Author: Mead Krowka
Starting in February, REEF is excited to welcome eight classes from Key Largo School to our Ocean Exploration Center for hands-on educational field trips. These visits are made possible through the UWCK Marine Science Education Grant, funded by the United Way of Collier and the Keys and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, with additional support from REEF. By covering transportation costs, the grant removes a major barrier for local schools and makes it possible for hundreds of students to visit our center and engage directly with marine science. The grant’s goal is to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards through experiential learning, and REEF is proud to help bring this opportunity to life. Over 400 students, ranging from 1st through 8th grade, will participate in customized programs designed to align with their grade level and learning objectives.
During their visit, students will explore the power of citizen science through programs like REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project and learn about invasive species, with a special focus on the impacts of lionfish in the Tropical Western Atlantic. They’ll also discover how coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and terrestrial ecosystems are interconnected, and how human actions influence them all. Through interactive activities such as scavenger hunts, fish surveys, arts and crafts, and the always-popular lionfish dissection, students will leave with a clear understanding that individual actions matter. By the end of the day, they won’t just be students—they’ll be citizen scientists, empowered to take action and contribute to the health of their community and local environment.
Author: Noa Parks
We’re counting down to the 2026 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival this April! This event brings together invasive lionfish removal, vibrant local arts, and conservation action - engaging the community in ocean stewardship through interactive and educational experiences. Here’s what to expect:
April 23 - Kick-off Party & Captain’s Meeting (5-7:30 PM): Registered derby teams will gather at Sharkey's Sharkbite Grill in Key Largo for the mandatory Captain’s Meeting, which covers invasive lionfish background, best collecting/handling practices, derby rules, and important permits. Online attendance options are also available. The public is welcome to join the kick-off party and celebrate the start of this community event!
April 24-25 - Lionfish Hunting: From sunrise to sundown on Friday and Saturday, participating teams will compete to remove as many invasive lionfish as possible. Prizes are awarded for most, largest, and smallest lionfish.
April 26 - Conservation Science & Arts Festival (12-4 PM): Join us at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo for a festival celebrating the connection of art, science, and conservation. The festival is free and open to all ages, and includes interactive science activities, art, educational games, live music, lionfish scoring, fillet and dissection demonstrations, lionfish tastings, booths from environmental organizations and local artisans, food trucks and local craft beer, and ending with the Derby Awards Ceremony to recognize the achievements of participating teams.
Non-profits, government agencies, and conservation-minded artisans are invited to apply to exhibit at the Festival on April 26. All vendors are encouraged to include an interactive activity or display to engage festival attendees. The vendor application is open now, and the deadline is March 1, 2026.
Check out www.REEF.org/derby for more details about the Derby participation and www.REEF.org/LionfishFestival for more information about the Festival.
Author: Jill Kuehnert
On February 3, a special Ocean After Hours evening at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo celebrated the completion of “Textures of the Tide,” a new collaborative installation created with mosaic artist Sonata Kazimieraitiene.
The reception brought together REEF supporters, community members, and partners for brief remarks, a short talk by Sonata, and time to meet the artist and experience the finished work up close.
What made this project especially meaningful was how many people helped shape it. Textures of the Tide—a mosaic made of glazed ceramic, natural elements, and glass—incorporated sea creatures and forms handmade by participants during a community workshop held on campus in December 2025.
Under Sonata’s guidance, those individual pieces came together into one vibrant underwater ecosystem. The installation is now on display in the Center’s The Ocean Inspires exhibit area and will remain on view through August 2, 2026.
The Ocean Inspires is our rotating art-and-humanities exhibit area that offers another way to connect with the ocean.
Alongside REEF’s science and conservation work, The Ocean Inspires invites visitors to explore the feelings, stories, and personal experiences that shape how we care for our blue planet. During the February 3 reception, guests lingered over the mosaic’s textures and details—recognizing that each element carried the imprint of a different hand and imagination.
The project was made possible through REEF’s partnership with Upper Keys BPW (Business and Professional Women). Together, REEF and BPW are building new opportunities to bring arts and conservation experiences to new audiences throughout the Florida Keys.
For REEF members around the world, this project reflects something universal about our community: when people are invited to create, contribute, and gather around the ocean, conservation becomes personal—and connection becomes a powerful catalyst for action.
Support for this project was provided in part by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; and private donations.
