Twenty years ago, the Des Moines School District decided to initiate a Marine Biology program in the heart of Iowa. The local vocational high school was converted into a new educational resource center called Central Campus. The new program was open to any interested public or parochial school students within a 50 mile radius of the school. In their first year, they started with one classroom, 11 students, a few textbooks, and a donated aquarium.

From a one-hour course with 11 students, the program has expanded to three daily, two-hour courses, each with an enrollment of 24 first-year students (juniors and seniors). The second year program now accommodates around 20 students. The Marine Biology course has evolved into a college-level class where students can receive both high school and college academic credit. As the program grew, Central Campus soon became a source of civic pride. Before long, they were receiving sea turtle shells and marine mammal bones from various governmental agencies. Iowa State University graciously donated several preserved animal specimens. As the word spread, their little "marine" library began to fill with unique items from far and wide. They have received donations fisherman in Labrador, Eskimos in Alaska, and even cowrie shells from a Masai village in East Africa.

Growth of the program and incredible community support has led to a resource center that includes 60 marine and 10 freshwater aquariums. They actually maintain four foot long moray eels and even a breeding population of sharks. Their "marine" library now contains over 150 videotapes, roughly 1,000 books, several marine life audio recordings, and several display cases filled with artifacts and various specimens. Central Campus soon became a regional resource for marine studies for several schools in the community. To reach even more people, they began to offer educational outreach programs. They adopted the motto, "To live on the land, we must learn from the sea." In the past school year, they have provided their marine education outreach for more than 8,000 people.

Central Campus also provides an annual 17-day camping and scuba excursion to Florida. The trip allows students to explore several of Florida's habitats, including barrier islands, mangrove forest, the Everglades, and the Keys. The caravan now includes over 90 people each year. The students participate in habitat restoration, beach clean-ups, reef fish surveys, and have even helped the Florida Park Service maintain some of its nature trails. This year, their trip will focus on repairing and cleaning up the damage left behind from last season's active hurricane season.

According to the Izaak Walton League, "The Oceans Alive in Landlocked Iowa is a project that exemplifies the global approach on the grassroots level that breeds successful conservation. It is the combination of education and hands-on action that leads to the creation of environmentally-minded citizens, some of whom will be so inspired as to enter the field of conservation as a career. The Izaak Walton League is proud to affiliate itself with this project that shows so much initiative and foresight."