Author: Sasha Medlen, REEF Membership Coordinator
REEF’s first Month of Membership Madness was a huge success! In April, lucky Michelle Rogers joined as our 60,000th member, and we far exceeded our goal, with 603 new members signing up. If you are a new member, WELCOME to REEF! The winner of the wetsuit giveaway will be announced April 15 on our Facebook page. If you haven’t yet seen the video that our brilliant intern Jack Fishman produced about joining REEF, we highly recommend it (visit www.REEF.org/membershipmadness)! From being a part of the largest marine citizen science project in the world to making new fishy friends, REEF’s community of members will guarantee you a fishy adventure. Also, included in this month’s activities was an infographic about our incredible REEF members. This graphic illustrates an amazing diversity of support that really highlights how REEF truly depends on our members and volunteers to expand our knowledge of our underwater world. Thank you for everything!
Author: Martha Klitzkie, REEF Director of Operations
We are excited to announce REEF Fest 2015, a celebration to be held this fall in Key Largo (September 24 - 27, 2015). We hope you will join us for diving, seminars, and parties! Come celebrate the success and impact of REEF's marine conservation programs and education initiatives.
Festivities begin Thursday with afternoon seminars and then a welcome party at the Caribbean Club. Friday and Saturday are full days, with diving in the mornings, seminars in the afternoons, and social events in the evenings (Friday Open House at REEFHQ and Saturday Celebration Dinner Party). The fun wraps up on Sunday with a few more organized dives. Seminar topics include: Introduction and Advanced Florida Keys Fish ID, The Best of Blennies, Fish Behavior, Keys Habitats and Ecosystems, Amazing Sharks, Restoring Coral Reefs, and program updates from REEF Staff.
All REEF Fest events are open to the public. Complete details on the schedule, including the lineup of seminars, diving opportunities, and social gatherings, as well as travel logistics and hotel arrangements, are available online at www.REEF.org/REEFFest2015
Why are we celebrating? In the summer of 1993, a group of pioneering volunteers conducted the first REEF fish surveys. Twenty-two years later, the Volunteer Fish Survey Project and other REEF initiatives are leading the way as innovative and effective marine conservation programs. REEF Fest is a semi-annual event that celebrates our work and the volunteers that make it possible.
Questions? Check out the REEF Fest website, send us an email at REEFHQ@REEF.org, or call us at 305-852-0030. We look forward to seeing you all in September!
Author: Elizabeth Underwood, REEF Lionfish Coordinator
Funded by a grant through the US Fish and Wildlife Service, REEF’s Lionfish Program Coordinator, Elizabeth Underwood, will travel to cities throughout the Southeast United States to conduct a series of lionfish collecting and handling workshops. These workshops are meant to educate and engage stakeholders (recreational divers, professional divers, environmental groups, students, general public, etc.). Workshop topics will include background of the invasion, lionfish biology, ecological impacts, recent research findings, collecting tools and techniques, market development and ways to get involved. Workshops are free of charge and open to the public, however registration is required. To register or learn more visit www.REEF.org/lionfish/workshops. We hope to see you there! Scheduled workshops include: May 6th—New Orleans, LA; May 7th—Ocean Springs, MS; May 8th—Panama City, FL; May 11th—Pensacola, FL; May 12th—Mobile, AL; May 14th—Tallahassee, FL; May 26th—Morehead City, NC; May 28th—Durham, NC; June 4th—Jupiter, FL; June 8th—Charleston, SC; June 10th—Savannah, GA; June 18th—Orlando, FL; June 23rd—Naples, FL.
Author: Ellie Splain, REEF Education Program Manager
We are very excited to introduce REEF’s Ocean Explorers Camp: a summer day camp designed for the ocean-minded and adventurous! REEF Ocean Explorers Camp immerses campers in an ocean of learning and fun! Based at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida, REEF will introduce campers to the underwater world and all the amazing things found beneath the sea. Each camp session includes:
- Snorkel trips to the first underwater state park in the US
- Kayak ventures into winding mangrove trails
- Stand up paddle board excursions over seagrass beds
- Glass bottom boat rides offering a view from the surface
- Marine science lessons, experiments, and crafts
- Opportunity to connect with nature and make new friends
Join REEF’s Ocean Explorers Camp to make a splash this summer. We welcome campers ages 8 – 14. Sibling discount available. A $275 camp tuition includes park entry fees, activity expenses, equipment rentals, and souvenir REEF gear including a T-shirt and water bottle! Camp sessions are offered June 15-19, July 13-17, and August 10-14. For more information please visit www.REEF.org/Explorers/Camp or call (305) 852-0030.
Author: Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator
We now have a full schedule of Fishinars planned for 2015. Topics ranging from fishes of Laguna Beach, common invertebrates of New England, Puffers and Porcupines of the Caribbean, and thanks to many requests, we even have a "Turtlinar" for you! If you haven't participated in one of our free, educational webinars yet, you don't know what you are missing! Known as Fishinars, these hour-long sessions enable you to learn and have fun from the comfort of your living room. Check out the full schedule and links to register at www.REEF.org/fishinars. Planned Fishinars for 2015 include:
- May 18, 20, Common Fishes of Catalina Island, Parts 1 and 2, Taught by Janna Nicols
- May 21, Snap on! Snap off! The Snapper, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- June 9, Dude, Let's Go Diving - Fishes of Laguna Beach Shore Dives, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- June 18, "Turtlinar" - Sea turtles around the world: are they in trouble?, Taught by Dr. Selina Heppell
- June 24, Lesser Seen Fishes of Turks and Caicos, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- July 8, Rock On! California Rockfishes and Scorpionfish, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- July 14, Invertebrates of New England, Taught by Janna Nichols
- July 16, Fishes of New England, Taught by Janna Nichols
- July 21, Puffers and Porcupines of the Caribbean, Taught by Carlos and Allison
- July 23, Pacific Coast Young of the Year (YOY) Rockfish ID, Taught by Janna Nichols
- July 28, Fishes of Bonaire Shore Diving, Taught by Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens
- September 1, Those Darn Damsels - Reboot, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- Sept 8, 10, 14, 16, Invertebrates and Algae of REEF's California Survey Project, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- September 30, Night Stalkers - Eels of the Caribbean, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- October 20, Islands in the Stream - Fishes of the California Channel Islands, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
- November 16, The Ones You Should Know - Top 25 Fishes of the Caribbean, Taught by Jonathan Lavan
