As each day passes and I continue to hear the tragic news about the death and destruction occurring in our Gulf of Mexico, I often wonder if there is something the Museum should or could do to help. Yet, we can’t send money or staff because we barely have enough to keep our own doors open. I guess we could seek donations to send to the organizations that are directly confronting the environmental impact of the oil spill, but then would that not be a serious conflict with our own fundraising needs?
Then it occurred to me as I heard the enthusiastic voices of our current Summer Camp participants and remembered the discovery by our campers last summer of a critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle that was building a nest at Bald Point State Park. This discovery, the campers’ photos and the journal entries they made helped biologists find and protect the rare turtle’s nest, from which more than 100 hatchlings later safely emerged.
Perhaps the Museum is doing something important related to the oil spill … are we not providing future scientists, leaders, business people, and voters with the environmental, historical, and cultural experiences that provide knowledge, shape values, and instill passion and commitment? Perhaps that one sea turtle, or a visit to our living Museum, or a program we presented in a school will lead to some of our campers, program participants, or Museum visitors playing important roles in the clean-up of our Gulf. Perhaps they will find a way to prevent this type of accident or, more importantly, to resist poorly conceived or short-sighted policies that can threaten our quality of life and long-term survival.
