Jul 8, 2008 5:55 pm US/Eastern
Woman Canoes To Send Message About Ocean Health
Reporting
Ron Matz
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Margo Pellegrino canoed 500 miles to send Congress a message about ocean health.
CBS
Margo Pellegrino is a New Jersey mother of two and she's spending part of her summer in a canoe. She stopped in Baltimore Tuesday as part of her journey.
Ron Matz reports she's carrying a message in a bottle.
Margo is worried about the future of the Atlantic Ocean. She's canoeing 500 miles to deliver a message to Congress.
She says it's time to pass Oceans 21, the comprehensive Healthy Oceans Act.
"The legislation Oceans 21 ties everything together. It provides for education in the classroom about marine science and the importance of conservation," she said.
Pointing to what he calls the heightened awareness of climate change, Maryland congressman John Sarbanes is a co-sponsor of the bill.
"It's absolutely critical. There's a heightened awareness about climate change. Oceans are obviously critical to that," Sarbanes said. "In Maryland, we should take particular note of this kind of effort because the Chesapeake Bay is so central to what we're about here."
Margo has joined forces with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
At Baltimore's National Aquarium, supporters filled out messages in a bottle hoping to raise awareness about the future of our oceans.
"We're at a crisis right now. Our oceans are on the brink of disaster. The time is now, we can't wait," Margo said.
Margo left from the Jersey shore in her 20 foot canoe eight days ago.
"My canoe is 20 feet long. It's very seaworthy. It's lightweight and weighs less than 25 pounds," she said.
Last summer, Margo paddled from Miami to Maine to raise awareness about the health of our oceans.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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