The OCEANA Beacon
by Emily Fisher
Happy World Oceans Day, everyone!
Whether you’re on the coast today or not, we hope you pause to recognize the beauty and bounty of the oceans. Starting today, we’re asking all of you to take a pledge to protect the world’s oceans — but more on that later.
And now to the juicy stuff: this year’s Ocean Heroes!
More than 500 ocean activists were nominated, 12 were selected as finalists, and more than 12,000 of you voted. The results? This year’s adult ocean hero is Peter Wallerstein and the junior ocean hero is Sophi Bromenshenkel!
Peter Wallerstein is the program director at Marine Animal Rescue, a project of Friends of Animals, where he has spent the last 25 years rescuing marine mammal in Los Angeles County. He has personally rescued 3,000 marine mammals throughout his career, and also established a team of professional responders that humanely rescues hundreds of animals a year, including whales, dolphins, sea lions and seabirds.
Fittingly, Peter was out helping a stranded California sea lion when I called to give him the good news.
“I hope that by winning this award people across the country will see the impact that Marine Animal Rescue is having in Los Angeles and will be inspired to improve the quality of similar rescues in their own coastal communities,” Peter said.
This year’s junior hero is 8-year-old Sophi Bromenshenkel of Richfield, Minnesota, who has raised more than $3,500 for shark conservation by selling lemonade and hot chocolate, shark cookies and wristbands, and through email campaigns and local fliers. She has partnered with the University of Miami’s R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program, where her funds pay for satellite tags on sharks.
Sophi Bromenshenkel on a shark expedition with Univ. of Miami
“I’m so excited about being the junior ocean hero,” she said. “I have worked really hard to save sharks and now I’m going to work even harder so that I can save more.”
Congratulations to Peter and Sophi, and to all of our fantastic finalists!