We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brenda Ramer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brenda below.
Brenda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My story is very simple. It is based on meeting a need.
My husband and I traveled to the Fl Keys to snorkel the ocean for the first time. Being the adventurous teacher that I am, I had share my experience with the students. Which led to sharing it with other teachers and students. this led to asking who has seen a “blue” ocean…which revealed that 65% of students in western NC have never experienced the ocean. this led to the discovery of a need for deeper environmental education resources, especially those connected to marine or ocean studies and understanding.
In 2001, I “retired” from teaching, began to volunteer with Oceans for Youth visiting schools and talking about ocean ecology. In 2003 I set the foundation for Team E.C.C.O. – a team for educating children to care for the ocean. The 501 c 3 registered in 2003. and it has been a crazy ride ever since.
Our first program happened in 2001, right after 9/11. I organized a trip for 45 kids and adults to travel to Crystal River Fl to study manatees and underground springs. In 2021, we reached 4,500 people in classes, travel programs, and events.
I built the first inland aquarium in 2011, right on Main Street. We are not a state aquarium. We are a private not for profit. We offer the only intern program of marine science exploration studies within 200 miles. We now serve not only western Nc, but also upstate SC, eastern TN & GA, and lower VA.
The mission is to reach the corners of western Nc and bring the ocean to every child who the state says has to learn about environmental ecology. And to do so with integrative and engaging techniques that create learning with a personal connection.
Team ECCO is a force of nature with a heart for teaching.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a teacher by training and an explorer by heart. I have always loved working with children and have taken a true desire to engage senior citizens as well! My background is focused on teaching exceptional learners, which I truly feel has given me the ability to work with so many ages and learning styles. I can adapt about any lesson to meet success for every learner.
I think I am most proud of the fact that Team ECCO has taken on a life of its own. I gave it bones, and it has fleshed itself out. I have never been afraid to let this program, or the people in it, run with a new direction or idea. Of course, the main direction has always been education, but how that education happens takes on many forms.
The creation of the intern program which allows high school seniors and college students to explore ocean studies and marine biology as a career, the volunteer program which guides school age students between 10-16 years old to learn accountability, responsibility, and life skills as they care for other living things, and the post grad / teacher program that offers hands in real time biology and ecology experiences.
On top of all of this, I have opened the door to the first Shark Lab for WNC. We work with parthenogenesis in bamboo sharks. this is where an egg is released from the female and the cells split to create a clone of the mother. No fertilization needed.
The Field Museum in Chicago is our partner.
I have also taken my program to partner with other conservation teams such as Brownie Marine and Beneath the Waves.
Does this take discipline? Yes. But more so it takes the ability to go off the path, to traverse life by no other method than a leap of faith. It takes determination to go when others question why. it takes drive to make a dream succeed.
It takes the passion to want to leave your legacy not in a piece of paper or statue, but in the hearts and souls of children who want to grow up and continue the path in whatever direction it leads them.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There are many stories…. most all of which start with people who question my motives.
I always feel the most relevant story is one from 2016…
The Aquarium had been open for 5 years and I admit the road was long and hard. I had no paid staff, I was not even paid. Most people in the community thought of it as “fun little pastime” that my husband allowed me to do.
I awoke the morning of Feb 24 with an uneasy feeling. it was 530 am and i just knew I had left something turned on or plugged in that i should not have. So, I told my husband I had to go downtown and check. I got dressed and took the dog with me. We only live 1 mile from the aquarium.
As soon as I opened the back door, the sound of gushing water rocked my world. I passed through the classroom into the main floor to see 1/4 of the ceiling down with water gushing and pouring from above. Tanks were filled with rust colored water and debris. Water covered the floor and was seeping down through the wood planks to the basement. There was close to 3 inches of water in more than 1/2 of the basement.
I immediately ran back to the braker box and flipped all light and motor fuses. I called my husband. I called my City Council man – who called the fire department. Then it became a blur….it was a flurry of police, firemen, insurance, city government, and upset neighbors.
There is a condo unit above my space. The hot water tank had malfunctioned and erupted with devastating effects on the aquarium. In the end, we lost 3 months of business, over $85,000 in damages, dozens and dozens of tropical fish, 9 full exhibits, one entire wall of ecosystems, uncountable teaching supplies, mother, pumps, filters, skimmers, lights, and so much more. We had service tech there for 5 straight days – all day. The internal ambient air temp reached 90 degrees from the drying fans. I had to work to cool tanks manually so fish would not “cook”. People were upset since “it was just a little flood, can’t you clean it up and reopen”? or I would get “just move on, let it go”. or email and messages would be left about how inconvenient it was that someone could not visit as they had company in – what were they supposed to do?
My own mother told me to lock the door and walk away.
My heart asked me – what do you want to teach the children who depend upon you? to walk out when you don’t like something, or it becomes a bigger than life challenge.
Not my style. I had to see this through. it held a lesson in it somewhere.
That lesson is to have faith in yourself and your ability to overcome fear. Fear is simply courage you have not used yet.
Yes, i still am emotional about it all. yes, we did not recover financially. Yes, the city and community rallied and supported us to re-build. No, the owner of the hot water tank was not held liable – in NC you have to prove negligence, and we needed the tank to prove that. The hot water tank disappeared.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The building of our reputation has been ongoing and steady. it is based on our ability to provide a needed resource within the field of education.
There is no one that does what we do. Of course there are many other aquariums, but none of them use student docents/guides. None of them train future aquarists. None of them have staff as open and engaging as ours. None of them include visitors into daily activities and events that allow for direct contact and exposure to what we do.
Team ECCO provides inclusive and engaging lessons, based upon learner levels, that foster success for all.
WE make learning fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.teamecco.org
- Instagram: teamecco
- Facebook: teameccomarinebio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-j-ramer-m-ed-20297861/
- Twitter: @teamecco
Image Credits
Team ECCO