If you find yourself in the Florida Keys, we hope you’ll stop by the Ocean Exploration Center to see "Textures of the Tide" in person—and keep an eye out for upcoming Ocean After Hours programs and other events at the REEF Campus.
Author: REEF Staff
After more than a decade of supporting REEF’s mission, we’re wishing Amy Lee a fond farewell and best fishes on her next adventure. Her last day with the REEF Team was at the end of January. Amy first came to Key Largo in 2014 as a REEF Marine Conservation Intern after graduating from the University of South Carolina. She joined the REEF staff in April 2015 and quickly became a shining example of an early-career professional connecting divers, snorkelers, and ocean lovers with meaningful action for marine conservation. For the past six years, Amy has served as our Communications Manager. She’s also an avid REEF surveyor, self-proclaimed fish geek, and leader of multiple REEF Field Survey Trips. Throughout her time at REEF, she used her strengths in science communication, teaching, and natural ability to help our community learn more, care more, and do more for the ocean. In 2019, Amy was honored with the dive industry's Wave Makers Award by DEMA, recognizing professionals who are making significant contributions in the field. We’re incredibly grateful for everything Amy has contributed to REEF. She will be deeply missed, but we can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next.
Author: Stacey Henderson
Looking for that once-in-a-lifetime trip? Join us on a custom 10-night transition charter aboard the Philippines Aggressor, making our way from Tubbataha to Visayas. The Tubbataha Reefs National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Visayas is home to some of the best scuba diving the Philippines has to offer. From soft coral-covered walls to black sand dives, see Thresher sharks, huge schools of Sardines, Turtles, schools of Jacks, Whale sharks, and more. There is plenty to see, from big to small, on this special trip. Please see the trip page here for more information.
REEF Field Survey Trips are eco-vacations led by marine life experts. Each trip features daily dives and fish ID classes for both beginners and experienced surveyors. To book your space on a REEF Trip, email trips@REEF.org. We hope to "sea" you underwater soon!
Check out some of our upcoming trips, including:
Jamaica: March 14-21, 2026 -- More information here.
Cayman Brac: April 4-11, 2026 -- More information here.
Fiji: April 18-28, 2026 -- More information here.
St. Eustatius: May 9-16, 2026 -- More information here.
Cuba: June 27-July 4, 2026 -- More information here.
Tubbataha, Philippines: June 28-July 8, 2026 -- More information here.
Bonaire: July 11-18, 2026 -- More information here.
Tobago: August 1-8, 2026 -- More information here.
Photo courtesy Aggressor Adventures
Author: Tom Sparke
We are excited to welcome our Spring 2026 Marine Education & Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and more at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo. Since 1993, more than 150 young adults have interned with REEF and transitioned into careers all over the world, in the marine conservation field and beyond. We also are thrilled that three of our Fall 2025 Interns have continued their REEF journey as our new Marine Conservation Fellows. Please join us in welcoming Anna Velardi, Anna Hoover, Harrison Gaunt, Stacie Strombom, Avery Kruger, Sammy Brown (pictured from L-R). Here's some more about them:
Marine Education & Conservation Interns
Anna Hoover (She, Her) graduated from Hamilton College in May 2025 with a degree in Environmental Studies. Originally from Maryland, she has worked in environmental education and conservation in Delaware, Arizona, Montana, New York, and North Carolina. In Delaware, she worked as an environmental education intern at Cape Henlopen State Park, where she led guided hikes, aquatic animal dissections, and helped maintain tanks full of native fish, sharks, turtles, crabs, and more. She is moving to Florida from Montana, where she has been working as an Outdoor Education Specialist in Glacier National Park, guiding educational hikes and programs for people of all ages. Besides this, she has worked as a backpacking trip leader, ropes course ranger, trail crew member, and land and forestry planner. In her free time, Anna loves to hike, run, read, and camp. She is excited to return to the ocean and to get to explore a new place and meet new people who share her passion for nature!
Avery Kruger (He, Him) recently graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Psychology. He had flipped-flopped from environmental science and psychology. It wasn't until a recent study abroad trip to Baja California Sur that he was reawakened to his love for the ocean and conservation. He is interested in research bridging the gap between social science and environmental science and wants to go to graduate school to pursue this. In his free time, he enjoys biking, hiking, and other outdoor activities. He is hoping to get scuba certified and contribute meaningful work to REEF's mission of conservation and education.
