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April 9 - Fairhope, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

After landing at Mobile Regional Airport, you will be transported to Beckwith Camp and Conference Center in Fairhope, Alabama, 35 minutes from downtown Mobile. Located on Weeks Bay, here you will have the opportunity to recuperate each evening by hiking, kayaking, and swimming after your long days of volunteering.

6 pm: In the evening we will have a volunteer orientation with our partner organization, The Ocean Foundation, and then sit down for a welcome dinner with local Southern cuisine.

April 10 - Fairhope, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

8am-12pm: Today is your first day volunteering with the Ocean Foundation. You will spend half the day in the field on the shore and ocean working with scientists to plant seagrass or survey the shoreline.

12pm: Picnic lunch

1-4pm: In the afternoon you will visit Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama’s marine science education and research laboratory. You will learn about coastal oceanography firsthand by measuring and graphing waves on the Gulf of Mexico. You will collect samples and learn about the effect of hurricanes on the coast.

6pm: This evening you will enjoy dinner and have the chance to relax at the camp.

April 11 - Fairhope and Mobile, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

8am-12pm: Today you will continue with a half day of volunteering on the coast. You will be learning from your host organization about their ongoing mission to protect and restore the coast.

12pm: Picnic lunch

1-4pm: In the afternoon you will be rewarded with a tour of downtown Mobile -- Alabama’s oldest city -- known for its 400-year-old live oaks and explosion of spring azaleas.

6pm: Dinner at Camp Beckwith

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Accommodations:

Beckwith Camp and Conference Center is a beautiful and tranquil facility on 83 acres of
wooded and open land on Weeks Bay in Fairhope, Alabama. Canoes and kayaks are available for
your enjoyment. You will stay at the Beckwith Camp Motel, o"ering private accommodations
with private baths.

Food:

All meals are included. Breakfast and dinner are provided at Camp Beckwith. A picnic lunch will be provided on the volunteer site each day.

Cost Includes:

All accommodations, meals, and transportation.

Cost does not include:

Airfare to Mobile, Alabama, alcoholic beverages, and any extra activities and excursions.

Volunteering:

Over the last decades, Mobile Bay has seen significant loss of oyster reefs, seagrass beds and coastal marsh habitats through dredge-and-fill activities, seawalls and jetties, erosion, storm events and other causes like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Replacement or restoration of the oyster reef, seagrass bed and coastal marsh habitats has long-term benefits in helping to improve on-going problems in Mobile Bay.  This restoration will also make the coastline more resilient to future impacts from hurricanes, oil spills or climate change.

The natural world is an unpredictable place, so our volunteer activities will be driven by nature and the needs determined by our partner The Ocean Foundation (TOF). TOF is intent on making the volunteer efforts as effective as possible, putting volunteers to work on projects that will make a real and lasting impact. For this reason, the exact volunteer activities will be determined as we draw closer to the date of departure. Possible volunteer activities are listed below:

• Plant Seagrass: Plant critical marsh grasses, to restore a habitat directly impacted by the spill. Seagrass is vital to maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems, stabilizing shorelines and providing food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.
  
• Perform Seagrass Surveying: Document the types of seagrass you see. The information gathered by seagrass survey volunteers allows scientists to better understand and manage these important ecosystems and what areas need support.
  
• Survey the shoreline: Set off in canoes or kayaks to explore areas along Alabama’s shoreline and record images with digital cameras and video.

Some activities require swimming and/or snorkeling.

Partner Organization:

The Ocean Foundation (TOF) is a unique community foundation with a mission to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world.  Their slogan is “Tell Us What You Want To Do For The Ocean, We Will Take Care Of The Rest.”  TOF works work with a community of donors who care about the coasts and oceans.  In this manner, TOF grows the financial resources available to support marine conservation in order to promote healthy ocean ecosystems and benefit the human communities that depend on them.  TOF does this by increasing the capacity of conservation organizations, hosting projects and funds, and supporting those working to improve the health of ocean species globally. 

Elevate the Gulf: An Urgent Service JourneyBook now!

April 12: Fairhope, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

8 am-12 pm: Today you will continue to volunteer with the Ocean Foundation and begin to see your work take shape! The partner organization will continue to provide guidance and firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be a scientist in the field.

12 pm: Picnic lunch

1 pm: Free afternoon

6 pm: Dinner at Camp Beckwith

April 13: Fairhope, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

8 am-12 pm: Today is your last day of volunteering. By now, you will be able to identify a number of different seagrasses and invasive species, as well as understand the challenges and opportunities facing our marine environments and how you are connected to them.

12 pm: Picnic lunch

1 pm: Free afternoon

6 pm: The Ocean Foundation staff will host a Southern-style barbecue as a farewell treat

April 14: Fairhope, Alabama
Camp Beckwith

You will be transferred to Mobile Regional Airport in Mobile Alabama after a fufilling week on
the Gulf Coast.