The American Cetacean Society just may get a Central Florida chapter, thanks to the efforts of Linda Andruske at NASA. She's spearheading the effort to bring more whale conservation and education efforts to our area and is looking for members! In order to be considered a chapter through ACS, she needs at least 25 members. I will be joining, will you? It is possible a long-term collaborative effort may be on the horizon for ACS/Central Florida and MRC's whale program. ACS was started almost 45 years ago and has been a leader in bringing the issues of whale, dolphin, and porpoise issues to the general public. Their current chapters are on the U.S. west coast, but we could be lucky enough to get one here! Please take the time to learn about ACS on their website at www.acsonline.org. They were the organization that brought about the moratorium on commercial whaling! There's so much more about them than what I can tell you here. If you think you would like to become a member, there are wonderful benefits through ACS and Linda is already lining up events and speakers. Dr. Gerstein, an acoustician at Florida Atlantic University, has already offered to present his whale acoustics research at a meeting in April or May. I have been asked to consider being on the Board of Directors and if I do, I'd love to have some of my whale volunteers join me! (Don't worry, I'm not leaving MRC or the volunteer whale program). Everything is still very preliminary and Ms. Andruske is motivated to mix conservation, research, education, and fun to create incredible experiences for its members. If you're interested in joining (single annual membership is $45, family is $55, and teachers, students, and seniors are $35 ea.), please call her at 321-861-8064 to learn more! Tell Linda I sent you!
Julie Albert
