked with her on the Cousteau Institute Project Ocean Search programs back in the 1970's, and she became a trustee of the small boarding school I taught marine biology on SCUBA at from 1969-1979, too. What a wealth of accomplishments she has. I'm sure it was a great experience.

 

[Guba]

It certainly was that, DrBill. What impressed me the most, I think, was Dr. Earle's exquisite personality. For one thing, she specifically requested meeting with the volunteer divers. In that little visit period, she displayed a genuine interest in what we did at the Center and WHY we did what we did. She then THANKED us for our service and told us how much SHE appreciated what we did. That totally blew us away. That a person with her accomplishments should thank us for the piddling little we did was mind-blowing. I came away shaking my head and thinking "What an incredibly gracious and grand lady!"
I love it when one of the heroes I read about and watch on TV turns out to be everything I hoped they would be.

 

[StevenN]

You are very lucky to have met her. She's been one of my heroes for years.

 

[Shark Gal]

Dr. Earle; she is the ocean's hero. I heard her at a conference once. Awesome talk about what the oceans use to be like and how they compare today. The size of the fish really differ. Much smaller today than they use to be. You are very fortunated to have met her.

 

[StevenN]

She was interviewed a few years ago on NPR and I always have that interview on rotation in my iPod. It's almost an hour long and you can download it for free on iTunes.

 

[drbill]

Definitely a very gracious person.