Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network

March is Dolphin Awareness Month in Galveston, TX!

2008 Dolphin Awareness Month Flyer

T-Shirt Contest Details for 2008 Dolphin Awareness Month T-Shirts

In the year 2000, March was officially deemed Dolphin Awareness Month in Galveston.  This year, several special events were held during the month of March in celebration of this acknowledgment.  The TMMSN showcased a banner over Broadway (below), displaying the emergency pager number--1(800)9MAMMAL, to help raise awareness.  We plan to continue hanging the banner each year in March! 

Start thinking of ideas for the 2008 Dolphin Awareness T-shirt Contest! 

Click the thumbnails below to enlarge pictures of our 2007 City of Galveston Dolphin Rescue Training Day

		2007 T-Shirt Design Winner

Dolphin Awareness Month 2007

Update - October 2007 - Click here to check out the kids at the Fay School as they read about Stormy, a TMMSN rescue and participate in fun educational activities!

The beginning of 2007 has proven to be a very busy time for the education program.  This session would not have been so successful without the help of our volunteers!

We began the year with an interactive booth at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Discovery Day on January 20, 2007, in Galveston, TX.  The event was held to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of NOAA and the 15th Anniversary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.  Among the live music, tours, and exhibits, the day incorporated an interactive "passport" activity that consisted of attendees obtaining a passport stamp at each exhibit and being awarded a prize for visiting all displays.  Our booth included TMMSN informational displays, the traveling bone collection, and mock strandings.  We implemented new children's activities, which have become a big hit at other events as well!  With free face painting, marine mammal activity sheets, and stickers for the kids, the day turned out to be fun and successful in promoting our mission.

During the weekend of March 3, 2007, TMMSN participated in the Houston Zoo's 4th Annual Enrichment Day.  Volunteers eagerly offered their assistance with manning the booth, which included an informational display, face painting, our bone collection, and mock strandings.  We were able to educate the public on the measures we are taking to aid in marine mammal conservation and inform them of how they may be able to get involved. 

In the year 2000, March was officially deemed Dolphin Awareness Month in Galveston.  This year, several special events were held during the month of March in celebration of this acknowledgment.  The TMMSN showcased a banner over Broadway (below), displaying the emergency pager number, to help raise awareness.  We plan to continue hanging the banner each year in March! 

We also held the first annual Dolphin Awareness T-shirt Contest this year.  Thank you to everyone who participated, we had several great entries for the first year.  Volunteers and members voted and the winning T-shirt artists were Mary Ronje and Marci Looper!  Congratulations to you both! 

Everyone start thinking of ideas for the 2008 Dolphin Awareness T-shirt Contest.  One final event held in recognition of Dolphin Awareness Month was the first annual Galveston Citywide Dolphin Rescue Training.  It was held on March 24, 2007 on the beach at Seawall and 53rd.

Several volunteers, including UTMB's "Dr. Dolphin", helped recruit beachgoers.  Approximately 200 participants were trained and several signed up to attend our new volunteer day!  We plan to continue the citywide training on an annual basis.  This was a new event for us, which required a lot of volunteer support.  We couldn't have attempted this full day without the help of all those volunteers!

On March 31st and April 1st, several volunteers headed up to the Reliant Center in Houston to run our booth at the SeaSpace Expo.  The 38th annual adventure sports and travel exposition featured over 150 booths including scuba diving, outdoor activities, exotic travel, adventure sports, interactive demonstrations, and the TMMSN!  It was another great opportunity for us to educate adults and children of all ages on the goals of the Network and how they can get involved. 

Our "Whale of a Museum" exhibit continues to be showcased at Moody Gardens at different times throughout the year.  This educational display explores the world of marine mammals from the viewpoint of the TMMSN.  The collection features a large assortment of specimens that are found in the Gulf of Mexico.  One of the most impressive pieces is the skull of a 32.8 ft. young adult sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).  The exhibit also features a fully articulated bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)skeleton, a rarer species that has been seen along the Texas Gulf coast.  For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to see it, it's well worth the trip!

We also have a bottlenose dolphin skull with teeth and vertebrae on display at the Woodlands Children's Museum through our Bone Loan Program.  This interactive, hands-on museum for children has the specimens in their Spirit of the Sea exhibit.

Thanks again to all of you who continue to give your support!  We are looking forward to a busy schedule throughout the summer of 2007.  We look forward to working with you again very soon!