Grand Opening Celebration Planned for June 7-8, 2025, Coinciding with World Ocean Day
KEY LARGO, FLA. – Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) is excited to announce the grand opening of the REEF Ocean Exploration Center for Marine Conservation at the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida. The public is invited to join a special grand opening celebration on June 7-8, 2025, coinciding with World Ocean Day.
Congratulations to Fred Hartner, who recently joined the Golden Hamlet Club! This distinguished group is made up of highly dedicated volunteers who have conducted 1,000 or more REEF surveys as part of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project.
We are gearing up for an amazing year of conservation and celebrations, we hope you can join us at a REEF event this year. Save the date and check out details below!
REEF by the Sea - February 28 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL: REEF Sustainers receive an invitation to this annual event, held each spring in either California or Florida. For more information about donor recognition levels, visit this page.
Join us for a FREE Fish ID Class at Trans World Radio (TWR) Bonaire Headquarters on Tuesday, January 28, starting at 7:00pm AST! Expert REEF surveyor, Carmen Toanchina, will be teaching the "Many Faces (Phases) of Parrotfish."
Join Robin and Perry Webster as they give you an introduction to REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project and to a few of Puget Sound's fish and invertebrates.
The class is 2 hours and is free, and held at:
Underwater Sports Federal Way
34428 Pacific Hwy S. #B
Federal Way, WA 98003
(253) 874-9387
Dive into the world of marine conservation with the Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP), home to one of the largest marine life databases in the world. Whether you’re a data enthusiast, a marine science student, or an ocean-loving volunteer, this workshop offers a hands-on opportunity to deepen your impact.
We are so excited for the 16th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival! Starting this year, we are combining the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby with the annual Arts & Science Festival to form a conservation and arts festival! It will all take place at the REEF Campus and will feature vendors including artisans and local non-profits, along with lionfish scoring, fun conservation science and art activities, music, educational and cooking demos, food trucks and drinks, free lionfish tastings, raffle, and derby awards ceremony!
Did you know that the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP) has generated one of the largest marine life sightings databases? This citizen science effort engages scuba divers and snorkelers to collect data on fishes and select invertebrates and algae. What began as a small effort in the Florida Keys in 1993 has since grown into a project with a global reach, inluding almost 18,000 volunteers. In 2024, the 300,000th survey was submitted to the REEF database, which now contains over 14 million sightings records. What happens to all this data?
Come learn about the top 15 most reported fish at the Mukilteo T-dock (according to REEF survey data). Find out what the common fish are, how to ID them, and learn about REEF (if you are not familiar with it).
This will be a free, in-person classroom session at Evergreen Dive Service (no diving involved) taught by Edgar Graudins (REEF Level 5 surveyor). All fish ID experience levels welcome.
Thursday, January 16, 5pm PST
