September 24, 2008
Vote for Cocos Island
BY: Emily Fisher
Aside from having some clever marketing people on staff, American Express is also in its second year of doing the Members Project, which gives $2.5 million to a project deemed by voters to make a difference in the world. I just discovered that the Imaging Foundation is in the top 25 (right now it’s #19) for its project about protecting Cocos Island, which is a UN World Heritage Site more than 300 miles west of Costa Rica. Cocos is under threat from illegal fishing in the area, so the Foundation will develop a “Virtual Cocos” exhibit about the “beauty and the looming environmental crisis.” There will be one permanent exhibit in San Jose, Costa Rica, as well as an international touring display. So cast your vote for Cocos — I’ve never been, but I’m putting it on my to-do list. And if I do eventually make it there, It’d be nice if it were as pristine as the UN found it. [Image of sharks near Cocos Island by Ken Kurtis via reefseekers.com]