Happy ValenSLIMES DAY 2012!

It's been a lovely Valentines Day this year.

We woke up to the announcement of the winner of the Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest, which just happened to be the nominee from my son--that is, Chromodoris kuniei!

Photography by Steve Childs used under Creative Commons license, via Healing Oceans Together.
Admission--The "Happy Valenslimes Day" was created by my son in honor of the aforementioned nudibranchs this year.


Then there was such a sweet Google Doodle in honor of Valentines Day:



The buzz in the blogosphere was over the scene at the end that showed two tuxedoed men as Valentines, but with our undersea orientation, we were more enraptured withe the spaceman and the octopus (I think it was supposed to be an alien, but we LOVE our cephapods):



Then tonight, my son and I fixed a special Valentines meal.  He made the dessert--sea slug-inspired chocolate truffles (do you think the whole sea slug thing has gone to our heads?)--and helped me make some homemade reddish tomato pasta.  I made some beef stroganoff to serve over it, along with sauteed asparagus and fresh red peppers (with olive and garlic antipasto to begin the meal).

All in all, perhaps not a traditional Valentines Day, but a lovely one.

This Weekend Is the Last Chance to Join in the Sea Slug Lovefest!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my son's middle school environmental group, Healing Oceans Together, is running a FREE online contest entitled The Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest.  They are asking people to vote for which of eight finalists is the most beautiful sea slug--judging not only on its appearance, but also its cool features.  Click here to participate--it is anonymous and only takes a few minutes....ESPECIALLY if you are from one of these states:

• Idaho
• Kansas
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• South Dakota
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Those are the only states that they haven't received any visits from, and they are really trying to get at least one vote from all 50 states (and we've got the District of Columbia, since that is where my father lives).  So if you can, please vote so they can get the most participation possible.  But the deadline is tomorrow, Sunday, February 12, so please act soon.

H2O also just put on two free educational workshops for the community about sea slugs.  About 68 people participated in the workshops, held at the libraries in Raleigh and Apex, NC.  In addition to scientific information about sea slugs and how people can help heal the oceans, the workshops featured making your own sea slug out of polymer clay or playdough (for the littler students), making sea slug valentines, playing games, and listening to sea slug stories.  It drew a diverse crowd, and it was great to see the teens working with the toddlers!

Please Vote in the Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest

Photography by Steve Childs
used under Creative Commons license

Aren't they incredible?

These are just some of the contestants in The Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest.  This competition is an online poll being held by my son's environmental education and awareness group, Healing Oceans Together (H2O).

The goal of the The Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest is to raise awareness about this fascinating and often overlooked inhabitants of seas all around the world.  The middle school-aged students who make up H2O believe that as people learn more about some of the more numerous but less publicized underwater creatures and come to appreciate them, they will be more willing to take action to help protect our global oceans.

Because they love sea slugs (the common name for the animal classification known as nudibranchs), they are holding The Great Sea Slug Beauty Contest in honor of Valentines Day.  So between now and Sunday, February 12, they are asking people of all ages to

Glaucus atlanticus © Taro Taylor,
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

visit the contest webpage to learn more about some outstanding types of sea slugs.  Then scroll to the end of the page to vote for your favorite.

The winner will be announced on Valentines Day, February 14, 2012.

They also have a map of visitors, and are hoping to get responses from all the different areas in the world where sea slugs live.  Since sea slugs live in almost all oceans and seas, that means pretty much from everywhere!

Photography by Patrick Krug
used under Creative Commons license

So after you have voted, please take a minute to help refer other people to the site.  Please encourage your friends and families to vote, and/or post information information about the contest on your eloops, blog, website, Facebook, Twitter account, or any other types of social media that you may use.

It is free and anonymous, and participating in the poll will not put you on any mailing list or anything like that (although if you are interested in keeping up with what is going on with this middle school-aged coop, you can sign up on their mailing list here).

Photo by: John Albers-Mead
by Creative Commons license

Help support these wonderful invertebrates, sometimes called "the living jewels of the sea," by visiting the contest page and by spreading the word among your networks.

Let's help these middle schoolers, who believe they can make a difference in the world, by generating some world-wide love for these under-appreciated wonders in our waters!