Help Local Leaders Save the Mesoamerican Reef

Dear donors,

March already! It's unbelieveable how fast 2013 is moving, at least here in the MAR Leadership Program.

We want to offer a special shoutout to Steve Knaebel, a star donor to our program, who contributes each month through a recurring donation on GlobalGiving. This is a great, easy way to offer continuing support for us; please consider it.

Here are some of the things going on now in the MAR Leadership Program that you've helped support:

• February workshop in Placencia, Belize where MAR Fellows had the opportunity to hear from 16 experts on fundraising, donor relations, conservation projects, social marketing, marine protected areas, and leadership
• Fellows making leaps and bounds in leadership skills, then using these skills in their professional lives:Giaco (2012 fellow from Honduras) was appointed Director of the Roatan Marine Park last week, and this week Angela (2012 fellow from Guatemala) was chosen as Coordinator for the initial phase of a WWF project called the "Caribbean Marine Conservation Program."
• Peer support this week as Kim of the 2011 cohort traveled to Belize to help out Kirah, also a 2011 fellow, to  to train fishers in sustainable lobster fishing methods and the use of lobster shades--exactly the kind of networking impact the MAR Leadership Program wants to have in the region.
• Exciting learning opportunities for Cleo, a 2012 fellow, who received support from MAR Leadership to attend the 2013 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites, and for Blanca, a 2011 fellow, who participated in a forum put on by The Summit Foundation and the Seattle International Foundation to share strategies and best practices related to youth community leadership and women’s leadership in Central America.
• A new staff member for the program: Mariana Chávez joins us as Project Officer, and we're happy to have her!
• An external evaluation of the MAR Leadership Program, conducted by Leadership Learning Community (LLC), which is in full swing.

For more information on some of these items, check out the links below. Thank you for your support of the MAR Leadership Program, and please continue helping us build a network of conservation leaders to save the Mesoamerican Reef!

Links:

• Read more about our workshop in Placencia on our website!
• Learn about Mariana and the rest of our staff
• More info on our external evaluation with LLC