Parks Stewardship Forum

Mystic Seaport Museum has taken an active role in making historical archives, especially first-hand accounts such as logbooks, more accessible to researchers. We believe that digitizing such materials and making them easily available online helps modern-day scientists understand the changing nature of the marine environment over centuries. The use of multiple personal accounts was important to Matthew Fontaine Maury, the “Pathfinder of the Seas” and head of the US Naval Observatory in the mid-19th century, and others attempting to get an understanding of the ocean’s currents and physical make-up. These materials add to the knowledge base necessary to make informed decisions going forward and promote the principles of Ocean Literacy, knowing that the ocean influences our lives, and we influence the health of the ocean.