excerpt from Barbara Crites
“The video absolutely made my day. So fun to watch and see an individual making a difference in her own way. It was inspirational to me that no matter who we are or what we do, we can all make a difference. Lovely.”
– Jeffrey G. Dorman, Ph.D, Executive Director | Farallon Institute
Barbara Crites: Snorkeling St. John, USVI
Total run time: 9:16 minutes
Ten years ago Barbara Crites left Wisconsin and moved to St John in the US Virgin islands. She outfitted herself with the latest snorkel gear and an underwater camera. For the next decade she documented underwater marine life and collected over 90,000+ photos. By making these photos available on the Internet, Barbara has created an open resource about the marine life around St. John. Her photo collection is testimony to the changing nature of life in our oceans due to acidification and warming temperatures.
Producers: Cynthia Abbott & Andrea Leland
Director & Camera: Andrea Leland
Underwater Footage: Barbara Crites
Additional Underwater Footage: Glenn Harman
Editor: Maya Pisciotto
Color: Fabián Aguirre
Music: “We Like It So” – Doug “Whistler” Van Nostrand
Graphics: Michelle Abbott
This project is jointly supported by a grant from the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C., a federal agency.
Study Resources
Coral Reef Teachers Guide: an in depth guide to Coral Reefs with lesson plans for K–12. This Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide is now available through REEF RELIEF. One of the most important ways that we can protect coral reefs is by increasing awareness, support, and scientific knowledge of these complex underwater environments.
California Academy of Sciences: This Coral Reef Program is designed to help bridge classroom curriculum to the museum field trip experience by reinforcing 4th and 5th grade life sciences standards, and K through 5th grade social studies standards.
National Oceanic Atmospheric Association ( NOAA) “Data in the Classroom” includes extensive resources for teachers :
Ocean resources for students of all ages.
C. Abbott