Did you know that REEF hosts twelve Marine Conservation Interns each year? This important program is vital to REEF's success and serves as a formative experience for these young adults. As a new feature in our newsletter, we will periodically check in with intern alumni to see where they are now and how their time at REEF impacted their journey. This month we visited with Laura Palomino.
When were you a REEF intern?
We are excited to share that our website has recently undergone a significant update and has a new look. Many of you may have already seen it, but if not, you can check it out by visiting http://www.REEF.org.
Even though summer has only just ended, the cold days of winter will be here before we know it. Don't worry - you can escape to the Caribbean and get involved in a meaningful citizen science dive trip! We still have some openings on two of our upcoming liveaboard trips to the Eastern Caribbean and the British Virgin Islands. We have also released our complete 2019 Field Survey Trips schedule, and we hope you can join us on a trip soon!
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.