Stacie Strombom (She, Her) moved around frequently when she was young but is currently based in New Hampshire. She graduated from Knox College in 2024 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. During her time at Knox, she studied abroad in Panama where she became SCUBA certified and fell in love with all things reef-related! She began her journey as an environmental educator when she interned as an ecology teacher for the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School. Over the past year, she led afterschool programs and camps at South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Oregon, exploring the northern Pacific coast and igniting a deeper passion for marine education while sharing her love of the ocean with kids and adults. She is very excited to develop her educational skills and understanding of marine conservation during her time with REEF!
Marine Conservation Fellows
Anna Velardi (She, Her) grew up in Haymarket, Virginia. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Digital Studies from the University of Mary Washington, where she discovered her love for marine biology while studying abroad in Bonaire. There, she earned her diving certification and volunteered with a coral nursery, kickstarting her passion for ocean conservation. She also fell in love with research, completing her senior capstone project on the correlations between soil quality and socioeconomic status. Her love for the ocean and adventure has taken her from the icy waters of Seward, Alaska- where she interned with the Veterinary Lab team at the Alaska Sealife Center- to the tropical reefs of Key Largo, Florida, where she first served as a REEF intern. After a summer of diving the shipwrecks off the North Carolina coast as a Marine Educator with Sea Turtle Camp, Anna is thrilled to return to the keys for a fellowship with REEF!
Sammy Brown (She, Her) graduated from the University of Miami in May 2025 with a triple major in Marine Affairs, Political Science, and Geography & Sustainable Development. She served as president of the Florida Ocean Advocacy Team, where she helped connect students without prior marine experience to ocean advocacy through education, outreach, and community events. Sammy was also part of the logistics committee for WAVES (Water Advocates and Visionaries for the Environment and Sea), a marine science outreach program through the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, where she helped plan the program’s large-scale outreach day. Through WAVES, she also created a lesson plan in collaboration with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to expand access to marine science in local classrooms. Sammy worked as a naturalist at the Key Biscayne Nature Center, where she discovered her passion for marine education. She is a Rescue diver and has recently been surveying sea turtles and volunteering with Mote Marine Laboratory’s coral restoration program. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding and spending as much time on the water as possible. She is excited to stay with REEF and looks forward to building on her outreach and education skills as a Marine Conservation Fellow!
Harrison Gaunt (He, His) graduated from Arizona State University in 2024 with a degree in Sports Business and Finance. A lifelong ocean enthusiast, he found his calling in conservation after a volunteer trip to Thailand, where he earned his scuba certification and worked on coral reef restoration. He recently interned at OdySea Aquarium, where he worked with African Penguins, Parrots, and Sloths and supported public education efforts. During his internship, he worked on a research project exploring how parrots learn vocalizations and how zoos and aquariums can use social learning-based training to teach them to use words referentially, giving the animals greater agency. Harrison joined the REEF team in the fall of 2025 as a Marine Conservation Intern, and is excited to stay on as a Fellow to continue his career in marine conservation!
Author: Noa Parks
Our online programs are free and open to all! Check out what's coming up, and view the entire schedule of Fishinars and other online programs here.
Fishinar: Tropical Pacific Cardinalfishes
Wednesday, February 18, 8pm EST
Click here to register
Join REEF volunteer and former staff member, Amy Lee as she takes us on a virtual journey to the Tropical Pacific! Come learn all about the interesting Cardinalfishes of that region and how to identify them.
Yellow Striped Cardinalfish photo by Ken Marks
Author: REEF Team
Introducing our February Fish of the Month, the Kelp Bass, Paralabrax clathratus!
Survey Regions: Kelp Bass are a temperate species found in the California, Pacific Northwest and Alaska - PAC and the northern range of Tropical Eastern Pacific - TEP. Their range extends from the Columbia River in Washington to Magdalena Bay in Baja California, Mexico, though they are most commonly sighted in Southern California.
Size: They grow to about 70 cm / 28 in.
Identifying Features: Kelp Bass, often called "Calico Bass," are characterized by a mottled pattern of brown, olive, and white blotches. They feature a square tail and a dorsal fin where the third, fourth, and fifth spines are of approximately equal length, distinguishing them from related sand bass species.
Fun Facts: Kelp Bass are typically found in kelp beds and rocky reefs from the surface down to about 150 feet. They are solitary or form loose groups and are ambush predators, feeding on smaller fish, squid, and crustaceans.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next Fish of the Month.
Photo by Jeff Haines
