Dear All:

You will find below the latest news about the International Year of the Reef:

* 2008 Olympics artist Wyland to paint Whaling Wall Mural in celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008. http://www.iyor.org/news/IYOR_MN_Wyland_may2008.asp or http://www.iyor.org/news/press.asp#mn

* News from Mexican: to celebrate IYOR, three phone cards will be released by Telmex / Ladatel. Telmex is the largest telecommunication Company in Latin America. These cards will be distributed nation wide during the months of May and June. http://www.iyor.org/focalpoints/countries/mexico/

* To celebrate the IYOR 2008 the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is pleased to announce an online seminar series on the future of the world's coral reefs. Leading international researchers cover the latest science which supports the sustainable management of coral reefs. http://www.iyor.org/spotlights/coralcoe.asp

* Professional surfer James Pribram joins the International Year of the Reef campaign as spokesperson to help the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to raise awareness about coral reefs with a focus on the following theme: "Every Act Counts." http://www.iyor.org/spotlights/pribram.asp (please contact me if you would like to contact James Pribram) or http://www.iyor.org/news/press.asp#mn

* World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) – As you know the World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is pleased to partner with the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) in 2008 in a joint effort to highlight the importance of water quality to marine wildlife. Kits are now available online. The kit includes everything you'll need to test your waterbody for pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity and is designed to be an accurate, yet accessible technology for all levels of experience.

The World Water Monitoring Day encourages participation from Low- and Middle-Income countries through the donation of monitoring kits. For more information, please contact wwmd@wef.org.

¿Hablas Español?

Los instrucciones de uso del kit son incluidas en inglés y español. Las instrucciones en francés, portugués y chino están disponibles en el sitio web de WWMD.

The WWMD test kit now includes instructions in both English and Spanish. Instructions in French, Portuguese and Chinese are available for download from the WWMD website (www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.org)

And remember, only couples of weeks left before the World Ocean Day. You are all encourage to participate in order to celebrate the International Year of the Reef 2008 (http://www.iyor.org/wod/).

Best,
Francis

Francis Staub
ICRI- IYOR Coordinator
4900 Auburn Avenue - Suite 201
Bethesda, MD 20814
p. (+1) 240-395-0251
f. (+1) 240-395-0252
c. (+1) 202-247-8670
http://www.iyor.org
http://www.icriforum.org
Support the International Year of the Reef 2008: www.nfwf.org/iyor