Today's early paddle got me safely through the Mobile Inlet and into the cozy harbor at Billy Goat Hole here on Dauphin Island, where I'm staying in the student housing at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

Lori Angelo, who is the outreach coordinator and editor of the DISL's publication, provided me with a wonderful tour of the "Estuarium" here. This is one incredibly busy place. Not only do they have graduate students here, but during the year they have about 11,000 k-12 graders come through here. The Estuarium further boosts their educational outreach. They are even working on "distance" learning so they can educate the kids that might not have an easy time accessing the resources here on the island.

The Estuarium was extremely interesting to me. Its entire focus is on wetlands and how their health directly impacts the health of our coastal waters and beyond. It brings home the land-sea connection, and our impact on this vital process, unlike any exhibit I've ever seen before. What is quite sobering, though, is a quote at the entrance from Dr. James Karr, the director of the Institute for Environmental Studies in Seattle. It reads-"The window of opportunity to reverse the trend in declining water resources is closing because of the extent of the loss of watershed processes upon which those resources depend."

I also got to meet Dr. John Dindo, the chairman of the Discovery Hall Programs and senior marine scientist, who told me about all the wonderful programs that the DISL has for all ages. Educational outreach is their goal, as well as research, and it does seem that every kid in Alabama will have an opportunity to learn something about marine science and the importance of wetlands.

We so need more of this!