Has it been awhile since your last survey? Or maybe you’re just curious about REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project and want to know how it works?
Join Jackie Myers on Wednesday evening January 8, 2025 for a mini-review of South Puget Sound fish and invertebrates including a brief tutorial on how to enter survey results in the REEF database. This will be an online meeting.
Everyone is welcome, whether new or experienced.
The holidays are here, and if you need to find a gift for the ocean lover in your life, check out the new merchandise we recently added to the REEF online store, including lightweight zip-up hoodies and hats with our new logo. Be sure to check out www.REEF.org/store to see these items as well as plenty of other swag. We also have educational materials, books, and survey gear, all of which make great gifts for divers, snorkelers, and marine life enthusiasts. We suggest placing your order early to allow time for shipping during the holidays.
This winter, REEF has an opportunity for you to involved in ocean conservation from the comfort of your home! We are seeking remote, dedicated volunteers to help create artificial intelligence (AI) training datasets for two collaborative, technology-based citizen science projects, the SMILE project and Grouper Spotter. You can read more about both of these projects below. Volunteers are needed to help build training datasets that are essential for finalizing the AI workflow for these projects, including automated laser detection, fish boxing and outlining, and fish identification.
With a new year approaching, it's a great time to plan your next dive or snorkel vacation, and we hope you'll join us on a REEF Field Survey Trip! There are some spaces available on upcoming REEF Trips in 2025 and 2026, including an amazing 10-night one-way charter in the Philippines, which includes the chance to dive the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This incredible trip is happening on June 28-July 8, 2026, and you don't want to miss it!
You can give the gift of healthy oceans by supporting REEF! Thanks to your support, we are able to protect marine habitats and species, educate countless individuals, and preserve marine biodiversity worldwide. We're so grateful to everyone who has made a donation this winter. If you have not yet donated, please consider contributing to REEF today. Your year-end gift will help set us on a path for success in 2025 and beyond.
2024 is winding down, and if you have any REEF surveys that you haven't yet entered, now is a great time to get them submitted so you can start off 2025 with a fresh "slate!" The marine life information collected by REEF volunteers is used by scientists and researchers to learn more about our oceans and how to best protect them. Each survey you conduct as a citizen scientist can help make a difference, but these data must be submitted to the REEF database.
In 2024, REEF’s education initiatives have made a profound impact, from raising awareness about marine conservation to engaging communities in protecting ocean life. Here's a look at how REEF education programs made an impact this year:
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 Max Arseneault, a REEF member who lives in California. He joined REEF in 2021 and has conducted more than 140 surveys in the US/Canada Pacific Coast (PAC) region, where he is a Level 3 surveyor! We are proud to feature Max this month, and are glad that he is part of REEF.
REEF Into the Blue Book Club will discuss our latest book selection, Underjungle, by Jame Sturz
All are invited to join in this meeting, whether you have read the book or not. For more details about Into the Blue Book Club, visit www.REEF.org/bookclub.
This meeting will be led by Hilary, REEF Education Manager and Diana Phillips, Marine Education and Conservation Fellow.
