Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance Awards Nearly $140,000 for Florida Marine Wildlife Conservation

Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, based in the Florida Keys, has awarded nearly $140,000.00 in grants to protect and preserve marine wildlife and coastal habitats across the state of Florida. These grants support protection of dolphins, sea turtles, shorebirds and benefit all marine wildlife in Florida.

All funding was generated from sales of the ‘Protect Marine Wildlife’ specialty license plate which was spearheaded by State Representative Jim Mooney (R-Florida Keys), and was sponsored by Rep. Allison Tant and Senator Dennis Baxley and after completing the required 3,000 presale voucher phase, went on general sale on April 1, 2023 and is now available at all Florida Tax Collectors offices.

Through strategic partnerships with leading research institutions, rescue organizations, and education providers, Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance pursues its mission to safeguard marine ecosystems for future generations. Florida’s marine wildlife is vital to the ecosystem because it helps maintain the balance of the ocean’s complex food web. The diverse marine life in Florida’s coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests provide food, habitat, and other benefits.

Grant Awards and Initiatives

Grant awards from the ‘Protect Marine Wildlife’ specialty license plate include support for ongoing dolphin population and behavioral ecology programs in the Upper Florida Keys, through enhanced technologies for dolphin population studies; capacity building for marine mammal research in Florida Bay through Florida Bay small cetacean remote biopsy sampling; and comparative acoustic monitoring between wild dolphins and managed care environments through bioacoustics research analysis.

Grant Recipients

Grant recipients include:

• Florida Institute of Technology
• University of Florida – UF Animal Rescue
• Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Tavernier
• The Turtle Hospital in Marathon
• The Coastal Stewards in Palm Beach
• Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder in Key Largo

Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance also supported Clearwater Marine Aquarium through a $25,000 hurricane relief and disaster recovery grant, within days of Hurricane Helene. All funding came from sales of the ‘Protect Marine Wildlife’ specialty license plate.

License Plate Artwork and Artist

The design of the license plate was by renowned marine artist Istvan ‘Steve’ Diossy, (pictured above) a self-taught artist, based in Vero Beach, Florida who at the age of 16 won first place and presidential recognition for a sculpture depicting Michelangelo’s The Florentine Pietà. Steve also helped design the ‘Protect Wild Dolphins’ specialty license plates in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina, as well as the top-selling ‘Endless Summer’ specialty license plate, which now generates more than $3 million annually. He also collaborated with world-renowned marine artist Wyland on the ‘Protect Florida Whales’ specialty license plate. Steve has recently opened his second Steve Diossy Marine Art Gallery at 404 Duval Street in Key West.

Leadership and Board Members

Other PWDA Board members include NASA astronaut and former chief clinical veterinarian for the United States Navy Marine Mammal Program, Rick Linnehan and Brian Joseph, who retired as a Major in the Army Reserve Veterinary Corps and participated in missions over ten years in Afghanistan, Africa, Alaska, Central America and the Middle East.

Steve McCulloch, President and Founder of Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, is an internationally recognized marine mammal health and welfare specialist with five decades of service to the zoological, research and conservation communities. Steve has authored more than forty scientific publications, led seventeen successful health and environmental risk assessments, passed legacy legislation, and raised more than seventy-million dollars to support marine conservation programs in three coastal states.

“These ongoing grants represent Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance commitment to supporting marine wildlife conservation through scientific research, rescue operations, educational outreach, and direct conservation efforts.” Says Steve McCulloch. “Each project contributes to our mission of protecting marine wildlife and their habitats while promoting public awareness and scientific understanding.”

You can learn more about the ‘Protect Marine Wildlife’ specialty license plate grant opportunities at protectmarinewildlife.org and you can help make a difference and buy the license plate at any Tax Collector’s Office or purchase online (for additional fees) at www.mypl8.org.