The Foundation is a sustainable nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to marine mammal conservation, the mapping of critical habitats, including coral reefs, sea grass and wetlands. Our mission is to develop and carry out our programs in accordance with established sustainability principles, and in the pursuit of the following goals:
Understand dolphin communities, their social behavior and organization, and their habitat use to illustrate how their health is related to our own well-being. Advance our understanding of the ever-increasing plastic litter in our oceans and its impact on marine life and human activities, and to develop strategies and tools for the responsible use of natural resources. Empower citizens to advocate for the conservation of dolphins and the marine environment and continuously educate the next generation of dolphin and ocean enthusiasts and stewards. They suffer from the negative effects of coastal devel-opment, being drowned in fishing gear or hit by boats and propellers. Prompted by rising concerns about the well-being of dol¬phins along our shores, the Foundation launched the Palm Beach Dolphin Project in 2003. Working under National Marine Fisheries Service permits, the Palm Beach Dolphin Project is the flagship conservation re- search program of the Foundation. The project continuously produces new insights into the lives of wild bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins using a variety of research techniques, including boat surveys, photo identification, GIS mapping, drones and hydrophones. COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Our Community Outreach Programs continue to evolve and encompass the following:
Dolphin Watch Tours
The dolphin watch tours, delivered in collaboration with our sister organization Palm Beach and Jupiter Dolphin Tours, are the hallmark of the Founda¬tion’s educational activities and its strongest draw. Au-thentic, fun, engaging and educational, these personalized tours create memorable and transformative experiences, as well as adding to our collection of important scientific information about our local dolphin populations. These tours provide guests with the unique opportunity to see wildlife from a different perspective, allowing them to experience dolphin and ocean conservation research in action. Dolphin experts lead the excursions, interpreting dolphin and wildlife sightings, and helping guests learn about dolphins, the oceans, and how their health is related to our own well-being. These highly popular tours provide the primary source of income for the Foundation to conduct research and provide public education and involvement. They are also the key to the sustainability of the organi¬zation’s research work. Meet the Scientists Lecture Series
Since its inception in 2004, this program has introduced more than 100 national and international world-class sci¬entists and researchers associated with a variety of local, national and international organizations to our coastal community. This lecture series promotes and facilitates the pursuit of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and encourages communication between scien¬tists and residents of the communities in which they live and work. Ocean of Notes Concert Series
Launched in 2009, our long-running concert series con¬tinues to attract and excite diverse audiences, promoting science and connecting the experience of live music per¬formances with educating the public about our important dolphin and ocean conservation work. Science and music are actually closely related. It is the interaction of sounds, tempo, and pitch that creates music, just as facts and knowledge, combined with imagination and conjecture, produce new scientific discoveries. Ocean Sentinels Club
Our new Ocean Sentinels Club is proof that conservation can be fun, rewarding and effective. The Club unites and empowers citizens to advocate for the conservation of dolphins and the marine environment across Palm Beach County, and beyond. Club activities include music per¬formances and art exhibitions, social events to exchange ideas about critical conservation and sustainability issues, and hands-on activities, such as coordinated boat-based efforts to remove floating plastics from the ocean’s sur¬face. Members help produce a series of short films illustrating how dolphin and ocean health are related to our own well-being and enjoy private dolphin and ocean ex¬peditions to swim with dolphins, snorkel with whales, and explore coral reefs and other marine life. SUSTAINABILITY
In the process of delivering our important and impactful programs, we have been making sure that our operations and activities do not have a negative impact on the very life systems we seek to protect. Consequently, the Foundation implemented a comprehensive sustain¬ability program, which includes the avoidance of any plastics whenev¬er possible, and offsetting the entire carbon footprint, thus making the Taras Oceanographic Foundation a zero-carbon organization. As we chart our path into the future, we remain committed to turn the tide on marine research and educating children and adults on the deeply intertwined relationship between our oceans’ health and our own well-being. And the stars of the show remain Dolphins.
