REEF Ocean Explorers Summer Camp will immerse children into an ocean of learning and fun! Explorers will learn about the underwater world and all of its amazing creatures during a week filled with creative activities and adventures. Each camp session runs Monday - Friday, 9 am - 3 pm. All sessions will be hosted at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.
2021 Ocean Explorers Camp sessions include:
• June 14-18 (ages 8-10)
• June 28-July 2 (ages 11-13)
• June 12-16 (ages 8-10)
REEF is proud to highlight one of our outstanding Conservation Partners: Island Ventures in Key Largo. REEF Conservation Partners are active organizations and dive shops committed to protecting marine environments worldwide. As valued REEF ambassadors, they serve as centers for marine conservation actions, outreach, and education. You can view the full listing of Conservation Partners or register your organization as a REEF Conservation Partner here.
Introducing our April 2021 Fish of the Month, the Cherubfish (Centropyge argi)!
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up over the next several weeks:
Fishy Hour: Fishy Game Night
Wednesday, April 7 at 8PM EDT
Join our Spring 2021 Marine Conservation Interns for a trivia-esque game night, featuring marine conservation and ocean facts plus Tropical Western Atlantic fish ID.
Register here.
REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
This month we highlight REEF member Mary Adams, who lives in Maryland. She enjoys attending REEF Trips and has conducted more than 100 surveys. She is a Level 3 surveyor in the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) survey region. We look forward to seeing more surveys from Mary in the future, and are glad that she's part of REEF!
KEY LARGO, FLA. – Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) will kick off the 2021 Lionfish Derby Series with a socially distant Earth Day Lionfish Derby on Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25.
Welcome to the Citizen Science Corner, our quarterly feature to acknowledge those who recently reached a milestone in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Below are the REEF members who achieved a survey milestone in January, February or March 2021.
Experience Level Advancements
Here's a goal to shoot for in 2021: conduct and submit 25 or more REEF surveys in any region or combination of regions to complete the 2021 Super Surveyor Challenge! Everyone will reaches this goal will receive the waterproof decal pictured here.
Congratulations to everyone who has completed the 2021 Super Surveyor Challenge so far:
REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project database totals more than 258,000 surveys. A small group of highly dedicated surveyors known as the Golden Hamlet Club have contributed significantly to this total by each conducting 1,000+ REEF surveys. Congratulations to Dennis Bensen, our newest member of the Golden Hamlet Club!
Dennis has been a REEF member since 2001 and is an expert level surveyor in both the Tropical Western Atlantic and Hawaii regions. He's conducted surveys in 7 of REEF's 11 survey regions, and over half of his 1,000 surveys done in the Hawaii region.
With 15,000 tube feet and up to 24 arms, the world's largest and fastest sea star species, the Sunflower Sea Star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, is found from Baja Mexico to Alaska. Over the last seven years, this magnificent species has suffered a dramatic decline due to a wasting disease. Many fear that the species may be on the brink of extinction. To quantify the decline and possibly establish grounds for protections and intervention, REEF joined in a partnership of more than 60 institutions led by The Nature Conservancy and Oregon State University.
