Energizing networks of free-choice learning organizations around the USCOP report and One Ocean

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission both underscore the need to elevate the level of awareness of the general public concerning the importance of the ocean on their lives no matter where they live and the importance of their lives and livelihoods on the ocean no matter where they live. The nation has a number of potentially powerful networks of free-choice learning institutions dedicated to ocean education and literacy. These include the nation\´s aquariums that are linked together by one or more of the following networks: the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), Coastal America\´s Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers, CORE, and The Ocean Project. These networks could, and should, make a significant contribution to ocean literacy and education. Individually the nodes in the networks do, but the value added from the networks is disappointingly small. The USCOP report provides a singular opportunity that should not be missed. We will propose a strategy involving the MTS to fire all the "synapses".