New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance Inc

Goals:
-To collect complete and accurate data on a variety of coastal marine wildlife that live in the New England area.
-To rescue live stranded or injured marine wildlife that we find along our New England shores.
-To train interns both high school and college by providing them hands-on experiences and opportunities in the field of marine biology.
-Connect the human community with the marine wildlife community through educational outreach and involvement through our community programs.
-To increase our knowledge of various species of marine wildlife found in the New England area through collaborations with other organizations, both government and NGO’s.

Strategies:
-Run an year-round internship program for both high school and college students,
-Conduct field research on various species adding the data and information into long-term databases.
-Support a number of community-based sighting networks including our Basking Shark and Ocean Sunfish Sighting -Network and our sighting forms for torpedo rays, thresher sharks and etc.
-Train and direct community volunteers who are part of Team Mola, a community-based team of interested folk who assist with both live and dead strandings of Ocean Sunfish and other marine wildlife in need.
-Collaborate with researchers, government and non-government, in Massachusetts, the United States, and around the world on various research projects through the sharing of data, tissues and opportunities.
-Offer reasonably priced or free community programs to kids of all ages to increase their knowledge and awareness of the unique coastal marine wildlife in their area, the issues around them and everyday solutions on how they can help.
-Participation in festivals, Fishing shows, conferences. etc.

Capabilities:
-Have trained staff who volunteer their time and expertise to work with young professionals in our internship and volunteer programs.
-Have professional connections with other scientists and organizations who are also pursuing research and conservation efforts on species that NECWA focuses on.
-Have both field and office equipment that allows us to collect and process data and tissues to support our research and educational outreach activities.
-Have a full-size inflatable whale model of the most famous humpback whale in the world who is named Salt. This model allows students and adults to view her unique photo-ID features both inside and out. Has organs inside (ribs, heart, baleen, stomach, intestines, etc.)
-Have experienced staff who are trained marine biologists, marketing, accounting, successfully working in the field.
-Have office and field gear storage that is free to the nonprofit and allows work to be conducted on a year round basis.

Accomplished to date and next:
-3 scientific papers and a chapter on reproduction in a new book dedicated to Ocean Sunfish.
-Large number of birds, both marine and land, rescued and taken to rehab.
-Large number of ocean sunfish rescued each fall and early winter (over 100 in 2020)
-Large number of interns that have successfully completed our 3 month long internship program.
-Majority of interns successfully moving onto to the next level in their professional careers.
-Increased awareness and understanding of the Diamondback terrapin in the waters of the southcoast.
-Horseshoe crab tagging and surveys in Marion.
-Compiling data from last 3 years of Mola data to share with public
-Continuing professional connections with scientists studying Torpedo Rays
-Strengthening connections with other Rescue groups
-Creating a citizen scientist boater group to help with marine rescues