News & Updates
Volunteer Divers Help Scientists Understand Coral Reefs
09/19/2007
Leda A. Cunningham, (305) 852-0030 (office), (202) 494-1995 (cell)
KEY LARGO, Fla.–Six expert surveyors from REEF completed final fish biodiversity surveys as part of a 9-day mission by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries Program (NMSP) to the world’s only undersea laboratory, the Aquarius Reef Base.
Study Reports on Hot Spot of Non-Native Marine Fishes Along Southeast Florida
02/19/2004
Brice Semmens, semmens@u.washington.edu, 206-529-1240
Flushing your pet tropical fish in order to set it free is a bad idea. But so is releasing it into the wild.
REEF Database Hits Landmark 100,000 Surveys
11/13/2006
Leda Cunningham (305) 852-0030, ext 4 (o) (202) 494-1995 (c)
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) last week presented its Blue Diver award to retired schoolteacher Lillian Kenney for her conservation work through scuba diving. Kenney conducted the 100,000th fish population survey of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project, a conservation initiative that enlists divers to collect census data on fish. The award was presented at the DEMA Show in Orlando, the dive industry’s largest trade show.
REEF Helps Cayman Islands Grouper Gain Reprieve
02/10/2004
Lad Akins, Executive Director, REEF305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), Lad@reef.org
In December 2003, legislation was passed to protect grouper spawning aggregations throughout the Cayman Islands over the next eight years.
REEF documents new fish with Veracruz Marine Park
01/28/2004
Lad Akins, Executive Director
305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), lad@reef.org
As part of a joint project to train marine park staff, enforcement, dive professionals and volunteers, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) recently completed a four-day education and data gathering program with the Parque Marino Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, also known as the Veracruz Marine Park, in Mexico. The park, established as Mexico's first national marine park in 1992, encompasses over 52,000 hectares of underwater habitat, including many nearshore coral reef systems.
REEF Receives Program of the Year Award
10/30/2003
Contact: Lad Akins, Executive Director, REEF 305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), Lad@reef.org
Key Largo, FL. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) recently received prestigious recognition form a group of conservation peers. At the annual meeting of the Treasure Coast Chapter of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, REEF was presented with the "Program of the Year" award for its efforts in educating the public and gathering data on fish distributions and populations. REEF Director of Development, Andrea Fullman, accepted the award before the more than 100 attendees on behalf of REEF's members, staff, and board for their long term commit
Aquarium and REEF Team Up To Educate About Reefs
04/16/2003
Lad Akins, Executive Director 305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), lad@reef.org
'What we do to our planet and our oceans is going to have a significant and long-term effect on what happens to us.' Laddie Akins executive director, REEF
The SouthCarolina Aquarium celebrated Earth Day early Tuesday by unveiling a series of programs focusing on a part of the Earth people seldom see - the reefs below the ocean surface.
Reefs will be the subject of Gardens of the Ocean, a series of programs at the aquarium through the end of summer.
Monterey Bay Aquarium and REEF Team Up For Marine Life Seminar
03/26/2003
Lad Akins, Executive Director 305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), lad@reef.org
Have you ever wondered what mysterious fish and creatures live in and around the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary? What interesting behaviors and habits these fish and invertebrates display? Where to find different species of fish and how to identify them?
Cozumel REEF volunteers set 2003 training and monitoring schedule
03/04/2003
Lad Akins, Executive Director 305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), lad@reef.org
Local dive operators and volunteers in partnership with Cozumel Reefs National Park staff are taking a lead role in helping to better understand the status and changes on marine park reefs.
Riding for REEF
12/19/2002
Alex Score, Education and Outreach Coordinator 305-852-0030, 305-852-0301 (fax), alex@reef.org
Riding for REEF: REEF Intern, Sarah Goldman, returns to REEF HQ after completing her 100-mile fundraiser ride.