REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. More than 70,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.
This month we highlight Susan Lokey, who has been a REEF member since 1995. She is a level 3 surveyor in the Tropical Western Atlantic region and has completed 175 surveys. Susan lives in Virginia, outside of Washington D.C., and enjoys traveling on dive trips. She attends REEF Field Survey Trips whenever she can!
Purchase your VIP passes or register a team today! For complete event details, visit www.REEF.org/lionfish/derbies.
Lad Akins, a longstanding REEF staff member, who most recently served as Director of Special Projects, is no longer with REEF. Lad was instrumental in establishing REEF as an organization, was REEF’s first Executive Director, and spearheaded work on controlling invasive lionfish in the western Atlantic. The tremendous impact he has had in marine conservation through REEF’s projects leaves a lasting legacy. We wish Lad the best in his future endeavors.
Warm greetings! I’d like to introduce myself; I am REEF’s new Executive Director, starting in this role Aug. 20th. Since then, I have been getting to know REEF’s wonderful staff, members, Board, and programs, and I am so excited to be part of the REEF community! Here’s a bit about me: I’m a third-generation oceanographer (from Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and fish geek, with 27 years of experience in marine and freshwater conservation, research, policy, and education.
Thought to be released by aquarium owners, the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), native to the Indo-Pacific, has been sighted in several locations throughout south Florida since 2001. Last month, a Yellow Tang was spotted at North Dry Rocks, offshore of Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Thanks to the sharp eyes of a citizen scientist, this fish was identified, reported and removed from the Sanctuary within just a few days. Scientists from United States Geological Survey (USGS) helped divers from REEF coordinate the fish's live capture and removal.
It was a busy summer for REEF’s Explorers Education Program, between the Ocean Explorers Summer Camp and the “Nature Days” program with the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. Throughout the summer, 80 children joined REEF to learn about marine conservation and environmental science in a fun, outdoor setting. Thank you to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Coral Reef Park Company, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, Island Dolphin Care, and the Everglades Outpost who made these programs possible.
We’re excited to introduce REEF’s new Marine Conservation Interns for the Fall 2018 semester. These four individuals will support the REEF team in mission-oriented tasks and daily office operations, as well as assist in the Upper Keys Lionfish Derby and REEF’s biggest event of the year, REEF Fest. They will also have opportunities to scuba dive, conduct fish surveys, and volunteer with environmental organizations in South Florida and the Florida Keys. This semester’s interns bring diverse skills and interests to REEF. They include:
We are all connected to REEF for one reason or another, either we care for marine conservation or are avid divers who want to see our beloved coral reefs and fish species. However, it is difficult to imagine how life-changing diving and conservation work can be until you have heard it from the prospective of a special operations combat veteran. Last month, REEF was privileged to work closely with Force Blue Team 2 during their recent deployment in the Florida Keys.
REEF's inaugural Field Survey Trip to Thailand was held in April 2018, and the survey results of the trip were recently processed into REEF's marine life database. We are excited to share that during this trip, REEF citizen scientists conducted 305 surveys at 24 sites throughout the Andaman Sea, and reported a total of 649 species! These surveys represent the first REEF data from Thailand, which is a valuable addition to REEF's database, currently containing more than 225,000 surveys.
