June 8th, 2009, was designated by the United Nations as World Oceans Day. This year will mark the fourteen-year. It’s a day encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. We can all do a better job making a difference, and our lives depend on it.
The World Oceans Day theme is Revitalization. Collective action for the ocean. What will you do to make a difference on June 8th? Here’s my plan!
Custom carve a #Mts4n 603 shell for Ocean Day 2022
Place fourteen empty shells in the coastal forest for hermit crabs in need
Spread the word! #revitalization
Keila Gaballo created this beautiful art piece to honor and celebrate World Oceans Day. It was inspired by one of my #mts4n hermit crab photographs. Check out her website
I will place fourteen shells in the coastal forest for hermit crabs in need. I often find hermit crabs adapting with single-use plastic. Shell over-collecting is a huge problem in Okinawa.
If you would like to support Hermit Crab Conservation please check out my Patreon page. MakeTheSwitch4Nature
So far, I have placed over six hundred marked turbo seashells in the coastal forest for hermit crabs in need. The shells are marked and numbered with the hashtag #mts4n ( Make The Switch For Nature ). Hopefully, labeling the surface of the seashells will prevent poachers, beachcombers, and fishers from taking them.
Hermit crabs are a national living monument species of Japan. It is against the law to collect them. Take photos only!
What to do if you find a #MTS4N or #MILLER shell
Take a photograph of the Hermit crab in its natural habitat
These occupied shells are not collectibles, do not take them
What to do if you find a hermit crab adapting with plastic
Take a photograph of the hermit crab in its original habitat
Leave the hermit crab alone and do not harass it
Send me a DM with the exact beach location
I will place empty shells in the coastal forest for the hermit crabs
How often have you picked up an empty shell and brought it home? I am guilty. Most people don’t realize that they are taking the potential home of a hermit crab. If you are a shell collector, please return all unwanted shells to the coastline. #taketrashnothomes
It’s crucial to protect these beautiful creatures for future generations. Hermit crabs play an essential role in the coastal ecosystem. Hermit crabs do not belong in cages; please leave them in their natural habitat.
Help me make a difference by supporting The #MST4N Hermit Crab Conservation Project. Please check out my Patreon page,MakeTheSwitch4Nature.I will collect a bucket full of marine debris for every supporting member. Our waste is a massive problem on our beautiful shorelines.
Do you have any seashells collecting dust at home? If so, consider giving them back to nature. #taktrashnothomes
The Mission of the #MTS4N conservation project is to spread joy, inspire change, and save lives.
Click on the donation link below to help fund Shawn’s conservation projects.
The bottle cap challenge is a viral trend started by martial artist Farabi Davletchin. He was the first person to perform a precision spin kick and twist off the cap of the bottle using his foot. In 2017, I started a my own bottle cap challenge. The goal was to see how many twist top caps I could collect in fifteen minutes. Its an exciting challenge and I recommend getting others involved. Make it a friendly competition and document your beach trash finds using the Clean Swell app by Ocean Conservancy.
Over the years, I have seen a significant increase in the amount of marine debris washed ashore. The trash is from all over the world, but majority of it washes up from Korea, China and Japan
Next time your at the beach, take a minute and look around at the amout of single use waste on the beach. How do you feel when you see this waste?
Majority of the plastic bottles/caps that wash ashore become brittle and break down into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces (micro plastics) are harder to find and clean up.
Eventually these smaller pieces make it back into the ocean affecting the wildlife. Marine birds often mistaken and eat this plastic because it looks and smells like their natural diet (ex: fish eggs, crabs and small fish).
Even the marine fish will sometimes eat the plastic, they are attracted by the smell as well.
Hermit crabs are one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. They eventually move into this valuable real estate (plastic caps) and use it as a protective mobile home until they find a better option. Below are photographs of hermit crabs found naturally adapting with plastic twist caps.
This popular hermit crab was featured in honor of World Oceans Day 2019 on Stella McCartney’s website. Thank you all for bringing awareness to the plastic pollution problem.
If you would like to learn more about hermit crabs adapting with our waste please check out my post on “Crabs With Beach Trash Homes” by Shawn M Miller.
My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature
Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.
“Crabs with beach trash homes” was featured in one of the most influential issues of National Geographic Magazine of all time. June 2018 National Geographic launched Planet or Plastic. This powerful issue focuses on bringing awareness to the worldwide plastic pollution problem and efforts to reduce the single-use plastic waste.
June 2018, National Geographic replaced the plastic cover with a paper cover ( PEFC-Certified Paper ) that can be recycled. This is a huge step in reducing the big problem of single-use plastic pollution in our oceans one small step at a time. The Editors did an outstanding job on this powerful ocean impact issue of National Geographic.
Belowleft is the new paper cover and on the right is the previous plastic cover
What a powerful National Geographic cover by Artist Jorge Gambo. The cover is a plastic bag resembling and Iceberg. This is one of the best covers of all time in my opinion. I was fortunate to get my hands on a Japanese issue as well.
Planet Or Plastic Cover
Excited and honored to have one of my photographs from Okinawa featured in the National Geographic Planet or Plastic Exhibition at the Church of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna, Italy. Exhibition Date: 04/15/2019 – 09/22/2019
Photograph by Paolo Righi
Photograph by Paolo Righi
Planet or Plastic Iconic Photographs
Learn more about reducing waste and making a difference. TEDx OIST Talk – Adapting to Our Changing Environment by Shawn Miller
If you would like to see more of my work in National Geographic Magazine, below are four powerful issues that featured the Endangered Species of Okinawa. (WILDLIFE AS CANON SEES IT)
Anderson’s crocodile newt by Shawn Miller. 11/2020 National Geographic
Amami Oshima frog by Shawn Miller. 08/2019 National Geographic
Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko by Shawn Miller. 10/2017 National Geographic
Okinawa woodpecker by Shawn Miller. 05/2015 National Geographic
People often ask me what is the purpose of conservation photography?Having the ability to affect some form of positive change in the environment and make a global difference with the photographs. Hopefully, the images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive difference in the environment.
Let’s Make The Switch 4 Nature before it’s too late
My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature
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